Pasefika Hawaiʻian and Polynesian Dictionary


Hawaiʻian to English Dictionary



English Hawaiʻian Sāmoan Tongan Tahitian Māori Scientific
Taro bud, young shoot from corm ʻOhā Lauvai
Taro bud, young shoot from corm ʻOhā Soesoe
Family Ohana ʻĀiga Kāinga Fetiʻi Whānau
Bamboo ʻOhe ʻOfe Sāmoa Schizostachyum glaucifolium
Mountain Apple ʻŌhiʻa ʻai Nonu fiʻafiʻa Syzygium malaccensis
Malay apple ʻŌhiʻa ʻai Nonu fiʻafiʻa Syzygium malaccensis
ʻŌhiʻa Lehua ʻŌhiʻa Lehua Metrosideros polymorpha
He ʻOia Ia Ne ʻŌna Ia
October ʻOkakopa Oketopa ʻOkakopa Atopa Oketopa
Zero ʻOle Selo Noa Aore Kore 0
Turmeric ʻOlena Ago (Lega) Curcuma longa
Fluted Giant Clam ʻOlepe Faisua Tridacna Squamosa
Wahoo Ono Paāla Valu Louniu Pāere Acanthocybium solandari
Digging Stick ʻŌʻō ʻOso
Hawaiʻi ʻōʻō ʻŌʻō Moho nobilis
Bat (Flying Fox) ʻŌpeʻapeʻa Peʻa Peka ʻIore Pererau Pekapeka Chiroptera


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