Reo Tahiti
Tahitian
Austronesian (Polynesian, Eastern)
Tahitian is the most spoken Polynesian language of French Polynesia and a major lingua franca across the territory. It has a small sound inventory of about 14 phonemes — 5 vowels and 9 consonants (including the glottal stop) — giving it a particularly open syllable structure.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Tahitian
Water
pape
/pape/
Fire
auahi
/auahi/
Sun
mahana
/mahana/
Moon
marama
/maɾama/
Star
fetiʻa
/feˈtiʔa/
Mother
māmā
/maːmaː/
Father
pāpā
/paːpaː/
I
au
/au/
You
ʻoe
/ʔoe/
Name
iʻoa
/iˈʔoa/
Eye
mata
/mata/
Hand
rima
/ɾima/
Heart
mafatu
/mafatu/
Love
here
/heɾe/
Tree
tumu rāʻau
/tumu ɾaːʔau/
House
fare
/faɾe/
Dog
ʻūrī
/ʔuːɾiː/
Cat
mīmī
/miːmiː/
Eat
ʻamu
/ʔamu/
Drink
inu
/inu/
One
hōʻē
/hoːʔeː/
Two
piti
/piti/
Hello
ʻia ora na
/ʔia oɾa na/
Thank you
māuruuru
/maːuɾuuɾu/
Good
maitaʻi
/maitaʔi/
Cuckoo
ʻārevareva
/ʔaːɾevaˈɾeva/
Computer
roro uira
/ˌɾoɾo ˈuiɾa/
Words compared
Compared with related Austronesian (Polynesian, Eastern) languages
| Meaning | Tahitian | Cook Islands Māori | Rapanui | Marquesan | Niuean | Tuvaluan | Tokelauan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | pape /pape/ | vai /vai/ | vai /vai/ | vai /vai/ | vai /vai/ | vai /vai/ | vai /vai/ |
| Fire | auahi /auahi/ | ahi /ahi/ | ahi /ahi/ | ahi /ahi/ | afi /afi/ | afi /afi/ | afi /afi/ |
| Sun | mahana /mahana/ | rā /raː/ | raʻā /raʔaː/ | ʻoumati /ʔoumati/ | lā /laː/ | laa /laː/ | la /la/ |
| Moon | marama /maɾama/ | marama /marama/ | mahina /mahina/ | mahina /mahina/ | mahina /mahina/ | masina /masina/ | malama /malama/ |
| Star | fetiʻa /feˈtiʔa/ | etū /eˈtuː/ | hetuʻu /heˈtuʔu/ | hetu /hetu/ | fetū /feˈtuː/ | fetū /feˈtuː/ | fetu /fetu/ |
| Mother | māmā /maːmaː/ | māmā /maːmaː/ | matuʻa vahine /matuʔa vahine/ | kuʻa /kuʔa/ | matua fifine /matua fifine/ | maatua /maːtua/ | mātua /maːtua/ |
| Father | pāpā /paːpaː/ | pāpā /paːpaː/ | matuʻa tāne /matuʔa taːne/ | motua /motua/ | matua taane /matua taːne/ | tamana /tamana/ | tamana /tamana/ |
| I | au /au/ | au /au/ | au /au/ | au /au/ | au /au/ | au /au/ | au /au/ |
| You | ʻoe /ʔoe/ | koe /koe/ | koe /koe/ | koe /koe/ | koe /koe/ | koe /koe/ | koe /koe/ |
| Name | iʻoa /iˈʔoa/ | ingoa /iˈŋoa/ | ingoa /iˈŋoa/ | ikoa /ikoa/ | higoa /hiˈŋoa/ | igoa /iˈŋoa/ | igoa /iŋoa/ |
| Eye | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ | mata /mata/ |
| Hand | rima /ɾima/ | rima /ɾima/ | rima /ɾima/ | ʻima /ʔima/ | lima /lima/ | lima /lima/ | lima /lima/ |
| Heart | mafatu /mafatu/ | ngākau /ŋaːkau/ | mahatu /mahatu/ | fatu /fatu/ | fatu /fatu/ | fatu /fatu/ | fatu /fatu/ |
| Love | here /heɾe/ | aro'a /aɾoʔa/ | hanga /haŋa/ | hanahana /hanahana/ | fakaalofa /fakaalofa/ | alofa /alofa/ | alofa /alofa/ |
| Tree | tumu rāʻau /tumu ɾaːʔau/ | rākau /raːkau/ | tumu rākau /tumu raːkau/ | tumu kahi /tumu kahi/ | akau /akau/ | laakau /laːkau/ | lakau /lakau/ |
| House | fare /faɾe/ | 'are /ʔaɾe/ | hare /haɾe/ | hae /hae/ | fale /fale/ | fale /fale/ | fale /fale/ |
| Dog | ʻūrī /ʔuːɾiː/ | kurī /kuɾiː/ | paihega /paiheŋa/ | peko /peko/ | kuli /kuli/ | kuli /kuli/ | kuli /kuli/ |
| Cat | mīmī /miːmiː/ | ngiao /ŋiao/ | kati /kati/ | piki /piki/ | pusi /pusi/ | pusi /pusi/ | pusi /pusi/ |
| Eat | ʻamu /ʔamu/ | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ | kai /kai/ |
| Drink | inu /inu/ | inu /inu/ | unu /unu/ | inu /inu/ | inu /inu/ | inu /inu/ | inu /inu/ |
| One | hōʻē /hoːʔeː/ | ta'i /taʔi/ | tahi /tahi/ | tahi /tahi/ | taha /taha/ | tasi /tasi/ | tahi /tahi/ |
| Two | piti /piti/ | rua /ˈrua/ | rua /ˈrua/ | ʻua /ʔua/ | ua /ua/ | lua /ˈlua/ | lua /lua/ |
| Hello | ʻia ora na /ʔia oɾa na/ | kia orāna /kia oɾaːna/ | ʻiorana /ʔioɾana/ | kaoha /kaoha/ | fakaalofa atu /fakaalofa atu/ | taalofa /taːlofa/ | malo ni /malo ni/ |
| Thank you | māuruuru /maːuɾuuɾu/ | meitaki /meitaki/ | maururu /mauɾuɾu/ | mauruuru /mauɾuuɾu/ | fakaaue /fakaaue/ | fakafetai /fakafetai/ | fakafetai /fakafetai/ |
| Good | maitaʻi /maitaʔi/ | meitaki /meitaki/ | riva /ɾiva/ | maitaʻi /maitaʔi/ | mitaki /mitaki/ | lei /lei/ | lelei /lelei/ |
| Cuckoo | ʻārevareva /ʔaːɾevaˈɾeva/ | karavia /kaɾaˈvia/ | — | — | — | — | — |
| Computer | roro uira /ˌɾoɾo ˈuiɾa/ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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