Māori Word Lists
Level 2
ahau - I, me
ahi - fire
ahiahi - early evening, afternoon
aihikirīmi - icecream
ako - to learn, to teach
ākonga - student
akoranga - thing that is taught or learnt; lesson
āku - my, mine (pl, for ā category items, plural form of tāku)
anā - there, by you
Aotearoa - New Zealand
āpōpō - tomorrow
āporo - apple
ārai - curtain; to screen off, block
arero - tongue; point of taiaha
ariki - chief, leader
aroha - love, sympathy, compassion
āta - gently, carefully, deliberately
ātaahua - beautiful, well formed
atawhai - to show kindness towards
atu - away from current orientation
(often not translatable by a separate English word)
au - I, me; cloud, smoke; current (of river or sea)
aua - those (previously mentioned, plural of taua)
awa - river, stream
awhi - to hug, embrace
āwhina - to help
e noho - sit down
e tū - Stand up!
ehara - exclamation: sure enough, without a doubt; not
ēnei - these, near me (plural of tēnei)
haere - go, come
Haere mai! - Welcome! Come here!
haere rā - goodbye to people going
haerenga - journey (n); travel (v)
haka - to perform traditional dance; haka, a traditional dance, war dance
hākari - feast
hanga - to build, erect, make (v); construction, practice (n)
hāngi - traditional earth oven
hapa - mistake; supper, dinner
hapū - subtribe; to be pregnant
hararei - holiday
hari - to feel happy; to take or carry
harore - mushroom
hāte - shirt
hau - wind, air, breath
haurua - half
hea? - where?
hei konei rā - goodbye (said by those leaving)
heihei - chicken
heke - rafter (n); to descend, get off (v)
hēki - egg
here - to tie, to bind (v0: dog lead (n)
hia? - how many?
hiahia - to want
hiakai - hungry
hiawai - thirsty
hīkoi - to walk, step, tread
hipi - sheep
hoa - friend; partner; spouse
hoatu - to give (away from speaker)
hōhā - annoyed, bored (adj), a nuisance (n)
hōhonu - deep (adj); depth (n)
hōiho - horse
hoki - to go back, return; also, indeed
hoko - to buy, sell, purchase
hokomaha - supermarket
homai - give (to the speaker)
hopu - to catch
horoi - to wash, to clean
hū - shoe
hui - meeting; gathered
huka - sugar
huri - to turn
ia - he, she, him, her
ihi - power, essential force
ihu - nose
ika - fish
ināianei - now
ingoa - name
inu - to drink (v); drink (n)
iti - small, little
iwa - nine
iwi - tribe
kā - to burn, be alight
kaha - strong, able
kai - eat (v); food (n)
kaiako - teacher (kai- + ako)
kaihana - cousin
kaikōrero - speaker, orator (kai- + kōrero)
kaimoana - seafood
kāinga - home
kākahu - clothing, garment
kākāriki - green
kake - to climb
kakī - neck
kamo - eye; eyelashes
kamupūtu - gumboot
kānga - corn
kanikani - dance, to dance
kāo - no!
kāore - negative used for verb sentences
kāpata - cupboard
kapu - cup
kapua - cloud
kaputī - cup of tea
karaka - orange (colour)
karakia - prayer, to pray
karanga - to call
karani - granny, grandmother
kararehe - animal
kāreti - carrot
karu - eye
kata - to laugh
katakata - to laugh and laugh, laughter
kāti - stop! (as in: kāti te tangi)
kau - swim; cow
kauae - chin
kauhoe - to swim
kaukau - to bathe
kaumātua - elder; elderly
kaupapa - topic, theme, plan, subject
kaute - to count
kawa - sour, yuck
kawhe - coffee
kei hea? - where is?
kei te pai - it's okay; I'm fine
keke - cake
kēmu - game
kete - basket, kit
ki - to
kī - to be full
kia ora - hello; thank you; be well
kihi - kiss (v); key (n)
kīhini - kitchen
kiki - kick
kino - bad
kiore - rat
kirīmi - cream
kite - to see
kitea - seen (kite + passive suffix -a)
kiwi - native bird of Aotearoa
kiwikiwi - grey
koe - you, one person
koha - gift
kōhanga - nest, preschool, nursery
kōhanga reo - Māori language preschool
kohi - to collect, gather together
konā - there, by listener
konei - here, by speaker
kōpū - belly, womb
korā - over there
kore - zero, nothing
kōrero - to talk, speak
koretake - useless
koro - term of address for an elderly man, grandfather (E koro)
koroua - elderly man, grandfather
kōrua - you, two people
kotahi - one
koti - coat, jacket
kōtiro - girl
koutou - you, three or more people
kōwhai - yellow; a native tree
kūaha - door
kuhu - to enter, to go or come in
kui - Term of address for an elderly woman (eg 'E kui'.)
kuia - elderly woman, grandmother
kumu - buttocks, bottom
kupu - word
kura - school; treasured item
kurī - dog
mā - clean, white
māhanga - twin(s)
māharahara - worry (n); anxious (adj)
mahi - to do, work, make
māhunga - head
mai - towards the speaker in space or in orientation; to here
makariri - cold
makawe - hair of the head (human, used in plural: ngā makawe)
māmā - mother (n); easy, simple (adj)
mamae - hurt, sore, pain
mana - prestige, authority
manaaki - to look after, to show hospitality towards
manaakitanga - hospitality, kindness, generosity
manawa - heart
manga - branch; stream
mangu - black
mānia - plains
mano - thousand
manu - bird
manuhiri - guest
Māori - indigenous people of Aotearoa/New Zealand
māra - garden
marae - traditional Māori gathering place
marama - month, moon
māripi - knife
maroke - dry
mātakitaki - to watch, to observe, examine, inspect
mataku - scared, afraid
matapihi - window
matau - fish hook; right side
mate - to be sick, ill, dead
matekai - hungry, starving
matewai - thirst; thirsty
matimati - finger, toe
mātua - parents, fathers (plural form of matua)
mau - to wear clothes
māua - we, us (two people, excluding addressee)
mauī - left (direction)
maunga - mountain
mauri - life spirit
māwhero - pink
mea - a thing (n); to say (v)
mehemea - if (presuming not; cf. ki te, if, expressing simple uncertainty)
meneti - minute
mīere - honey
mīharo - to wonder at; amazing
mihi - to greet; thank; acknowledge
miraka - milk
mīti - meat
moana - sea
moe - sleep; to marry
moenga - bed
moeroa - sleepyhead; to sleep in
mōhio - to know
mōhiti - glasses
mōkai - pet
mokemoke - lonely
mokopuna - grandchild
momo - type, kind
moni - money
mōrena - good morning
motokā - car, motorcar
motu - island (n); cut (v), cut off (adj)
motukā - car
motupaika - motorbike
moutere - island
mōwhiti - glasses
mua - front, before
muri - behind, after
mutu - be ended, finished (but not necessarily completed)
nau mai! - welcome!
ngahere - forest, bush
ngaru - wave
ngaruiti - microwave
ngenge - tired
ngeru - cat
ngutu - lip, lips
niho - tooth
noho - to live; sit
noho taratahi - self-isolation
nui - big, great, many
oho - to wake up
oma - to run, escape
one - beach, sand
ono - six
ora - alive, well, healthy, safe
oranga - health, life
(ora + nominal suffix -nga)
pā - a fortified settlement (n); to touch (v)
pae - ridge
pahi - bus
pai - good (adj); to like (v); good
paihikara - bike
pakaru - broken (applied to a thing not a body part) (trans)
Pākehā - New Zealander of European descent
pākete - bucket
panana - banana
panekoti - skirt, dress
pango - black
pānui - to read; to publish, advertise; notice, advertisement
paoka - fork; pierce; stab
paoro - ball
pāpā - father, uncle
parakuihi - breakfast
parāoa - bread, flour
parauri - brown
parehe - pizza; flattened
paru - dirt, mud, dirty
pata - butter
pātai - question; to ask a question
pātītī - grass
patu - to strike, hit; to kill
patua - hit/killed (patu + passive suffix -a)
pene - pen
pene rākau - pencil
pepa - paper; pepper
pēpe - baby
pēpi - baby
pere - bell
pereti - plate
pikiniki - picnic
pikitia - picture, film
pīnati pata - peanut butter
pīrangi - to want, desire
pō - night
pō mārie - good night
poaka - pig
poho - chest
pokohiwi - shoulder
pono - true, faithful
poraka - jersey
pōtae - hat
poto - short
pouaka whakaata - television
pounamu - greenstone
pōuri - sad, dark
pukapuka - book, lungs
puke - hill
puku - stomach, belly
pukumahi - hard-working, industrious
puna - pool, spring
pune - spoon
pupuhi - to shoot
putiputi - flower
pūtu - boot
rā - day; the sun; over there
rahi - large, numerous, great, big
raihi - rice
rākau - tree; timber
rangatahi - youth, younger generation
rangatira - chief, leader, boss
rangi - sky, day
rango - fly, blowfly (n); to hear (v)
rāpeti - rabbit
rare - lolly
raro - under, below; time
Rātapu - Sunday
raupatu - conquest; confiscate; take by force
rawa - Various meanings, eg too, quite, very; really
rawe - lovely, excellent
reira - there (previously mentioned)
reka - sweet
reo - language, voice
rere - to escape; to fly
rere ā-hapori - community transmission
rima - five
ringa - hand, arm
ringaringa - hand, arm
riri - anger, angry
rīwai - potato
roa - long
rohe - district, area, boundary, territory
rongo - to hear, perceive, feel
rōpū - group
roto - in, inside, within; lake
ruku - to dive
rūma - room
rūma kaukau - bathroom
rūma moe - bedroom
rūma noho - living room
runga - on
tae - to reach, arrive (v); colour (n)
taha - to pass by; side
tahi - one, single
tai - tide; coast
Taihoa! - Hang on!
taka - to come around in a cycle; to fall from a height
tākaro - to play
takoto - to lie down
takurua - winter
tama - son, nephew (term of address for a boy, son: tama)
tamāhine - daughter
tamaiti - child
tamariki - children (plural form of tamaiti)
tāna - his, her, ā category possession, singular
tāne - man, male
tāngata - people (plural of tangata)
tangata whenua - people of the land, home crowd
tangi - to cry; to make a sound
tangihanga - funeral
tango - to take hold of
tangohia - pick up! (command); taken away (tango + passive suffix -hia)
taokete - brother-in-law (of a male), sister-in-law (of a female)
tāone - town
taonga - property, possession
tapu - sacred, holy, under ritual restriction
taraka - truck
tarau - trousers
tarau poto - shorts
tari - government department; office
taringa - ear
tātahi - seaside, beach
tātou - we, us, inclusive, three or more people
tau - to land, settle; be calm; to attack; lover; handsome; year; age; number
tauira - student; example
tautoko - to support
teina - younger sibling, same sex
teitei - tall, high, lofty; height (object)
tekau - ten
tēnā - that, by the listener
tēnā koe! - hello! (to one person); thank you
tēnā kōrua! - hello! (to two people); thank you
tēnā koutou! - hello! (to three or more people); thank you
tēnei - this (by speaker); this is; this
tenetene - vagina
tēpu - table
tērā - that over there, that
tere - to flow, float, move quickly; fast
terēina - train
tiaki - to look after, to care for
tika - to be right, correct, straight, in order
tiki - to fetch
tīma - team
tīmata - to begin, to start
tina - dinner, lunch
tinana - body, trunk, torso
tino - very
tino pai! - very good!
tino rangatiratanga - sovereignty
tīpuna - grandparents (plural form of tipuna)
tipuna - grandparent, ancestor
titiro - to look at
tō - your (singular); to drag
toa - shop; male animal; expert; to be strong
tōhi - toast
tohunga - expert, priest
toka - rock
tōkena - stockings, socks
tōku - my (singular)
tonu - still
toru - three
tote - salt
toto - blood
tou - dip; plant; set on fire; buttocks, bottom, anus
tū - stand; to be wounded; a wound
tū tirara - social distancing
tuāhine - female cousins or sisters of a male
tuakana - older sibling of the same sex
tuarā - back [body]
tuhituhi - to write, draw
tukemata - eyebrow
tuki - to hit, to knock, to beat, to pound; crash
tuku - to put off, to leave aside
tungāne - brother, of a female
tunu - to cook, roast
tupuna - ancestor; grandparent
tūpuna - grandparents (plural form of tupuna; variant of tīpuna)
tūrangawaewae - place to stand
turi - deaf; knee; disobedient
turituri - be quiet! noisy
tūru - chair, seat, stool
tūtae - excrement
ū - breast, udder (n); to be devoted (v)
ua - to rain; rain
uaua - difficult (adj); muscle, vein, artery (n)
uma - chest
umu - earth oven
upoko - head; verse of a song; paragraph; chapter
ure - penis
utu - cost, price; to pay for
wā - time, times
wae - foot; leg; separate
waea - wire; phone
waenganui - middle, centre, between
waewae - foot, leg
waha - load, burden; to carry on the back; mouth
wāhine - women, wives (plural form of wahine)
waho - out, outside, the outside
wai - water; who
waiata - to sing (v); song (n)
waiho - to remain, rest; to leave behind
waka - vehicle (land, air and sea)
wehi - terrible (adj); to be afraid (v)
wera - to burn; burnt; hot, heat
whā - four
whaea - mother, aunt
whai - to follow, to chase; to have, to acquire
whaikōrero - oratory
whakaaro - to think; thought, idea
whakahoki - to return something, to reply
whakanui - to enlarge; celebrate
whakaoti - complete
whakapapa - genealogy
whakarongo - to listen
whakatika - to straighten, to correct, to fix
whakautu - to reply, to respond, answer
whānau - family; to be born, be born
whanaunga - relative, relation (whānau + nominal suffix -nga - note the short first vowel)
whāngai - to feed, to foster (v); fostered child (n)
whare - house, building
whare horoi - ablution block
whare kai - dining hall
whare whakairo - carved house
wharekai - restaurant
wharenui - meeting house; hall
wharepaku - toilet
whenua - land
whero - red
whetū - star
whiti - to cross; shine, rise
whitu - seven
whiu - to be satisfied; to throw; to be filled
whiwhi - to be in possession of; acquire, obtain, to get
wiki - week