Tu'un Sávi

Mixtec

Oto-Manguean (Mixtecan)

FamilyOto-Manguean (Mixtecan) Speakers~500K (cover row for dozens of varieties) ScriptLatin CountriesMexico (Oaxaca, Guerrero, Puebla) Official inMexico (national) Vitalitysafe

Mixtec (Tu'un Sávi, "rain language") is a complex of dozens of varieties, often mutually unintelligible, spoken across the Mixteca region of southern Mexico. All varieties are tonal, with up to four phonemic tones.

Where it is spoken

31 core words in Mixtec

Water

ndute

/ndute/

Fire

ñu'u

/ɲuʔu/

Sun

nikandii

/nikandiː/

Moon

yoo

/joː/

Star

kimi

/kimi/

Mother

na'án

/naʔán/

Father

tatá

/tatá/

I

ruʼu

/ɾuʔu/

You

yoʼo

/joʔo/

Name

sɨvɨ

/sɨβɨ/

Eye

nduchi

/ndutʃi/

Hand

ndo'ó

/ndoʔó/

Heart

ini

/ini/

Love

kúu ini

/kúu ini/

Tree

yutu

/jutu/

House

ve'e

/βeʔe/

Dog

tina

/tina/

Cat

vilú

/βilú/

Eat

kasi

/kasi/

Drink

kohó

/koʔó/

One

in

/ĩ/

Two

uvi

/uʔβi/

Hello

nasáa

/nasáː/

Thank you

tachu'un

/tatʃuʔun/

Good

vate

/βate/

Words compared

Compared with related Oto-Manguean (Mixtecan) languages

Meaning MixtecMixtepec MixtecMetlatónoc MixtecTabasco ChontalTonganUspantekoTlacolula Zapotec
Water ndute /ndute/ ndute /ndute/ ndute /ndute/ jaʼ /haʔ/ vai /vai/ jaʼ /haʔ/ nisi /nisi/
Fire ñu'u /ɲuʔu/ ñu'u /ɲuʔu/ ñu'un /ɲuʔun/ kʼakʼ /kʼakʼ/ afi /afi/ qʼaqʼ /qʼaqʼ/ gui /ɡi/
Sun nikandii /nikandiː/ nikan /nikan/ nikandii /nikandiː/ kʼin /kʼin/ laʻā /laʔaː/ qʼiij /qʼiːh/ gubi /ɡubi/
Moon yoo /joː/ yoo /joː/ yoo /joː/ ä /æ/ māhina /maːhina/ ikʼ /ikʼ/ beuu /beːu/
Star kimi /kimi/ kimi /kimi/ kimi /kimi/ ekʼ /ʔekʼ/ fetuʻu /fetuʔu/ ch'umil /tʃʼumil/ béeld /beˀld/
Mother na'án /naʔán/ na'án /naʔán/ na'án /naʔán/ naʼ /naʔ/ faʻē /faʔeː/ nan /nan/ xnan /ʃnan/
Father tatá /tatá/ tatá /tatá/ tatá /tatá/ tat /tat/ tamai /tamai/ tat /tat/ xtad /ʃtad/
I ruʼu /ɾuʔu/ ruʼu /ɾuʔu/ yuʼu /juʔu/ noʼon /noʔon/ au /au/ in /in/ naʼ /naʔ/
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