Pasefika Sāmoan and Polynesian Dictionary


Sāmoan to English Dictionary



English Sāmoan Hawaiʻian Tongan Tahitian Māori Scientific
Giant Taro Ta‘amū ʻApe Alocasia macrorrhizos
She Tagata Kanaka Ne ʻŌna Ia
Human Tagata Kanaka Tangata
Person Tagata Kanaka Tangata
Inhabitant Tagata Kanaka Tangata
Foreigner Tagata Fāimai Malihini Muli Rātere Pākehā
Polyscias Tagitagi Polyscias
Tide Tai Kai Tahi Tai
Limeberry Talafalu Micromelum minutum
Tropical almond Talie Terminalia catappa
Taro Talo Kalo Talo Taro Taro Colocasia esculenta
Man Tāne Kāne Tagata Tāne Tāne
Venus Tapuitea Planet
One Tasi ʻEkahi Taha Hōʻē Tahi
Tattoo Tatau Kākau Tatatau Tātau Moko
Port (side) Tauagavale Hema Hema ʻAui Mauī
Left (Direction) Tauagavale Hema Hema ʻAui Mauī
Right (direction) Taumatau ʻĀkau Toʻo Mataʻu ʻAtau Katau
Starboard Taumatau ʻĀkau Toʻo Mataʻu ʻAtau Katau
Beach heliotrope Tausuni Tornefortia argentea
Service, to serve Tautua Lawelawe
Sirius Telegese Aʻā Star System
December Tesema Kekemapa Tīsema Titema Tihema
Red Ginger (Ornamental) Teuila ‘Awapuhi ‘ula‘ula Alpinia purpurata
Ti plant ʻAutī Tī pore Cordyline fruticosa
Taro cutting/top used for planting Tiapula Huli Colocasia esculenta
Rain Timu Ua ʻUha Ua Ua
Citron Tipolo Citrus medica
Responsibility Tiute tau‘ave Kuleana
Ironwood Toa Casuarina equisetifolia
South Toga Hema Tonga Toʻa Tonga S 180°
Asiatic pennywort Togo Centella asiatica
Alphitonia zizyphoides Toi Alphitonia zizyphoides
Beach cabbage Toʻi toʻi Scaevola taccada
Sugar cane Tolo Saccharum officinarum
Three Tolu ʻEkolu Tolu Toru Toru
Stand Tuʻu Tiʻa
Back Tua Kua Tuʻa Tua Tuarā
Burrowing Sea Urchin Tuitui Echinometra Mathaei
King Tupu Mōʻī Tuʻi Ariʻi Kīngi
Jupiter Tupualengase Planet

English to Polynesian Dictionary



Hawaiʻian 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