English–Maori Dictionary

Browse common English words and their Maori translations, with parts of speech and example sentences. Use this dictionary to look up everyday vocabulary or as a starting point for learning Maori.

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Browse common Maori vocabulary

Word	Part of speech	Translation	Example
I	pronoun	au	I am here today. Kei konei au i tēnei rā.
you	pronoun	koe	You are very kind. He tangata atawhai rawa koe.
he	pronoun	ia	He is at school. Kei te kura ia.
we	pronoun	mātou	We work every day. Ka mahi mātou i ia rā.
they	pronoun	rātou	They live near the river. E noho ana rātou i te taha o te awa.
what	pronoun	aha	What do you want now? E hiahia ana koe ki te aha ināianei?
where	adverb	kei hea	Where is your house? Kei hea tō whare?
when	adverb	āhea	When will they come? Āhea rātou haere mai ai?
who	pronoun	wai	Who is that person? Ko wai taua tangata?
why	adverb	he aha	Why are you sad? He aha koe i pōuri ai?
how	adverb	pēhea	How do you know? Pēhea koe i mōhio ai?
to do	verb	mahi	I do my work. Ka mahi au i āku mahi.
to go	verb	haere	They go to town. Ka haere rātou ki te tāone.
to come	verb	haere mai	Please come here now. Haere mai ki konei ināianei.
to see	verb	kite	I see the mountain. Ka kite au i te maunga.
to know	verb	mōhio	We know the story. E mōhio ana mātou ki te kōrero.
to think	verb	whakaaro	I think about home. Ka whakaaro au ki te kāinga.
to want	verb	hiahia	They want more food. E hiahia ana rātou ki ētahi atu kai.
to make	verb	hanga	We make a table. Ka hanga mātou i tētahi tēpu.
to take	verb	tango	Take the book home. Tangohia te pukapuka ki te kāinga.
to give	verb	hoatu	Give me the water. Homai te wai ki ahau.
to say	verb	kī	They say good words. Ka kī rātou i ngā kupu pai.
to ask	verb	pātai	I ask one question. Ka pātai au i tētahi pātai.
to find	verb	kite	We find the key. Ka kite mātou i te kī.
to look	verb	titiro	Look at the sky. Titiro ki te rangi.
to use	verb	whakamahi	I use this chair. Ka whakamahi au i tēnei tūru.
to work	verb	mahi	They work in town. Ka mahi rātou i te tāone.
to eat	verb	kai	We eat rice tonight. Ka kai mātou i te raihi ā te pō nei.
to drink	verb	inu	I drink cold water. Ka inu au i te wai mātao.
to sleep	verb	moe	The child sleeps now. E moe ana te tamaiti ināianei.
to walk	verb	hīkoi	We walk to school. Ka hīkoi mātou ki te kura.
to run	verb	oma	The boy runs fast. Ka oma tere te tama.
to read	verb	pānui	I read this book. Ka pānui au i tēnei pukapuka.
to write	verb	tuhi	She writes her name. Ka tuhi ia i tōna ingoa.
to speak	verb	kōrero	They speak Māori well. He pai tā rātou kōrero Māori.
to listen	verb	whakarongo	Listen to the music. Whakarongo ki te puoro.
to hear	verb	rongo	I hear the wind. Ka rongo au i te hau.
to buy	verb	hoko	We buy fresh bread. Ka hoko mātou i te parāoa hou.
to sell	verb	hoko	They sell fish here. Ka hoko ika rātou i konei.
to pay	verb	utu	I pay the money. Ka utu au i te moni.
to help	verb	āwhina	Friends help each other. Ka āwhina ngā hoa i a rātou anō.
to love	verb	aroha	I love my family. E aroha ana au ki tōku whānau.
to live	verb	noho	We live by the sea. E noho ana mātou i te taha o te moana.
to die	verb	mate	All people die someday. Ka mate ngā tāngata katoa ā tōna wā.
to learn	verb	ako	Children learn at school. Ka ako ngā tamariki i te kura.
to teach	verb	ako	They teach the children. Ka ako rātou i ngā tamariki.
to open	verb	whakatuwhera	Open the door now. Whakatuwheratia te tatau ināianei.
to close	verb	kati	Close the window please. Katia te matapihi koa.
person	noun	tangata	That person is friendly. He tangata hoa taua tangata.
man	noun	tāne	The man is tall. He tangata roa te tāne.
woman	noun	wahine	The woman is singing. E waiata ana te wahine.
child	noun	tamaiti	The child is sleeping. E moe ana te tamaiti.
boy	noun	tama	The boy runs outside. Ka oma te tama ki waho.
girl	noun	kōtiro	The girl reads quietly. Ka pānui puku te kōtiro.
family	noun	whānau	My family is large. He nui tōku whānau.
mother	noun	whaea	My mother is here. Kei konei tōku whaea.
father	noun	matua	His father works hard. Ka whakapau kaha tōna matua ki te mahi.
friend	noun	hoa	She is my friend. Ko ia taku hoa.
house	noun	whare	The house is new. He whare hou tēnei.
home	noun	kāinga	We are going home. E haere ana mātou ki te kāinga.
school	noun	kura	The school is nearby. Kei te tata te kura.
city	noun	tāone	The city is busy. He tāone pukumahi te tāone.
country	noun	whenua	Our country is beautiful. He ātaahua tō tātou whenua.
world	noun	ao	The world is changing. E panoni ana te ao.
street	noun	tiriti	The street is long. He roa te tiriti.
room	noun	rūma	The room is warm. He mahana te rūma.
time	noun	wā	Time goes quickly. Ka tere te haere o te wā.
day	noun	rā	Today is a good day. He rā pai tēnei rā.
night	noun	pō	The night is cold. He makariri te pō.
morning	noun	ata	The morning is bright. He māramarama te ata.
evening	noun	ahiahi	We rest in the evening. Ka okioki mātou i te ahiahi.
week	noun	wiki	I work every week. Ka mahi au i ia wiki.
month	noun	marama	Next month is busy. He pukumahi te marama e tū mai nei.
year	noun	tau	This year is new. He tau hou tēnei.
today	adverb	i tēnei rā	I am busy today. He pukumahi au i tēnei rā.
tomorrow	adverb	āpōpō	We will go tomorrow. Ka haere mātou āpōpō.
yesterday	adverb	inanahi	She came yesterday. I haere mai ia inanahi.
now	adverb	ināianei	Come here now. Haere mai ki konei ināianei.
sun	noun	rā	The sun is hot. He wera te rā.
moon	noun	marama	The moon is bright. He kanapa te marama.
star	noun	whetū	That star is bright. He kanapa taua whetū.
sky	noun	rangi	The sky is blue. He kikorangi te rangi.
earth	noun	whenua	The earth is our home. Ko te whenua tō tātou kāinga.
fire	noun	ahi	The fire is hot. He wera te ahi.
water	noun	wai	The water is cold. He mātao te wai.
rain	noun	ua	The rain is falling. E heke ana te ua.
wind	noun	hau	The wind is strong. He kaha te hau.
tree	noun	rākau	That tree is tall. He rākau teitei taua rākau.
flower	noun	putiputi	The flower is beautiful. He ātaahua te putiputi.
mountain	noun	maunga	The mountain is high. He teitei te maunga.
river	noun	awa	The river is long. He roa te awa.
sea	noun	moana	The sea is calm. He mārie te moana.
food	noun	kai	The food is ready. Kua rite te kai.
bread	noun	parāoa	The bread is fresh. He hou te parāoa.
rice	noun	raihi	We eat rice often. He maha ngā wā ka kai mātou i te raihi.
meat	noun	mīti	The meat is hot. He wera te mīti.
fish	noun	ika	The fish is fresh. He hou te ika.
egg	noun	hēki	I ate one egg. I kai au i tētahi hēki.
milk	noun	miraka	The milk is cold. He mātao te miraka.
fruit	noun	huarākau	This fruit is sweet. He reka tēnei huarākau.
tea	noun	tī	The tea is hot. He wera te tī.
coffee	noun	kawhe	The coffee is strong. He kaha te kawhe.
head	noun	upoko	My head hurts today. E mamae ana tōku upoko i tēnei rā.
eye	noun	karu	Her eyes are blue. He kikorangi ōna karu.
ear	noun	taringa	My ear hurts. E mamae ana tōku taringa.
mouth	noun	waha	Open your mouth wide. Whakatūwhera whānui tō waha.
nose	noun	ihu	His nose is cold. He mātao tōna ihu.
hand	noun	ringa	Wash your hands now. Horoia ō ringa ināianei.
foot	noun	waewae	My foot is sore. E mamae ana tōku waewae.
heart	noun	ngākau	His heart is strong. He kaha tōna ngākau.
name	noun	ingoa	My name is Hana. Ko Hana tōku ingoa.
book	noun	pukapuka	This book is new. He pukapuka hou tēnei.
word	noun	kupu	That word is important. He kupu nui taua kupu.
language	noun	reo	Māori is a beautiful language. He reo ātaahua te reo Māori.
money	noun	moni	I need more money. Me nui ake te moni māku.
work	noun	mahi	My work is hard. He uaua taku mahi.
love	noun	aroha	Love is very important. He mea nui rawa te aroha.
music	noun	puoro	The music is beautiful. He ātaahua te puoro.
story	noun	kōrero	That story is true. He pono taua kōrero.
way	noun	ara	This is the best way. Koinei te ara pai rawa.
thing	noun	mea	That thing is small. He iti taua mea.
life	noun	oranga	Life is precious. He taonga te oranga.
door	noun	tatau	The door is open. Kua huaki te tatau.
table	noun	tēpu	The table is big. He nui te tēpu.
chair	noun	tūru	The chair is broken. Kua pakaru te tūru.
car	noun	motokā	My car is new. He hou taku motokā.
good	adjective	pai	This food is good. He pai tēnei kai.
bad	adjective	kino	That is a bad idea. He whakaaro kino tēnā.
big	adjective	nui	The house is big. He nui te whare.
small	adjective	iti	The room is small. He iti te rūma.
new	adjective	hou	I have a new book. He pukapuka hou tāku.
old	adjective	tawhito	That house is old. He whare tawhito taua whare.
long	adjective	roa	The road is long. He roa te huarahi.
short	adjective	poto	The story is short. He poto te kōrero.
high	adjective	teitei	The mountain is high. He teitei te maunga.
low	adjective	iti	The table is low. He iti te tēpu.
hot	adjective	wera	The tea is hot. He wera te tī.
cold	adjective	mātao	The water is cold. He mātao te wai.
happy	adjective	koa	The children are happy. E koa ana ngā tamariki.
sad	adjective	pōuri	She feels sad today. E pōuri ana ia i tēnei rā.
beautiful	adjective	ātaahua	The flower is beautiful. He ātaahua te putiputi.
easy	adjective	ngāwari	This work is easy. He ngāwari tēnei mahi.
hard	adjective	uaua	This lesson is hard. He uaua tēnei akoranga.
fast	adjective	tere	That car is fast. He tere taua motokā.
slow	adjective	pōturi	The river is slow. He pōturi te awa.
right	adjective	tika	Your answer is right. He tika tāu whakautu.
wrong	adjective	hē	That answer is wrong. He hē taua whakautu.
important	adjective	nui	Family is important. He mea nui te whānau.
true	adjective	pono	That story is true. He pono taua kōrero.
full	adjective	kī	The cup is full. Kī tonu te kapu.
empty	adjective	putua	The room is empty. He rūma putua te rūma.
young	adjective	tamariki	The child is young. He tamariki te tamaiti.
strong	adjective	kaha	The wind is strong. He kaha te hau.
weak	adjective	ngoikore	He feels weak today. E ngoikore ana ia i tēnei rā.
red	adjective	whero	The flower is red. He whero te putiputi.
blue	adjective	kikorangi	The sky is blue. He kikorangi te rangi.
green	adjective	kākāriki	The tree is green. He kākāriki te rākau.
yellow	adjective	kōwhai	The flower is yellow. He kōwhai te putiputi.
black	adjective	pango	The car is black. He pango te motokā.
white	adjective	mā	The house is white. He mā te whare.
yes	interjection	āe	Yes, I understand now. Āe, e mārama ana au ināianei.
no	interjection	kāo	No, I cannot go. Kāo, kāore au e taea te haere.
not	adverb	kāore	I am not ready. Kāore anō au kia rite.
and	conjunction	me	Bread and tea are ready. Kua rite te parāoa me te tī.
or	conjunction	rānei	Tea or coffee is fine. Kei te pai te tī rānei, te kawhe rānei.
but	conjunction	engari	I am tired, but happy. Kua ngenge au, engari e koa ana.
if	conjunction	mēnā	If you come, we eat. Mēnā ka haere mai koe, ka kai mātou.
because	conjunction	nā te mea	I stayed because it rained. I noho au nā te mea i ua.
with	preposition	me	I live with my family. E noho ana au me tōku whānau.
without	preposition	kore	He went without money. I haere ia me te kore moni.
for	preposition	mō	This gift is for you. Mōu tēnei koha.
from	preposition	i	She came from town. I haere mai ia i te tāone.
to	preposition	ki	We go to school. Ka haere mātou ki te kura.