Te Reo Māori
Māori
Austronesian (Polynesian)
Also known as: Maori
Māori (te reo Māori) is an Eastern Polynesian language, the indigenous language of New Zealand (Aotearoa), with ~186K speakers (2018 census; ~50K daily fluent users + larger learner population). Co-official with English and New Zealand Sign Language under the 1987 Te Reo Māori Act, recognised as a treasure (taonga) protected by the 1840 Treaty of Waitangi. Linguistically Māori is closely related to Cook Islands Māori, Tahitian, and Hawaiian within the Eastern Polynesian branch — Polynesian voyagers reached New Zealand around 1250-1300 CE from East Polynesia. Latin orthography developed by missionaries from 1814, refined by the 1820 Williams primer; uses 5 vowels (a/e/i/o/u with macron-marked long forms ā/ē/ī/ō/ū) and 10 consonants. Verb-initial VSO order. Major revitalization since 1980s through kōhanga reo (language nest preschools, est. 1982), kura kaupapa Māori schools, Māori Television (2004), and the Māori Language Commission (Te Taura Whiri).
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Māori
Water
wai
/wai/
Fire
ahi
/ahi/
Sun
rā
/ɾaː/
Moon
marama
/maɾama/
Star
whetū
/ɸɛtuː/
Mother
whaea
/ɸaea/
Father
matua
/matua/
I
au
/au/
You
koe
/koe/
Name
ingoa
/iŋoa/
Eye
karu
/ˈkaɾu/
Hand
ringa
/ɾiŋa/
Heart
ngākau
/ŋaːkau/
Love
aroha
/aɾoha/
Tree
rākau
/ɾaːkau/
House
whare
/ɸaɾe/
Dog
kurī
/kuɾiː/
Cat
ngeru
/ŋeɾu/
Eat
kai
/kai/
Drink
inu
/inu/
One
tahi
/tahi/
Two
rua
/ɾua/
Hello
kia ora
/kia oɾa/
Thank you
ngā mihi
/ŋaː mihi/
Good
pai
/pai/
Cuckoo
koekoeā
/kɔɛkɔɛˈaː/
Woof
au au
/au au/
Computer
rorohiko
/ˈɾɔɾɔhiko/
Sushi
huhi
/ˈhuhi/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Austronesian (Polynesian) languages
| Meaning | Māori | Cook Islands Māori | Pukapukan | Tokelauan | Tuvaluan | Niuean | Rapanui |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | wai /wai/ | vai /vai/ | wai /wai/ | vai /vai/ | vai /vai/ | vai /vai/ | vai /vai/ |
| Fire | ahi /ahi/ | ahi /ahi/ | awi /ˈawi/ | afi /afi/ | afi /afi/ | afi /afi/ | ahi /ahi/ |
| Sun | rā /ɾaː/ | rā /raː/ | la /la/ | la /la/ | laa /laː/ | lā /laː/ | raʻā /raʔaː/ |
| Moon | marama /maɾama/ | marama /marama/ | malama /maˈlama/ | malama /malama/ | masina /masina/ | mahina /mahina/ | mahina /mahina/ |
| Star | whetū /ɸɛtuː/ | etū /eˈtuː/ | wetū /wetuː/ | fetu /fetu/ | fetū /feˈtuː/ | fetū /feˈtuː/ | hetuʻu /heˈtuʔu/ |
| Mother | whaea /ɸaea/ | māmā /maːmaː/ | mama /ˈmama/ | mātua /maːtua/ | maatua /maːtua/ | matua fifine /matua fifine/ | matuʻa vahine /matuʔa vahine/ |
| Father | matua /matua/ | pāpā /paːpaː/ | matua /maˈtua/ | tamana /tamana/ | tamana /tamana/ | matua taane /matua taːne/ | matuʻa tāne /matuʔa taːne/ |
| I | au /au/ | au /au/ | au /au/ | au /au/ | au /au/ | au /au/ | au /au/ |
| You | koe /koe/ | koe /koe/ | koe /koe/ | koe /koe/ | koe /koe/ | koe /koe/ | koe /koe/ |
| Name | ingoa /iŋoa/ | ingoa /iˈŋoa/ | ingoa /iŋoa/ | igoa /iŋoa/ | igoa /iˈŋoa/ | higoa /hiˈŋoa/ | ingoa /iˈŋoa/ |
| Eye | karu /ˈkaɾu/ | mata /mata/ | mata /ˈmata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ |
| Hand | ringa /ɾiŋa/ | rima /ɾima/ | lima /ˈlima/ | lima /lima/ | lima /lima/ | lima /lima/ | rima /ɾima/ |
| Heart | ngākau /ŋaːkau/ | ngākau /ŋaːkau/ | loto /ˈloto/ | fatu /fatu/ | fatu /fatu/ | fatu /fatu/ | mahatu /mahatu/ |
| Love | aroha /aɾoha/ | aro'a /aɾoʔa/ | aloa /aˈloa/ | alofa /alofa/ | alofa /alofa/ | fakaalofa /fakaalofa/ | hanga /haŋa/ |
| Tree | rākau /ɾaːkau/ | rākau /raːkau/ | lākau /laːˈkau/ | lakau /lakau/ | laakau /laːkau/ | akau /akau/ | tumu rākau /tumu raːkau/ |
| House | whare /ɸaɾe/ | 'are /ʔaɾe/ | wale /ˈwale/ | fale /fale/ | fale /fale/ | fale /fale/ | hare /haɾe/ |
| Dog | kurī /kuɾiː/ | kurī /kuɾiː/ | kulī /kuˈliː/ | kuli /kuli/ | kuli /kuli/ | kuli /kuli/ | paihega /paiheŋa/ |
| Cat | ngeru /ŋeɾu/ | ngiao /ŋiao/ | pusi /ˈpusi/ | pusi /pusi/ | pusi /pusi/ | pusi /pusi/ | kati /kati/ |
| Eat | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ |
| Drink | inu /inu/ | inu /inu/ | inu /ˈinu/ | inu /inu/ | inu /inu/ | inu /inu/ | unu /unu/ |
| One | tahi /tahi/ | ta'i /taʔi/ | tayi /ˈtaji/ | tahi /tahi/ | tasi /tasi/ | taha /taha/ | tahi /tahi/ |
| Two | rua /ɾua/ | rua /ˈrua/ | lua /lua/ | lua /lua/ | lua /ˈlua/ | ua /ua/ | rua /ˈrua/ |
| Hello | kia ora /kia oɾa/ | kia orāna /kia oɾaːna/ | kia orana /kia oˈɾana/ | malo ni /malo ni/ | taalofa /taːlofa/ | fakaalofa atu /fakaalofa atu/ | ʻiorana /ʔioɾana/ |
| Thank you | ngā mihi /ŋaː mihi/ | meitaki /meitaki/ | meitaki /meiˈtaki/ | fakafetai /fakafetai/ | fakafetai /fakafetai/ | fakaaue /fakaaue/ | maururu /mauɾuɾu/ |
| Good | pai /pai/ | meitaki /meitaki/ | lelei /leˈlei/ | lelei /lelei/ | lei /lei/ | mitaki /mitaki/ | riva /ɾiva/ |
| Cuckoo | koekoeā /kɔɛkɔɛˈaː/ | karavia /kaɾaˈvia/ | — | — | — | — | — |
| Woof | au au /au au/ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Computer | rorohiko /ˈɾɔɾɔhiko/ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Sushi | huhi /ˈhuhi/ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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Word order compared
Compare with major world languages
Māori
Kei te
hiahia au
ki te whakamātau
i tētahi hūtu
i kitea
i
tētahi toa
i mua i
te hōtēra
أنا
أريد
أن أجرب
بدلة
رأيتها
في
محل
مقابل
الفندق
我
想
试穿
酒店
对面的
商店
里
看到的
那套西装
I
want to
try on
a suit
I
saw
in
a shop
across from
the hotel
Ich
möchte
einen Anzug
anprobieren
den
ich
in einem
Geschäft
gegenüber vom
Hotel
gesehen habe
मैं
होटल
के सामने
एक दुकान
में
देखा
सूट को
पहनकर देखना
चाहता हूँ
私は
ホテルの
向かいの
お店
で
見た
スーツを
試着
したいです
Я
хочу
примерить
костюм
который
я увидел
в
магазине
напротив
отеля
Māori
Ko
Tanaka
tōku
ingoa
اسمي
هو
تاناكا
我的
名字
是
田中
My
name
is
Tanaka
Mein
Name
ist
Tanaka
मेरा
नाम
तनाका
है
私の
名前は
田中
です
Моё
имя
—
Танака
Māori
Ka kai
ahau
i te parakuihi
ia ata
i te 7 karaka
أتناول
أنا
الإفطار
كل صباح
الساعة السابعة
我
每天早上
七点
吃
早饭
I
eat
breakfast
every morning
at 7 o'clock
Ich
frühstücke
jeden Morgen
um 7 Uhr
मैं
हर सुबह
7 बजे
नाश्ता
करता हूँ
毎朝
7時に
朝ごはんを
食べます
Я
завтракаю
каждое утро
в 7 часов
Māori
Kei hea
te tūranga
tata
rawa atu
أين
تقع
أقرب
محطة
最近的
车站
在
哪里
Where
is
the nearest
station
Wo
ist
der nächste
Bahnhof
सबसे नज़दीकी
स्टेशन
कहाँ
है
一番近い
駅は
どこ
です
か
Где
находится
ближайшая
станция
Māori
He
tino
reka
tēnei
kawhe
هذه
القهوة
لذيذة
جداً
这
咖啡
很
好喝
This
coffee
is
very
delicious
Dieser
Kaffee
ist
sehr
lecker
यह
कॉफ़ी
बहुत
स्वादिष्ट है
この
コーヒーは
とても
おいしいです
Этот
кофе
очень
вкусный
Māori
E ako ana
ahau
i te reo Hapanīhi
i te whare wānanga
أنا
أدرس
اللغة اليابانية
في الجامعة
我
在大学
学
日语
I
study
Japanese
at university
Ich
studiere
Japanisch
an der Universität
मैं
विश्वविद्यालय में
जापानी
पढ़ता हूँ
私は
大学で
日本語を
勉強しています
Я
изучаю
японский язык
в университете
Māori
Ka
paki
te āhua o
āpōpō
سيكون
الطقس
غداً
مشمساً
明天
天气
会
晴天
Tomorrow's
weather
will be
sunny
Morgen
wird
das Wetter
sonnig
sein
कल
मौसम
धूप वाला
होगा
明日の
天気は
晴れ
でしょう
Завтра
погода
будет
солнечной
Māori
Ka tunu
tōku whaea
i te kai o te pō
ia rā
تطبخ
أمي
العشاء
كل يوم
我妈妈
每天
做
晚饭
My mother
cooks
dinner
every day
Meine Mutter
kocht
jeden Tag
Abendessen
मेरी माँ
हर रोज़
रात का खाना
बनाती है
お母さんは
毎日
夕食を
作ります
Моя мама
готовит
ужин
каждый день
Māori
Kei te
hiahia au
haere
ki
Hapani
ā tēra
tau
أنا
أريد
أن أذهب
إلى
اليابان
العام
القادم
我
明
年
想
去
日本
I
want to
go
to
Japan
next
year
Ich
möchte
nächstes
Jahr
nach
Japan
fahren
मैं
अगले
साल
जापान
जाना
चाहता हूँ
私は
来
年
日本
に
行き
たいです
Я
хочу
поехать
в
Японию
в следующем
году
Māori
Ka taea
e koe te
kōrero Ingarihi
هل
تستطيع
التحدث
باللغة الإنجليزية
你
会
说
英语
吗
Can
you
speak
English
Können
Sie
Englisch
sprechen
आप
अंग्रेज़ी
बोल
सकते हैं
あなたは
英語が
話せ
ます
か
Вы
умеете
говорить
по-английски
Compare with closely-related languages
Makemake au
e hoʻāʻo
i kahi kamaʻa
aʻu i ʻike ai
ma
kahi hale kūʻai
ma mua o
ka hōkele
Māori
Kei te
hiahia au
ki te whakamātau
i tētahi hūtu
i kitea
i
tētahi toa
i mua i
te hōtēra
Ou te
manaʻo
e faʻataʻitaʻi
se ofutino
na
ou vaʻaia
i
se faleoloa
i luma o
le faletalimalo
Gusto nako
sulayan
ang suit
nga
nakita nako
sa
tindahan
atbang sa
hotel
Au
via
vakatovolei
e dua na ivakatagedegede
ka
au raica
e
na sitoa
e
na otela
ʻO
Tanaka
koʻu
inoa
Māori
Ko
Tanaka
tōku
ingoa
O
Tanaka
loʻu
igoa
Ang akong
ngalan
kay
Tanaka
Ko
Tanaka
na
yacaqu
ʻAi
au
i ka ʻaina kakahiaka
i kēlā me kēia kakahiaka
i ka hola 7
Māori
Ka kai
ahau
i te parakuihi
ia ata
i te 7 karaka
Ou te
ʻai
le taeao
i taeao uma
i le 7
Mokaon
ko og
pamahaw
matag buntag
alas siyete
Au kana
na katakali
e na veisiga kece
e na 7 na kaloko
Aia i hea
ka hale kaʻa
kokoke
loa
Māori
Kei hea
te tūranga
tata
rawa atu
O fea
le pito latalata
nofoaga o nofoaafi
Asa
ang
pinakauduol nga
istasyon
Evei
na voleka duadua na
siteseni
He ʻono
loa
kēia
kope
Māori
He
tino
reka
tēnei
kawhe
E suamalie
tele
lenei
kofe
Kining
kape
kay
lami kaayo
E reka
vakalevu
oqo na
kofi
Ke aʻo nei
au
i ka ʻōlelo Kepanī
ma ke kulanui
Māori
E ako ana
ahau
i te reo Hapanīhi
i te whare wānanga
Ou te
aʻoaʻo
le gagana Iapani
i le iunivesite
Nagtuon
ko og
Nihongo
sa unibersidad
Au
vulica
na vosa ni Japani
e na yunivesiti
E
lā
ke ʻano o ka lā o
ʻapōpō
Māori
Ka
paki
te āhua o
āpōpō
O le a
susulu le la
taeao
le tau
Ang panahon
ugma
mahimo
init
E na
siga
ni mataka
na draki
Ke kuke nei
koʻu makuahine
i ka ʻaina ahiahi
i kēlā me kēia lā
Māori
Ka tunu
tōku whaea
i te kai o te pō
ia rā
E kuka
le afiafi
loʻu tina
i aso uma
Magluto
ang akong inahan og
panihapon
matag adlaw
E vakasaqa
na vakayakavi
na tinaqu
e na veisiga kece
Makemake au
e hele
i
Iapana
i ka
makahiki aʻe
Māori
Kei te
hiahia au
haere
ki
Hapani
ā tēra
tau
Ou te
manaʻo
alu
i
Iapani
le
tausaga fou
Gusto nako
moadto
sa
Japan
sunod nga
tuig
Au
via
lako
ki
Japani
na yabaki
mai oqo
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