Filters

Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

Filters

Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

reo

1. (noun) voice, sound.

Ko ētahi reo i ririki, ko ētahi i rarahi, ko ētahi i tanguru (TPH 15/12/1900:3). / Some voices were soft, others were loud and some were deep.

Show example

Hide example


2. (noun) language, dialect, tongue, speech.

(Te Māhuri Textbook (Ed. 2): 181-187; Te Māhuri Video Tapes (Ed. 1): 2; Te Kōhure Textbook (Ed. 2): 37-53;)

E pātai ana ahau, "He aha rā i hunā ai te reo rangatira i te iwi Māori i kore ai e akona ki te iwi Māori anō? He mate nui tēnei nō te iwi Māori, he mate hē noa iho, kāore he hara. Nā ā tātou Pākehā noa iho pea i pēhi kia kore e akona." (TTT 1/10/1921:4). / I am asking, "Why was the noble language hidden from the Māori people and not taught to them? This is a major problem for the Māori people, but it's merely an error, not a sin. It's probably because our Pākehā pressed that it not be taught."(A statement written in Māori by Paratene Ngata).
Haere ki a Wiremu wherawhera mai ai ngā whārangi, nā ka kitea aua kupu i reira, nō reira he aha kē tēnei tāwai i te reo? (HM 4/2009:3) / Go to Williams' dictionary and open the pages and those words will be found there, so just what is this criticism of the language about?

Show example

Hide example


3. (noun) speech, utterance, statement, remark.

Mō taku take tuatahi, i pape taku reo. Nō te taenga mai nei o te pepa ka kite iho ahau i te hē (TTT 1/10/1929:1086). / Concerning my first issue, my statement was incorrect. When the newspaper arrived I discovered the mistake.

Show example

Hide example

reo āpiti

1. (noun) voice-over.

He mea tino whakamahi te reo āpiti i ngā pāhotanga pakipūmeka me ngā rongo kōrero o te wā (RMR 2017). / Voice-over is used a lot in documentaries and news broadcasts (RMR 2017).

Show example

Hide example

reo waiata

1. (noun) singing voice.

He kaha kē nei tana reo waiata (TTR 2000:195). / He had a strong singing voice.

Show example

Hide example


2. (noun) vocalist, singer.

He korokoro tūī te reo waiata o taua rōpū (RTP 2015:96). / The vocalist of that group has a melodious voice.

Show example

Hide example

reo kihi

1. (noun) an unintelligible language, gibberish, gobbledegook, mumbo-jumbo.

He tata rā tēnei ki te māramatanga nō taua nō te Māori, inā hoki kua rōia ētahi, kua kura mahita ētahi, kua minita ētahi, kua mema ētahi, kua mātau ētahi ki te reo kihi o te Pākehā (TP 1/12/1900:2). / We, the Māori, are nearing enlightenment because some are lawyers, some are teachers, some are ministers, some are members and some understand the unintelligible language of the Pākehā.

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: mangamangaiatua

reo kōrero

1. (noun) spokesperson, representative.

Heoti, nō te hokinga o Te Wherowhero ki Waikato, ka whakawahia hei Kīngi, ka noho a Ngāpora ki Māngere hei reo kōrero mō te Kīngi ki te kāwana (TTR 1990:71). / However, when Te Wherowhero returned to live in Waikato and was installed as King, Ngāpora remained at Māngere to act as the King's representative to the governor.

Show example

Hide example

reo irirangi

1. (noun) radio.

Nō te tau 1943 i whakatūria ko ia te Māori tuatahi o Aotearoa hai kaipāho mō ngā rongo kōrero i te reo irirangi (TTR 2000:143). / In 1943 he was first Māori in New Zealand to be appointed as a news broadcaster.

Show example

Hide example

reo rotarota

1. (noun) sign language.

I te tau 2006 i te whiriwhiria te reo rotarota hei reo ā-ture tuatoru mō Aotearoa (Te Ara 2013). / In 2006 sign language became a third official language in New Zealand.

Show example

Hide example

reo tōiri

1. (noun) soprano.

Nā te taea e tōna reo mai i te reo pekerangi ki te reo taka i waenga i te reo tōiri me te reo hakahaka rawa o te wahine, i āhei ai ia ki te waiata i te huhua noa o ngā tūmomo waiata (TTR 1996:56). / Because her voice had a vocal range from mezzo-soprano to contralto, she was able to sing in many styles

Show example

Hide example

reo tautoko

1. (noun) backing vocalist.

reo tōtahi

1. (noun) monolingual, monoglot, unilingual.

nuka reo

1. language device, literary device.

Ko ngā nuka reo ngā rautaki, ko ngā āhuatanga o te reo, ka whakamahia e te kaikōrero, e te kaitito rānei, hei kawe, hei whakanikoniko i ōna whakaaro, hei whakauru hoki i te wairua e hiahiatia ana e ia kia puta. Hei tauira, ko te huahuatau, ko te kīwaha, ko te huarite (RMR 2017). / Literary devices are the strategies and features of language that are used by a speaker or composer to convey and embellish their ideas, and infuse them with the desired feeling. Examples of literary devices include metaphor, idiomatic expressions and rhyme (RMR 2017).

Show example

Hide example

momo reo

1. (noun) type of language, register.

Ka ahu katoa mai ngā reo o Poronīhia i te momo reo o Austronesian (Te Ara 2011). / All Polynesian languages originate from the Austronesian language family.

Show example

Hide example

reo pekerangi

1. (modifier) mezzo-soprano - female singing voice whose range is between soprano and contralto.

Nā te taea e tōna reo mai i te reo pekerangi ki te reo taka i waenga i te reo tōiri me te reo hakahaka rawa o te wahine, i āhei ai ia ki te waiata i te huhua noa o ngā tūmomo waiata (TTR 1996:56). / Because her voice had a vocal range from mezzo-soprano to contralto, she was able to sing in many styles.

Show example

Hide example

See also pekerangi


2. (noun) alto.

mātanga reo

1. (noun) language consultant.

reo nguru

1. (noun) bass (singer).

whakawaiwai reo

1. (noun) language laboratory.

āheinga reo

1. (noun) language function.

kura reo

1. (noun) language learning gathering, language school - usually held on a marae or educational institution over several days with the purpose of speaking and learning Māori.

I āmio tāua i te whenua nei ki ngā kura reo (HM 4/2009:3). / You and I travelled around the country to the language schools.

Show example

Hide example

reo kōkuhu

1. (noun) introduced language, foreign language, colonists' language.

Ki te kīia tō reo e te reo kōkuhu he ngoikore, i te mea kāore e taea e ia te ao hou te kōrero, me kī atu koe, "Aua atu. Hei aha mā mātou." (HM 2/2009:10) / If it is stated by the introduced language that your language is weak, that it's not able to talk about the modern world, you should say, "So what. That doesn't matter to us."

Show example

Hide example

reo mārū

1. (noun) baritone.

Te Kākano 3rd Edition

New edition of the leading Māori-language textbook out now.

More info

The App

Te Aka Māori Dictionary is also available as an iOS and Android app. Download below.

iOS Android

The Book

Te Aka Māori-English, English-Māori Dictionary and Index by John C Moorfield comprises a selection of modern and everyday language that will be extremely useful for learners of the Māori language.

More info

He Pātaka Kupu

Te kai a te rangatira

He Pātaka Kupu is a monolingual Māori language dictionary, and was designed using its own culturally authentic terms.

Visit website

00:00