Inuit Words for Snow

The Eskimos' Hundred Words for Snow (From [1]) by Phil James

• tlapa powder snow
• tlacringit snow that is crusted on the surface
  • kayi drifting snow
• tlapat still snow
  • klin remembered snow
  • naklin forgotten snow
• tlamo snow that falls in large wet flakes
• tlatim snow that falls in small flakes
• tlaslo snow that falls slowly
• tlapinti snow that falls quickly
• kripya snow that has melted and refrozen
  • tliyel snow that has been marked by wolves
  • tliyelin snow that has been marked by Eskimos
• blotla blowing snow
• pactla snow that has been packed down
• hiryla snow in beards
• wa-ter melted snow
• tlayinq snow mixed with mud
• quinaya snow mixed with Husky shit
• quinyaya snow mixed with the shit of a lead dog
• slimtla snow that is crusted on top but soft underneath
• kriplyana snow that looks blue in the early morning
• puntla a mouthful of snow because you fibbed
• allatla baked snow
• fritla fried snow
• gristla deep fried snow
• MacTla snow burgers
  • jatla snow between your fingers or toes, or in groin-folds
• dinliltla little balls of snow that cling to Husky fur
• sulitlana green snow
• mentlana pink snow
• tidtla snow used for cleaning
• ertla snow used by Eskimo teenagers for exquisite erotic rituals
• kriyantli snow bricks
• hahatla small packages of snow given as gag gifts
• semtla partially melted snow
• ontla snow on objects
• intla snow that has drifted indoors
• shlim slush
• warintla snow used to make Eskimo daiquiris
• mextla snow used to make Eskimo Margaritas
• penstla the idea of snow
• mortla snow mounded on dead bodies
• ylaipi tomorrow's snow
• nylaipin the snows of yesteryear ("neiges d'antan")
• pritla our children's snow
• nootlin snow that doesn't stick
• rotlana quickly accumulating snow
• skriniya snow that never reaches the ground
• bluwid snow that's shaken down from objects in the wind
• tlanid snow that's shaken down and then mixes with sky-falling snow
• ever-tla a spirit made from mashed fermented snow, popular among Eskimo men
  • talini snow angels
• priyakli snow that looks like it's falling upward
• chiup snow that makes halos
• blontla snow that's shaken off in the mudroom
• tlalman snow sold to German tourists
• tlalam snow sold to American tourists
• tlanip snow sold to Japanese tourists
• protla snow packed around caribou meat
• attla snow that as it falls seems to create nice pictures in the air
• sotla snow sparkling with sunlight
• tlun snow sparkling with moonlight
• astrila snow sparkling with starlight
• clim snow sparkling with flashlight or headlight
• tlapi summer snow
• krikaya snow mixed with breath
• ashtla expected snow that's wagered on (depth, size of flakes)
• huantla special snow rolled into "snow reefers" and smoked by wild Eskimo youth
• tla-na-na snow mixed with the sound of old rock and roll from a portable radio
• depptla a small snowball, preserved in Lucite, that had been handled by Johnny Depp
• trinkyi first snow of the year
• tronkyin last snow of the year
• shiya snow at dawn
• katiyana night snow
• tlinro snow vapor
• nyik snow with flakes of widely varying size
• ragnitla two snowfalls at once, creating moire patterns
• akitla snow falling on water
• privtla snow melting in the spring rain
• chahatlin snow that makes a sizzling sound as it falls on water
• hootlin snow that makes a hissing sound as the individual flakes brush
• geltla snow dollars
• briktla good building snow
• striktla snow that's no good for building
• erolinyat snow drifts containing the imprint of crazy lovers
• chachat swirling snow that drives you nuts
• krotla snow that blinds you
• tlarin snow that can be sculpted into the delicate corsages Eskimo girls pin to their whale parkas at prom time
• motla snow in the mouth
• sotla snow in the south
• maxtla snow that hides the whole village
• tlayopi snow drifts you fall into and die
• truyi avalanche of snow
• tlapripta snow that burns your scalp and eyelids
• carpitla snow glazed with ice
• tla ordinary snow