There are two official languages of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands: Chamorro and Carolinian.

Chamorro glossaries are presented on our Guam website, and you can view that chart by clicking here.

Carolinian terminology is presented below.

The Sea:

Sea water

Sáát

Sea shore

Mwóschángáisáát

Near-shore

Arol sáát

Where the waves break

Wuluwoosch;
Pwúngúpwúng

Deep sea

Mataw;
Lómworosch

Waves, Tides

Lóó

The Reef:

Coral

Yáál

Finger coral, from which lime can be made

Reef

Oorh, Woosch

Fringing barrier reef

Scháp Falúw

Reef which extends out from the land

Woschopagh, Orhopay

Stretches of fringing reef, cut into valleys or channels

Wów

Crevices and channels in the reef

Wuluwoosch, Weneyorh

Area on and beyond the reef

Fishing

Lehet, Leeset;
Liyapeli

--To go fishing;
--To catch a fish

Aro

Nighttime trolling or crab hunting

Áfiyáf

Fish with line, hook and weight

Bwów

Fish by casting with a pole

Lugh

To troll for fish

Wáirágh

To troll in daytime, as for large fish

Wáit

To fish from an anchored canoe with a line hanging over the edge of the canoe

Taiyaf

To fish with a line while swimming or floating in deep water

Álighiligh

To let out a net or line to catch fish

Yóó

Fishing line

Ghéé

Fish hook

Amwal, Amón

Fish bait; to bait a hook

Net Fishing

Appúng, Auschap

To slap water when net fishing to drive fish into the net

Póghuuw

To surround and capture fish by working in a line with other fishermen

Rooppw

Method of fishing outside the reef, by which fish are driven into a net held by swimmers

Áriyár

To fish for schools of fish such as mackerel by scooping them up in nets

Schooghi, Rheuni

To dip up small fish with a seine net

Télóóya, Telaiya

Throw net

Spear fishing

Fiisigha

Fishing spear

Lighappisch;
Patsingko

--Speargun
--Speargun propelled by stretched rubber

Akkayúr ghúús

To prod squid or octopus so as to make them easier to spear

Fish Trap

Uu;
Sooso

--Fish, lobster or crap trap;
--To place a fish trap in water

Úúp

Poison for fishing made from the Derris vine

Fishes

Iigh;
Bwiil; Mméél iigh

--Generic term for fish
--School of fish;

Mangaro

Yellowfin tuna

Skipjack: five stages of growth

(1) Tchep;
(2) Sáresch
(3) Langú
(4) Arong
(5) Ópp

(1) approximately finger length

(5) up to one fathom in length

Whale

Raaw

Shark

Pááw, Parhaw

Turtle

Woong, Bwáábwa

Octopus

Ghúús, Gúúh

Squid

Ngúút

Generic term for squid or cuttlefish

Sea Cucumber

Ppáleppál

Generic term for sea cucumber