Naáyarite
Cora
Uto-Aztecan
Cora (autonymously Naáyarite) is a Uto-Aztecan language of the Corachol sub-branch, spoken by around 17,000 people in the Sierra del Nayar region of Nayarit, Mexico. Linguistically, Cora is most closely related to Wixarika/Huichol (hch) — its sister Corachol language — but distinct enough that the two are mutually unintelligible. The Cora maintain their traditional indigenous religion centered on the goddess Tatei Náa'arí and continue ancient pilgrimage practices to sacred mountain sites including Tete Naayéri (the Mesa del Nayar). The Cora dialect cluster includes Mariteco, Mountain Cora, and Eastern/Central varieties. Despite its small speaker numbers, Cora has maintained intergenerational transmission in the more remote Sierra del Nayar settlements due to the region's geographic isolation and traditional cultural integrity.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Cora
Water
hapɨn
/hapɨn/
Fire
ta'ai
/taʔai/
Sun
tahaapuá
/tahaːpwa/
Moon
mɨhka
/mɨhka/
Star
sɨɨrabe
/sɨːˈrabe/
Mother
naana
/naːna/
Father
hahuá
/hahwa/
I
neʼu
/ˈneʔu/
You
aʼu
/ˈaʔu/
Name
yeuwa
/ˈjeuwa/
Eye
húi
/hwi/
Hand
mam
/mam/
Heart
hɨurí
/hɨuri/
Love
ka'na
/kaʔna/
Tree
kɨré
/kɨre/
House
kíh
/kih/
Dog
tsɨ'ɨ
/tsɨʔɨ/
Cat
mistú
/mistu/
Eat
kuá
/kwa/
Drink
hi'i
/hiʔi/
One
cei
/tsei/
Two
huapoa
/waˈpoa/
Hello
ke'kuanenki
/keʔkwanenki/
Thank you
atsipiraá
/atsipiraː/
Good
huá'i
/hwaʔi/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Uto-Aztecan languages
| Meaning | Cora | Wixarika | Nawat | Central Huasteca Nahuatl | Western Huasteca Nahuatl | Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl | Isthmus Nahuatl |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | hapɨn /hapɨn/ | ha /ha/ | at /at/ | atl /atɬ/ | atl /atɬ/ | atl /atɬ/ | ahtli /aʔtli/ |
| Fire | ta'ai /taʔai/ | tai /tai/ | tit /tit/ | tlitl /tɬitɬ/ | tlitl /tɬitɬ/ | tlitl /tɬitɬ/ | tit /tit/ |
| Sun | tahaapuá /tahaːpwa/ | tau /tau/ | tunal /tunal/ | tonati /tonati/ | tonati /tonati/ | tonatih /tonatih/ | tonal /tonal/ |
| Moon | mɨhka /mɨhka/ | metsa /metsa/ | metsti /metsti/ | metztli /metstɬi/ | metztli /metstɬi/ | metztli /metstɬi/ | metz /mets/ |
| Star | sɨɨrabe /sɨːˈrabe/ | xurawe /ʃuˈrawe/ | sital /ˈsital/ | sitlalij /siˈtlalih/ | sitlalij /siˈtlalih/ | sitlalij /siˈtlalih/ | sitlalin /siˈtlalin/ |
| Mother | naana /naːna/ | nana /nana/ | nan /nan/ | nana /nana/ | nana /nana/ | mama /mama/ | nan /nan/ |
| Father | hahuá /hahwa/ | yawe /jawe/ | tat /tat/ | tata /tata/ | tata /tata/ | tata /tata/ | tat /tat/ |
| I | neʼu /ˈneʔu/ | nee /neː/ | naja /ˈnaha/ | na /na/ | na /na/ | na /na/ | naja /ˈnaha/ |
| You | aʼu /ˈaʔu/ | eekɨ /ˈeːkɨ/ | taja /ˈtaha/ | ta /ta/ | ta /ta/ | ta /ta/ | taja /ˈtaha/ |
| Name | yeuwa /ˈjeuwa/ | tewa /ˈtewa/ | tukay /ˈtukaj/ | tocaxtli /toˈkaʃtli/ | tocaxtli /toˈkaʃtli/ | tocaxtli /toˈkaʃtli/ | tocayotl /tokaˈjotɬ/ |
| Eye | húi /hwi/ | tukite /tukite/ | ish /iʃ/ | ixtli /iʃtli/ | ixtli /iʃtli/ | ixtli /iʃtli/ | ix /iʃ/ |
| Hand | mam /mam/ | mama /mama/ | mey /mei/ | maitl /maitl/ | maitl /maitl/ | maitl /maitl/ | mahuit /mawit/ |
| Heart | hɨurí /hɨuri/ | iyari /ijari/ | yulu /julu/ | yollotl /jolːotɬ/ | yollotl /jolːotɬ/ | yollotl /jolːotɬ/ | yolio /jolio/ |
| Love | ka'na /kaʔna/ | kanenki /kanenki/ | tasujta /tasuhta/ | tlazohtla /tɬasoʔtɬa/ | tlazohtla /tɬasoʔtɬa/ | tlazohtla /tɬasoʔtɬa/ | nequi /neki/ |
| Tree | kɨré /kɨre/ | kiyé /kije/ | kwawit /kʷawit/ | cuahuitl /kʷawitl/ | cuahuitl /kʷawitl/ | cuahuitl /kʷawitɬ/ | cuahuit /kʷawit/ |
| House | kíh /kih/ | ki /ki/ | kal /kal/ | calli /kalːi/ | calli /kalːi/ | calli /kalːi/ | cali /kali/ |
| Dog | tsɨ'ɨ /tsɨʔɨ/ | tsïkï /tsɨkɨ/ | chichi /tʃitʃi/ | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ |
| Cat | mistú /mistu/ | mitsu /mitsu/ | mishin /miʃin/ | mizton /miston/ | mizton /miston/ | mizton /miston/ | miston /miston/ |
| Eat | kuá /kwa/ | kuye /kuje/ | takwa /takwa/ | tlacua /tɬakʷa/ | tlacua /tɬakʷa/ | tlacua /tɬakʷa/ | tacua /takʷa/ |
| Drink | hi'i /hiʔi/ | hi'eka /hiʔeka/ | ati /ati/ | atli /atɬi/ | atli /atɬi/ | atli /atɬi/ | ati /ati/ |
| One | cei /tsei/ | xevi /ʃevi/ | se /se/ | ce /se/ | ce /se/ | ce /se/ | ce /se/ |
| Two | huapoa /waˈpoa/ | huta /huˈta/ | ume /ˈume/ | ome /ˈome/ | ome /ˈome/ | ome /ˈome/ | ome /ˈome/ |
| Hello | ke'kuanenki /keʔkwanenki/ | kekuanenki /kekwanenki/ | ne pakua /ne pakwa/ | niltze /niltse/ | niltze /niltse/ | nimitzpaca /nimitspaka/ | niltze /niltse/ |
| Thank you | atsipiraá /atsipiraː/ | pa'iwakaitsie /paʔiwakaitsje/ | padiush /padjuʃ/ | tlazohcamati /tɬasoʔkamati/ | tlazohcamati /tɬasoʔkamati/ | tlazohcamati /tɬasoʔkamati/ | tlazohcamati /tlasoʔkamati/ |
| Good | huá'i /hwaʔi/ | waxa /waʃa/ | kwahli /kʷahli/ | cualli /kʷalːi/ | cualli /kʷalːi/ | cualli /kʷalːi/ | cualli /kʷalːi/ |
Part of LangMap — a linguistic visualization project. This is a static, crawlable summary; the interactive maps offer pronunciation audio, filters, and a globe view.