Nāhuatl
Classical Nahuatl
Uto-Aztecan (Nahuan) · historical / hidden variety
Also known as: Classical Nahuatl, Aztec
Classical Nahuatl (mācēhuallahtōlli) was the language of the Aztec Empire and the lingua franca of Mesoamerican high culture from c. 1300 to the Spanish conquest of 1521. Recorded extensively in colonial-era manuscripts (the Florentine Codex compiled by Sahagún 1577, the Codex Mendoza, the Cantares Mexicanos), it preserves a rich tradition of poetry (xōchitl in cuīcatl, "flower and song"), philosophy, and administration. Classical Nahuatl gave world languages many words: chocolate (xocolātl), tomato (tomatl), avocado (āhuacatl), coyote (coyōtl), chili (chīlli). Modern Nahuatl varieties (~1.5M speakers) descend directly from Classical.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Classical Nahuatl
Water
ātl
/aːtɬ/
Fire
tlētl
/tɬeːtɬ/
Sun
tōnatiuh
/toːnatiw/
Moon
mētztli
/meːtstɬi/
Mother
nāntli
/naːntɬi/
Father
tāhtli
/taːtɬi/
Eat
tlacua
/tɬakʷa/
Drink
ātli
/aːtɬi/
Love
tlazōhtla
/tɬasoːhtɬa/
Heart
yōllōtl
/joːlːoːtɬ/
Tree
cuahuitl
/kʷawitɬ/
House
calli
/kalːi/
Dog
itzcuīntli
/itskʷiːntɬi/
Cat
mīztōn
/miːstoːn/
Hand
māitl
/maːitɬ/
Eye
īxtli
/iːʃtɬi/
Hello
niltze
/niltse/
Thank you
tlazōhcāmati
/tɬasoːhkaːmati/
One
cē
/seː/
Good
cualli
/kʷalːi/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Uto-Aztecan (Nahuan) languages
| Meaning | Classical Nahuatl | Central Huasteca Nahuatl | Western Huasteca Nahuatl | Guerrero Nahuatl | Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl | Isthmus Nahuatl | Nawat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ātl /aːtɬ/ | atl /atɬ/ | atl /atɬ/ | atl /atɬ/ | atl /atɬ/ | ahtli /aʔtli/ | at /at/ |
| Fire | tlētl /tɬeːtɬ/ | tlitl /tɬitɬ/ | tlitl /tɬitɬ/ | tletl /tɬetɬ/ | titl /titɬ/ | tit /tit/ | tit /tit/ |
| Sun | tōnatiuh /toːnatiw/ | tonati /tonati/ | tonati /tonati/ | tonatih /tonatih/ | tonatih /tonatih/ | tonal /tonal/ | tunal /tunal/ |
| Moon | mētztli /meːtstɬi/ | metztli /metstɬi/ | metztli /metstɬi/ | metztli /metstɬi/ | metztli /metstɬi/ | metz /mets/ | metsti /metsti/ |
| Mother | nāntli /naːntɬi/ | nana /nana/ | nana /nana/ | nanan /nanan/ | mama /mama/ | nan /nan/ | nan /nan/ |
| Father | tāhtli /taːtɬi/ | tata /tata/ | tata /tata/ | tatah /tatah/ | tata /tata/ | tat /tat/ | tat /tat/ |
| Eat | tlacua /tɬakʷa/ | tlacua /tɬakʷa/ | tlacua /tɬakʷa/ | tlakua /tɬakʷa/ | tlacua /tɬakʷa/ | tacua /takʷa/ | takwa /takwa/ |
| Drink | ātli /aːtɬi/ | atli /atɬi/ | atli /atɬi/ | atli /atɬi/ | atli /atɬi/ | ati /ati/ | ati /ati/ |
| Love | tlazōhtla /tɬasoːhtɬa/ | tlazohtla /tɬasoʔtɬa/ | tlazohtla /tɬasoʔtɬa/ | tlazohtla /tɬasoʔtɬa/ | tlazohtla /tɬasoʔtɬa/ | nech-nequi /netʃneki/ | nesa /nesa/ |
| Heart | yōllōtl /joːlːoːtɬ/ | yollotl /jolːotɬ/ | yollotl /jolːotɬ/ | yolotl /jolotɬ/ | yollotl /jolːotɬ/ | yolio /jolio/ | yulu /julu/ |
| Tree | cuahuitl /kʷawitɬ/ | cuahuitl /kʷawitl/ | cuahuitl /kʷawitl/ | kuauitl /kʷawitl/ | cuahuitl /kʷawitɬ/ | cuahuit /kʷawit/ | kwawit /kʷawit/ |
| House | calli /kalːi/ | calli /kalːi/ | calli /kalːi/ | kalli /kalːi/ | calli /kalːi/ | cali /kali/ | kal /kal/ |
| Dog | itzcuīntli /itskʷiːntɬi/ | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | chichi /tʃitʃi/ |
| Cat | mīztōn /miːstoːn/ | mizton /miston/ | mizton /miston/ | miston /miston/ | mizton /miston/ | miston /miston/ | mishin /miʃin/ |
| Hand | māitl /maːitɬ/ | maitl /maitl/ | maitl /maitl/ | mahpi /mahpi/ | maitl /maitl/ | mahuit /mawit/ | mey /mei/ |
| Eye | īxtli /iːʃtɬi/ | ixtli /iʃtli/ | ixtli /iʃtli/ | ixtli /iʃtli/ | ixtli /iʃtli/ | ix /iʃ/ | ish /iʃ/ |
| Hello | niltze /niltse/ | niltze /niltse/ | niltze /niltse/ | niltze /niltse/ | nimitzpaca /nimitspaka/ | niltze /niltse/ | ne pakua /ne pakwa/ |
| Thank you | tlazōhcāmati /tɬasoːhkaːmati/ | tlazohcamati /tɬasoʔkamati/ | tlazohcamati /tɬasoʔkamati/ | tlazohcamati /tɬasoʔkamati/ | tlazohcamati /tɬasoʔkamati/ | tlazohcamati /tlasoʔkamati/ | padiush /padjuʃ/ |
| One | cē /seː/ | ce /se/ | ce /se/ | ce /se/ | ce /se/ | ce /se/ | se /se/ |
| Good | cualli /kʷalːi/ | cualli /kʷalːi/ | cualli /kʷalːi/ | kuajli /kʷahli/ | cualli /kʷalːi/ | cualli /kʷalːi/ | kwahli /kʷahli/ |
Word order compared
Compare with major world languages
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