The next chart provides selected extracts from pages 1-26 in the book by Robert Young (2000) The Navajo Verb System: An Overview. They are parts most commonly used at the beginning of a verbal unit, which add meaning of aspect, transitivity, reflexivity, or lexical nuances to the core meaning of the verb. The end of the verb provides the core meaning of the verb, and looks to be attached to prefixes like these to ground its meaning into context. However, the original list by Young is quite complicated with heavy linguistic terminology, and multiple coding on prefix position.

I compiled my notes and produced an excerpt that serves to the purpose of consultation as a tool for reading. Many verbal forms are created after multiple combinations of these prefixes with the stem, as many verbal forms created like that may not appear in any lexicon. They comprise the part of a verb as analyzed in the Wiktionary, as Dr. Young’s work fed the Navajo content for the Wiktionary. Combining the stem found in the Wiktionary with prefixes found in this list has been very a useful tool in my reading. I consult myself this list quite often when I try to read in Navajo. I hope this list may be useful to other students, teachers, or researchers.

Navajo Prefix Meanings

‘áá means “the previously mentioned place”
’a’ą́ means “into a hole”
’ááh means “signifies”
’áál means “signifies”
’ada means “downward”
’áde means “above self”
’ádéé means “back against self”
’ádéná means “back against self”
’ádi means “self”
’ádí means “against self”
’ahá means “bend apart, become disjointed”
’ahaa means “about each other”
’áhílák’ee means “into each other’s hands”
’ahiniiłt’a means “blocking each other”
’ał’a means “over each other”
’ałgháá means “swap, trade”
’ałghaná means “swap, trade”
’alhí means “contacting, reaching each other”
’ałhi means “each other”
’aso means “suffer”
’até means “harm”
’atí means “harm”
’éé means “onto something”
’éná means “onto something”
’lák’ee means “into hand”
ą́ą́ means “uncover”
ałná means “in opposite directions back and forth”
ání means “uncover”
ba means “use up”
bida means “down”
ch’aa means “travel, go out of view”
ch’é means “out horizontally, coming into view, starting”
ch’éé means “back out, starting over”
ch’í means “out horizontally, coming into view, starting”
ch’o means “support”
cha means “darkness, cry”
chá means “bunched, huddled, hog-tied”
chą́ means “crave, be addicted”
chi means “usefulness”
cho means “usefulness”
da means “cover, obstruct”
da means “death, at an elevation, obstruct”
da means “distributive”
dá’áke means “into the field”
dáá means “edge, block”
daa’ means “lip”
dááh means “in front of, meeting”
de means “over, in excess”
di means “near fire”
di means “in the act of starting to go along”
di means “Inceptive (in progressive modes)”
dí means “disablement, belief, assistance, boredom”
dí, dé means “concerning sight, vision”
dii means “bring into contact”
díní means “action is prolonged”
dzi means “away into space”
dzídza means “into the fire”
dzíłts’á means “away from fire and water”
gha means “away from, winning from”
ghá means “through, penetrating”
’ees means “out of sight”
ha means “up out, start (a process)”
há means “a person”
haa means “out of hand”
hada means “downward”
hadi means “all the way”
hadini means “start and continue overlong”
hast’e means “in order, ready”
hatł’a means “head long, head over heels as in sudden fall”
hi means “hanging, extending”
ho means “in an area, itself”
hw means “in an area, itself”
í, é means “against, joining”
jé means “carefully”
ji means “away into space”
k’a means “wound (as of an arrow)”
k’e means “on top of, off something, against”
k’e means “loosen, untie”
k’eh means “overcome”
k’éłk’e means “in footprints, in agreement with”
k’i means “on top of, off something, against”
k’i means “plant, farm”
ka means “chronically ill”
ká means “after, searching”
kéé means “live, reside”
kí means “up an incline, lean”
ko means “this much”
kó means “this way”
ł means “each other”
l’á means “ahead”
lanaa means “war, enemy”
łánáá means “one more”
láta means “at the tip”
łe means “into the ashes”
łi means “flattery, cheating”
na means “around, beside”
na means “upward, around, across, dread, repeat”
náá means “repeat once again”
naaná means “reversing direction”
náhidi means “turn over”
nak’ee means “into the eye”
ńdí means “iterative”
ńdii means “start to, move up, describes a blow (with fist, club, whip or hand), na=up, di=inceptive”
ndini means “finishing an action continues its effect, has terminal “ni””
néi (na + yi) means “iterative + transitive: repeatedly do something to something”
ni means “stop, finish, against”
ní means “piercing”
nii means “start doing something, or stop or finish it”
niik’i means “on the face”
niiłt’a’ means “alongside cliff, building”
níká means “through”
nikee means “back to surface”
niki means “on the ground”
niłk’éé means “spiraling”
se means “durative conclusive like present perfect”
she means “durative conclusive like present perfect”
shi means “scold, be mean”
si means “reception of sound, stative on oneself, permeation of liquid”
t’a means “into a niche”
ta means “among, mingle, grazing, barely touching”
tá means “here and there, wander”
táłts’á means “out of the water”
té means “injury”
tí means “injury”
tii means “attack”
tóó means “into water”
tózhą́ means “watery”
ts’á means “away from”
tsą́ means “into belly”
tsí means “mental process, thought, startle, fright, aimless, zigzag”
tsíłts’á means “away from fire and water”
tsístł’á means “cornered, trapped”
wó means “optative”
wo’ą means “over an edge, into a ditch”
wó’ą́ means “over an edge”
ya means “under, beneath”
yaa means “dump, spill”
yi means “passage of night”
yí means “directed at”
yii means “transitional, or shift from one state of being, form, condition or position to another”
yisdá means “to safety, escaping”
za means “into mouth, neck, throat”

References:

Robert W. Young and William Morgan, Sr. (1987), The Navajo Language. A Grammar and Colloquial Dictionary, Albuquerque, New Mexico: University of New Mexico Press, page 196.

Wiktionary contributors. (n.d.). Navajo verb. In Wiktionary, The Free Dictionary. Retrieved October 31, 2025, from https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Navajo_verb

Young, R. W. (2000). The Navajo verb system: An overview. University of New Mexico Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1c3gs57

Young, Robert; Morgan, William; Midgette, Sally (1992), Analytical lexicon of Navajo, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, →ISBN, page 40

navajo prefixes

Navajo Prefix Meanings