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 In this section you can find useful information about various aspects of the Māori language and some basic words and phrases related to meeting and greeting people in a variety of situations.
Learning a little about the Maori language will enrich your experiences with the culture and improve your ability to participate fully.
Whakahuatanga - Pronunciation
Māori is a phonetic language. Once you've got the sounds right, you'll be speaking words and phrases in no time at all!
Vowels
There are five vowels and ten consonant sounds in the Māori alphabet. The five vowels a e i o u are pronounced as they would be in Italian or Latin.
Vowels are pronounced as follows:
|
Vowel |
|
Short |
Long |
|
a |
as in |
about |
far |
|
e |
as in |
enter |
bed |
|
i |
as in |
eat |
sheep |
|
o |
as in |
awful |
pork |
|
u |
as in |
put |
boot |
Consonants
There are fewer consonants, and only a few are different from English.
r should not be rolled
t is pronounced more like d than t, with the tip of the tongue slightly further back from the teeth
Click here for an audio lesson on Māori pronunciation.
Mihi atu, mihi mai - Meet & Greet
Greeting
|
Kia ora |
|
Hello and Thank you |
|
Tēnā koe |
|
Hello (to one person) |
|
Tēnā kōrua |
|
Hello (to two people) |
|
Tēnā koutou |
|
Hello (to three or more people) |
Inquiring Question
|
Kei te pēhea koe? |
|
How are you? |
Responses
|
Kei te pai ahau |
|
I’m good |
|
Ka nui te ora |
|
I’m great |
|
Me koe? |
|
And you? |
Farewells
|
Haere rā |
|
Goodbye (to someone leaving) |
|
E noho rā |
|
Goodbye (to someone staying) |
|
Ka kite anō |
|
See you again |
|
Hei konā |
|
See you later |
The Hāngi & The Hongi
 Hongi - The pressing of noses signifies the joining together of tangata whenua and manuhiri. In this traditional greeting, the ha or breath of life is exchanged and intermingled. Through the exchange of this physical greeting, you are no longer considered manuhiri (visitor) but rather tangata whenua, one of the people of the land.
 Hāngi - The ancient New Zealand Māori method of cooking food using super heated rocks buried in the ground in a pit oven. Modernised hangi methods are still used today and are often saved for special occasions due to the large amount of time and preparatory work involved.
More Learning Resources
Kōrero Pāhekoheko
An interactive guide for speaking Māori.
Maori Language.net
Learn basics of the Māori Language, through online video movie lessons. Learn to korero or speak Te Reo Māori and get links to Māori Language resources and organisations to help you.
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