Reʻo Paʻumotu
Tuamotuan
Austronesian (Polynesian)
Tuamotuan, also called Pa'umotu or Reo Pa'umotu (ISO 639-3: pmt), is an Eastern Polynesian language spoken in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia. It comprises seven regional linguistic areas—Tapuhoe, Maragai, Mihiroa, Vāhitu, Fagatau, Parata, and Nāpuka—spread across the archipelago’s widely separated atolls. The language is threatened: adults and especially grandparents continue to use it, but fewer children acquire full command at home, while Tahitian and French dominate many public settings. Tuamotuan is written in a Latin-based orthography that marks vowel length and glottal stops. The Kāruru Vānaga academy, created in 2008, works to codify the language, encourage teaching, and support transmission, and adapted school curricula provide Pa'umotu learning materials.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Tuamotuan
Water
vai
/wai/
Fire
afi
/afi/
Sun
ra
/ra/
Moon
marama
/marama/
Star
fetū
/feˈtuː/
Mother
metua vahine
/metua vahine/
Father
metua tane
/metua tane/
I
au
/au/
You
koe
/koe/
Name
ingoa
/iˈŋoa/
Eye
mata
/mata/
Hand
rima
/rima/
Heart
—
/—/
Love
aroha
/ʔaroha/
Tree
rait
/rait/
House
fare
/fare/
Dog
kuri
/kuri/
Cat
—
/—/
Eat
kai
/kai/
Drink
inu
/inu/
One
tahi
/tahi/
Two
rua
/rua/
Hello
—
/—/
Thank you
—
/—/
Good
maiata
/maiata/
Words compared
Compared with related Austronesian (Polynesian) languages
| Meaning | Tuamotuan | Niuean | Tokelauan | Tuvaluan | Cook Islands Māori | Rapanui | Tongan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | vai /wai/ | vai /vai/ | vai /vai/ | vai /vai/ | vai /vai/ | vai /vai/ | vai /vai/ |
| Fire | afi /afi/ | afi /afi/ | afi /afi/ | afi /afi/ | ahi /ahi/ | ahi /ahi/ | afi /afi/ |
| Sun | ra /ra/ | lā /laː/ | la /la/ | laa /laː/ | rā /raː/ | raʻā /raʔaː/ | laʻā /laʔaː/ |
| Moon | marama /marama/ | mahina /mahina/ | malama /malama/ | masina /masina/ | marama /marama/ | mahina /mahina/ | māhina /maːhina/ |
| Star | fetū /feˈtuː/ | fetū /feˈtuː/ | fetu /fetu/ | fetū /feˈtuː/ | etū /eˈtuː/ | hetuʻu /heˈtuʔu/ | fetuʻu /fetuʔu/ |
| Mother | metua vahine /metua vahine/ | matua fifine /matua fifine/ | mātua /maːtua/ | maatua /maːtua/ | māmā /maːmaː/ | matuʻa vahine /matuʔa vahine/ | faʻē /faʔeː/ |
| Father | metua tane /metua tane/ | matua taane /matua taːne/ | tamana /tamana/ | tamana /tamana/ | pāpā /paːpaː/ | matuʻa tāne /matuʔa taːne/ | tamai /tamai/ |
| 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 /iˈŋoa/ | higoa /hiˈŋoa/ | igoa /iŋoa/ | igoa /iˈŋoa/ | ingoa /iˈŋoa/ | ingoa /iˈŋoa/ | hingoa /hiŋoa/ |
| Eye | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ |
| Hand | rima /rima/ | lima /lima/ | lima /lima/ | lima /lima/ | rima /ɾima/ | rima /ɾima/ | nima /nima/ |
| Heart | — /—/ | fatu /fatu/ | fatu /fatu/ | fatu /fatu/ | ngākau /ŋaːkau/ | mahatu /mahatu/ | loto /loto/ |
| Love | aroha /ʔaroha/ | fakaalofa /fakaalofa/ | alofa /alofa/ | alofa /alofa/ | aro'a /aɾoʔa/ | hanga /haŋa/ | ʻofa /ʔofa/ |
| Tree | rait /rait/ | akau /akau/ | lakau /lakau/ | laakau /laːkau/ | rākau /raːkau/ | tumu rākau /tumu raːkau/ | ʻakau /ʔakau/ |
| House | fare /fare/ | fale /fale/ | fale /fale/ | fale /fale/ | 'are /ʔaɾe/ | hare /haɾe/ | fale /fale/ |
| Dog | kuri /kuri/ | kuli /kuli/ | kuli /kuli/ | kuli /kuli/ | kurī /kuɾiː/ | paihega /paiheŋa/ | kulī /kuliː/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | pusi /pusi/ | pusi /pusi/ | pusi /pusi/ | ngiao /ŋiao/ | kati /kati/ | pusi /pusi/ |
| Eat | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ |
| Drink | inu /inu/ | inu /inu/ | inu /inu/ | inu /inu/ | inu /inu/ | unu /unu/ | inu /inu/ |
| One | tahi /tahi/ | taha /taha/ | tahi /tahi/ | tasi /tasi/ | ta'i /taʔi/ | tahi /tahi/ | taha /taha/ |
| Two | rua /rua/ | ua /ua/ | lua /lua/ | lua /ˈlua/ | rua /ˈrua/ | rua /ˈrua/ | ua /ua/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | fakaalofa atu /fakaalofa atu/ | malo ni /malo ni/ | taalofa /taːlofa/ | kia orāna /kia oɾaːna/ | ʻiorana /ʔioɾana/ | mālō e lelei /maːloː e lelei/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | fakaaue /fakaaue/ | fakafetai /fakafetai/ | fakafetai /fakafetai/ | meitaki /meitaki/ | maururu /mauɾuɾu/ | mālō /maːloː/ |
| Good | maiata /maiata/ | mitaki /mitaki/ | lelei /lelei/ | lei /lei/ | meitaki /meitaki/ | riva /ɾiva/ | lelei /lelei/ |
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