Nahuatl

The tongue

Nahuatl is alive. More than a million people still speak it. This hall uses the classical spelling the books keep — the letters Sahagún’s scribes mapped onto the sounds — so a reader can open a codex and a classroom chart and find the same marks.

How to read the line under each word: say the capital part a little stronger. That is the stress — almost always the second-to-last syllable. Long vowels can be written ā ē ī ō. X is sh. Tl is one consonant, not t-plus-l. Hu is w. There is no b, d, f, g, or r in older Nahuatl.

The marks

Alphabet

aahas in father
eehas in they
ieeas in machine
oohas in note
ppas in spin — no puff of air
ttas in stop
c / qukc before a, o; qu before e, i
cu / uckwcuāuhtli, eagle
chchas in church
tltlone sound — atl, water
tztsas in cats
xshxochitl, flower
hu / uhwhuitzilin, hummingbird
yyas in yes
mmmiquiztli
nnnahuatl
llclear l, never dark
zsno English z-buzz

Greetings

First the Nahuatl. Under it, how to say it. Then the English.

Niltze.

NEEL-tseh

Hello.

Niltze. Cualli tonalli.

NEEL-tseh. KWAH-lee toh-NAH-lee

Hello. A good day.

Cualli tonalli.

KWAH-lee toh-NAH-lee

Good day.

Cualli teotlac.

KWAH-lee teh-OH-tlahk

Good afternoon / evening.

Cualli yohualli.

KWAH-lee yo-WAH-lee

Good night.

Piyali.

pee-YAH-lee

Take care. Farewell.

Tlazocamati.

tlah-soh-kah-MAH-tee

Thank you.

Tlazocamati huel miac.

tlah-soh-kah-MAH-tee well MEE-ahk

Thank you very much.

Ahmo tle.

AH-moh tleh

It is nothing. You’re welcome.

Quēn tica?

ken TEE-kah

How are you? (How do you stand?)

Cualli. Īhuān tēhuātl?

KWAH-lee. EE-wahn teh-WAHTL

Well. And you?

Nimitztlazohtla.

nee-meech-tlah-SOHT-lah

I love you.

Occeppa timoitazque.

ohk-SEP-pah tee-moh-ee-TAHS-keh

We will see each other again.

Ma ximopaquilta.

mah shee-moh-pah-KEEL-tah

Be glad. Go content.

Full talk

Meeting someone

You
Niltze.
NEEL-tseh
Hello.
Them
Niltze. Cualli tonalli.
NEEL-tseh. KWAH-lee toh-NAH-lee
Hello. A good day.
You
Quēn tica?
ken TEE-kah
How are you?
Them
Cualli. Īhuān tēhuātl?
KWAH-lee. EE-wahn teh-WAHTL
Well. And you?
You
Cualli nica. Tlazocamati.
KWAH-lee NEE-kah. tlah-soh-kah-MAH-tee
I am well. Thank you.

Names

You
Notōcā Christopher. Tlein motōcā?
noh-TOH-kah Christopher. tleyn moh-TOH-kah
My name is Christopher. What is your name?
Them
Notōcā ______.
noh-TOH-kah
My name is ______.
You
Nehuātl niMexicatl. Īhuān tēhuātl?
neh-WAHTL nee-meh-SHEE-kahtl. EE-wahn teh-WAHTL
I am Mexica. And you?
Them
Nehuātl nican ninemi.
neh-WAHTL NEE-kahn nee-NEH-mee
I live here.

The day

You
Tlein tonalli in axcan?
tleyn toh-NAH-lee een AHSH-kahn
What day-sign is today?
Them
In axcan, ______.
een AHSH-kahn
Today is ______.
You
Cualli tonalli. Tlazocamati.
KWAH-lee toh-NAH-lee. tlah-soh-kah-MAH-tee
A good day. Thank you.

Thanks and the road

You
Tlazocamati huel miac.
tlah-soh-kah-MAH-tee well MEE-ahk
Thank you very much.
Them
Ahmo tle. Cualli ohtli.
AH-moh tleh. KWAH-lee OHT-lee
It is nothing. A good road.
You
Occeppa timoitazque. Piyali.
ohk-SEP-pah tee-moh-ee-TAHS-keh. pee-YAH-lee
We will see each other again. Take care.
Them
Ma ximopaquilta.
mah shee-moh-pah-KEEL-tah
Be glad. Go content.

Love

You
Nimitztlazohtla.
nee-meech-tlah-SOHT-lah
I love you.
Them
Nimitztlazohtla in noyollo.
nee-meech-tlah-SOHT-lah een noh-YOH-yoh
I love you with my heart.
You
Amo nimitztlalcahuiz.
AH-moh nee-meech-tlal-kah-WEESS
I will not abandon you.
Them
Nican nica. Mochi cāhuitl.
NEE-kahn NEE-kah. MOH-chee KAH-weetl
I am here. All the time.

House words

Notōcā Christopher.

noh-TOH-kah Christopher

My name is Christopher.

Nehuātl niMexicatl.

neh-WAHTL nee-meh-SHEE-kahtl

I am Mexica.

Ollin.

OH-leen

Movement. This age. This house.

Tonalpohualli.

toh-nahl-poh-WAH-lee

The count of days.

Cuāuhocēlōtl.

kwah-woh-SEH-lohtl

Eagle-jaguar. The two knight houses.

Cuāuhtli.

KWAH-oot-lee

Eagle.

Ocēlōtl.

oh-SEH-lohtl

Jaguar.

Huitzilin.

wee-TSEE-leen

Hummingbird.

Chimalli.

chee-MAH-lee

Shield.

Mexica.

meh-SHEE-kah

The people of Mexi.

Huitzilopochtli.

wee-tsee-loh-POCH-tlee

Hummingbird of the South. Mexi.

Tlahtolli.

tlah-TOHL-lee

Word. Speech. The telling.

Neltiliztli.

nel-tee-LEESS-tlee

Truth. What is rooted.

Yoliliztli.

yoh-lee-LEESS-tlee

Life.

Yōllōtl.

YOH-lohtl

Heart.

Atl.

ahtl

Water.

Tletl.

tlehtl

Fire.

Tlālli.

TLAHL-lee

Earth. Land.

Ilhuicatl.

eel-WEE-kahtl

Sky.

Sayings

In xōchitl in cuīcatl.

een SHOH-cheetl een KWEE-kahtl

Flower and song. Poetry. The way truth is kept.

Īxtli, yōllōtl.

EESHT-lee, YOH-lohtl

Face and heart. A true person.

Cualli ohtli.

KWAH-lee OHT-lee

A good road. Go well.

Amo zan tictlanehuia in tlalticpac.

AH-moh sahn teek-tlah-neh-WEE-ah een tlahl-TEEK-pahk

We only borrow the earth.

Tlācatl ōtli.

TLAH-kahtl OHT-lee

The human road. Live as a person.

Nimitztlazohtla in cemanāhuac.

nee-meech-tlah-SOHT-lah een seh-mah-NAH-wahk

I love you as far as the world goes.

Ma ximopaquilta.

mah shee-moh-pah-KEEL-tah

Be glad.

In tlahtolli amo huetzi.

een tlah-TOHL-lee AH-moh WEH-tsee

The word does not fall.

Four directions

South is Huitztlampa — the thorn side, the left of the sun’s road, Huitzilopochtli’s quarter. That is why he is Hummingbird of the South.

Tlāpco / Tlahuizlampa

TLAHP-koh / tlah-weess-LAHM-pah

East. Where the light comes.

Mictlāmpa

meek-TLAHM-pah

North. Toward Mictlan.

Cihuātlāmpa

see-wah-TLAHM-pah

West. The women’s side, where the sun enters.

Huitztlāmpa

weetss-TLAHM-pah

South. The thorn side. Huitzilopochtli’s left.

Colors

Istac

EESS-tahk

White

Tlīltic

TLEEL-teek

Black

Chichiltic

chee-CHEEL-teek

Red

Xoxoctic

sho-SHOHK-teek

Green

Cōztic

KOHSS-teek

Yellow

Texotic

teh-SHO-teek

Blue

Cōztic teōcuitlatl

KOHSS-teek teh-oh-kweet-LAH-tl

Gold (yellow god-excrement — the old name for gold)

In xochitl in cuicatl

Flower and song

Elders teaching the young at night — The word is taught. Calmecac — the house of song. Flower and song are how truth is kept.

Mexica poetry is in xochitl in cuicatl — flower and song. Truth that can be held. Nezahualcoyotl of Texcoco:

I nican y yaz tocnihuan, ihuan ye ic zan tictlalcahuizque in tlalticpac.

ee NEE-kahn ee yahs tok-NEE-wahn, EE-wahn yeh eek sahn teek-tlal-kah-WEESS-keh een tlahl-TEEK-pahk

We will go, friends, and we will leave the earth. Not despair — a reminder that the word and the flower are what stay.

Amo elhuia in cozcatl, in quetzalli; zan tictlanehuia.

AH-moh el-WEE-ah een kohs-KAHTL, een ket-SAH-lee; sahn teek-tlah-neh-WEE-ah

We do not own the necklace, the quetzal plume. We only borrow them.

The creed

Word is bond

The whole creed of this house. First the question. Then the answer. English, then Nahuatl, then how to say it.

The question

Have you not yet learned that word is bond?

Cuix aya ōtictēmachti in tlahtolli in neltiliztli?

kweesh AH-yah oh-teek-teh-MACH-tee een tlah-TOHL-lee een nel-tee-LEESS-tlee

Have you not yet learned that the word is the bond?

The answer

My word is bond, and bond is life, and I shall give my life before my word shall ever fall.

Notlahtol in neltiliztli, auh in neltiliztli in yoliliztli; nicmacaz in noyolia achtopa in notlahtol huetziz.

noh-TLAH-tohl een nel-tee-LEESS-tlee, ow een nel-tee-LEESS-tlee een yoh-lee-LEESS-tlee; neek-MAH-kahs een noh-yoh-LEE-ah ahch-TOH-pah een noh-TLAH-tohl WEH-tseess

My word is the truth, and the truth is the life; I will give my life before my word falls.

Tlahtolli is not chatter. It is the telling you can be killed for keeping. Neltiliztli is truth that is rooted — bond.

A second oath

Amo nimitztlalcahuiz. Nimitztlazohtlaz in cemanahuac.

AH-moh nee-meech-tlal-kah-WEESS. nee-meech-tlah-SOHT-lahs een seh-mah-NAH-wahk

I will not abandon you. I will love you as far as the world goes.