Pasefika Hawaiʻian and Polynesian Dictionary


Hawaiʻian to English Dictionary



English Hawaiʻian Sāmoan Tongan Tahitian Māori Scientific
Sea Kai Sami Tahi Miti Moana
Tide Kai Tai Tahi Tai
Tattoo Kākau Tatau Tatatau Tātau Moko
Wait Kali Faʻatali Tali Tīaʻiraʻa Taritari
Taro Kalo Talo Talo Taro Taro Colocasia esculenta
Alexandrian laurel Kamani Fetau Calophyllum inophyllum
Human Kanaka Tagata Tangata
Person Kanaka Tagata Tangata
Inhabitant Kanaka Tagata Tangata
She Kanaka Tagata Ne ʻŌna Ia
Centipede Kanapī Atualoa Scolopendra subspinipes
Man Kāne Tāne Tagata Tāne Tāne
December Kekemapa Tesema Tīsema Titema Tihema
September Kepakemapa Setema Sepitema Tetepa Hepetema
Ti plant ʻAutī Tī pore Cordyline fruticosa
Sugar cane Tolo Saccharum officinarum
Compass 270° W Komohana Sisifo Hihifo Raro Hauāuru W 270°
West Komohana Sisifo Hihifo Raro Hauāuru W 270°
South West Kona Saute i Sisifo Tokelau Hihifo Urupā Tonga mā uru SW 225°
North East Koʻolau Mātū i Sasaʻe Tokelau Hahake Haʻapiti NE 45°
Windward Koʻolau Lua
Stand Tuʻu Tiʻa
Back Kua Tua Tuʻa Tua Tuarā
Reef Kuaʻau Aʻau Hakau Aʻau Ākau
Guava Kuawa Kuʻava Kuava Tūava Kuāwa Psidium guajava
Candlenut Kukui Lama Tuitui Tiʻaʻiri Aleurites moluccana
Village Kūlanakauhale Nuʻu Kolo Siʻi ʻOire Kāinga
Responsibility Kuleana Tiute tau‘ave


English to Polynesian Dictionary



Sāmoan to English Dictionary



Tongan to English Dictionary



Tahitian to English Dictionary



Māori to English Dictionary



Welcome to the Pasefika Polynesian Dictionary. This dictionary is meant to be a comparative dictionary to quickly view similarities, differences and cognate relationships between words across Polynesian languages. The dictionary includes a format that will display english to polynesian translation into words from Sāmoan, Hawaiʻian, Tongan, Māori, and Tahitian languages.

Most knowledge in Polynesia was communicated and passed on through language, legends, and songs.

The Sāmoan alphabet constists of these letters

Sāmoan written Alphabet: A E F G I L M N O P S T U V (K H R are additonal)

Vowels in Sāmoan language

  • A (ʻA A ʻĀ Ā) - pronounced (ˈä) AAh, like "AAh"
  • E (ʻE E ʻĒ Ē) - pronounced (ˈe) Eh, like net
  • I (ʻI I ʻĪ Ī) - pronounced (ē) EE, like see
  • O (ʻO O ʻŌ Ō) - pronounced (ō) oh, like "Oh"
  • U (ʻU U ʻŪ Ū) - pronounced (u̇(ə)) oo, like oops
  • A glottal stop and/or macron indicate short, normal, long sound and/or a brief pause in the sound of each vowel).

A glottal stop and/or macron indicate short, normal, long sound and/or a brief pause in the sound of each vowel).

Consonants in Sāmoan language
F G L M N P S T V

Comparison of consonant letters of Sāmoan language to languages of other Polynesian cultures

  • Sāmoa s or f = Aotearoa (Māori) h = Hawaiʻi h = Marquesas h = Tahiti h = Tonga h
  • Sāmoa g = Aotearoa (Māori) ng = Hawaiʻi n = Marquesas k = Tahiti = Tonga g
  • Sāmoa l = Aotearoa (Māori) r = Hawaiʻi l = Marquesas = Tahiti r = Tonga l
  • Sāmoa t = Aotearoa (Māori) t = Hawaiʻi k = Marquesas = Tahiti t = Tonga t
  • Sāmoa v = Aotearoa (Māori) w = Hawaiʻi w = Marquesas v = Tahiti v = Tonga v
  • Sāmoa f = Aotearoa (Māori) wh = Hawaiʻi h = Marquesas f or h = Tahiti h or f = Tonga f

The letter K in Sāmoan language

K
The letter K is a consonant than notes the use of the "K" style of Samoan language and/or used for words introduced with translation from other languages.

Additional Consonants in Sāmoan language

H R
Additional consonants (introduced with translation)

Some English letters informally are translated to Sāmoan Language with the use of additional consonants and rarely with vowels.

  • English b = Sāmoan p
  • English c = Sāmoan t/k or s
  • English d = Sāmoan t/k or s
  • English d = Sāmoan t/k
  • English g = Sāmoan t/k or s
  • English j = Sāmoan s or i

In studies of linguistics, Sāmoan language has been catagoriezed within the Austronesian family of languages.

Linguistic classification

  • Austronesian
  • Malayo-Polynesian
  • Oceanic
  • Central Pacific
  • Polynesian
  • Samoic
  • Sāmoan