Filters

Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

Filters

Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

noho tapu

1. (verb) be confidential, prohibited access, embargoed, keep holy.

Ka mahingia e ngā kaumātua, e ngā kuia hoki ā rātou mahi katoa, tae atu ki te tunu kai, i ngā rā o te wiki, mutu atu ana i te Hātarei, kia noho tapu ai te Rātapu (TAH 26:54). / The elders did all their work, including cooking food, during the week, ending on Saturdays in order that Sundays could be kept holy.

Show example

Hide example

āheitanga

1. (noun) ability, capacity, capability, competence, accessibility.

Me whakarerekē ngā ture kia noho ko te mōhio ki te reo Māori me te reo Pākehā hei āheitanga matua mō ētahi tūranga (HM 4/1996:7). / The laws should be changed so that knowledge of the Māori and English languages are the prime competences for some positions.

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: kaha, āhei, āheinga

tomonga

1. (noun) entrance, inlet, entry, way in, access.

Kia tūpato koutou ki ō koutou whare he mea whakakikī puru ki te tangata, hore he putanga mō te hau haunga, hore he tomonga mō te hau ora e noho tawhio ana i waho o ō koutou whare (KO 16/3/1888:7). / You should be careful with your houses when they are crammed full of people and there is no outlet for the stale air, no inlet for fresh air which is located around the outside of your houses.

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: whakatapoko, āhei

rāhui

1. (verb) (-ngia,-tia) to put in place a temporary ritual prohibition, closed season, ban, reserve - traditionally a rāhui was placed on an area, resource or stretch of water as a conservation measure or as a means of social and political control for a variety of reasons which can be grouped into three main categories: pollution by tapu, conservation and politics. Death pollutes land, water and people through tapu. A rāhui is a device for separating people from tapu things. After an agreed lapse of time, the rāhui is lifted. A rāhui is marked by a visible sign, such as the erection of a pou rāhui, a post. It is initiated by someone of rank and placed and lifted with appropriate karakia by a tohunga.

(Te Kōhure Textbook (Ed. 2): 226-227;)

Ka rāhuitia ngā pipi, ka oha (W 1971:237). / When the cockles are protected from being harvested they become plentiful.

Show example

Hide example

See also whatu

Synonyms: tapu, poropeihana, whakakati, whakatapu, tūrāhui, toe, wehe, whakakawhena, haumi, porowhita, tāpui, whakaputunga, whenua rāhui


2. (modifier) reserved, restricted access, restricted.

I pā ā-tinana tonu a Īhāia ki ngā whakahaere a te kōti whenua i te wā o ngā huihuinga autō mō te poraka o Waikōpiro me ētahi atu, nō mua kē atu he whenua rāhui i kōwhakina mai i te poraka o Waipukurau (TTR 1994:30). / Ihaia had personal experience of the operations of land court during the protracted hearings concerning the Waikōpiro block and others, which were originally reserves separated off from the Waipukurau block.

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: apiapi, kōpiri, ārikarika, taparere, tapu, nguengue, whakamōwai, memeke, tāpui, whakatōngā, hūnguengue, konekone, nohopuku, tōngā, wahangū


3. (noun) warning sign that a rāhui is in place, sanctuary, resource reserve, temporary prohibition.

Ko te pou rāhui te tohu o te rāhui, he mea pani ki te whero. Hei ētahi wā ka whakairia he kākahu, he hukahuka, he rarauhe rānei hei tohu i te rāhui. He wā ko te rangatira tonu ka whakatau i te rāhui (Te Ara 2013). / A rāhui was often indicated by a post painted red. Sometimes clothing, a lock of hair, or bracken fern might be hung to signal a rāhui. Sometimes a chief would place the rāhui.

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: whakamaurutanga

whakatapoko

1. (verb) (-na,-ngia) to cause to enter, go into.

Ka mutu ngā kōrero ki a Te Paranihi, ka whakatapoko ki roto o Raukawa whare ki te tina tahi ki a Te Paranihi rāua ko tōna hekeretari (KO 15/2/1886:8). / When the discussions with Mr Ballance ended, they went into Raukawa house to have lunch together with Mr Ballance and his secretary.

Show example

Hide example


2. (verb) (-na,-ngia) to turn into (a port).

Ka kite rātou i Te Awa-a-te-atua, ka whakatapoko ki roto, ka ū ki te taha ki runga o Niao, ka tōia ki uta (JPS 1893:223). / When they discovered the Te Awa-a-te-atua river, they entered it, and landed above Niao, where the canoe was dragged up on shore.

Show example

Hide example


3. (verb) (-na,-ngia) to enrol, join, register.

Ka whakatapoko mai a Ira ki roto i taku hāhi, nō te mea he minita au (HP 1991:254). / Ira joined my church because I was a minister.

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: mita, momo reo, rēhita, pukapuka rēhita, hiki, tūhoto, uru, whakamoemoe, haumi, honohono, pūtahi, tūhono, tūhonohono, hono, whakakapiti, porotūtaki, porotūtataki, uhono, kuhukuhu, tāpiri, whakauru, pāhekoheko


4. (modifier) entering, applying.

E 70 ngā ingoa o ngā taitama whakatapoko mō te tono whenua (TTT 1/2/1929:929). / There were 70 names of youths applying for land allocations.

Show example

Hide example


5. (noun) entry, admission, entrance, access, application.

Ko taku tau tuatoru ki te kura, ka whakaaehia au e te upoko kia whakamātautauria mō te whakatapoko ki roto i te whare wānanga (HP 1991:40). / In my third year at the school the headmaster gave me permission to sit the examination to enter university (matriculation).

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: tomonga, āhei

ara kūtoro

1. (noun)  tunnel for access to the interior of a pā.

pātuhi putanga

1. (noun) access key (computer).

Ko tā ngā pātuhi putanga he āwhina ki te whakatere i tēnei paetukutuku (PO 2017). / The purpose of the access keys is to help navigate this website.

Show example

Hide example

waehere uru

1. (noun) access code (computers).

āhei

1. (verb) (-a,-tia) to be able, possible, within one's power, enable.

E kore au e āhei te kī atu. / I will not be able to say.

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: kaha, tare, taea


2. (stative) be allowed, permitted.

Ka āhei i a ia te mahi rā - engari e kore e pahure i a au! (PK 2008:3) / She is allowed to do that - but I'm not permitted to!

Show example

Hide example


3. (noun) ability, opportunity, access.

Hei tāna, mā tēnei e ōrite ai te āhei atu o te Māori ki ngā mahi kei ngā tari kāwanatanga (TTR 1994:36). / He argued that the Māori should be given equal opportunity of employment in government departments.

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: āheitanga, tomonga, whakatapoko, āheinga, kaha, angitu, kōwhiringa

noho tapu

1. (intransitive verb) (prohibited acces) embargo.

paeutauta

1. (noun) toolbar (computer) - a row, column, or block of buttons or icons displayed on the screen that represent tasks or commands within the program. Toolbar buttons provide shortcuts to common tasks frequently accessed from the menus.

Kei hea te paeutauta? Kua ngaro. / Where is the toolbar? It's disappeared.

Show example

Hide example

wāhi tapu

1. (noun) sacred place, sacred site - a place subject to long-term ritual restrictions on access or use, e.g. a burial ground, a battle site or a place where tapu objects were placed.

Kua tae mai te pitihana a Meiha Te Wheoro ki te Pāremata nei, e tono ana taua pitihana, kia whakapeaua kētia te ara mō te rerewei, i te wāhi tapu i Taupiri, i Waikato (TW 4/11/1876:401). / Major Te Wheoro's petition has reached this Parliament requesting that the route for the railway be diverted away from the sacred place at Taupiri, in Waikato.

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: ahumairangi

Takapourewa

1. (location) Stephens Island - a closed access nature reserve and northernmost island of the South Island, gifted to the nation by Ngāti Koata.

pātengi raraunga

1. (noun) database - an accessible structured set of data held in a computer.

He pātengi raraunga te rauemi e kōrerohia nei, ā, ko tōna 300 nei ngā kōnae kua tuhia ki te reo Māori e pā ana ki ngā kaupapa huhua noa (HM 3/1998). / The resource being discussed is a data base and it has 300 files written in Māori related to many topics.

Show example

Hide example

māwhai

1. (stative) be wavy, curly.

He hanga wawaenga noa te hanga o Mārama, ā, he mātotoru, he māwhai nei ngā makawe; he wahine purotu ia (TTR 1998:170). / Mārama was of medium build, with thick wavy hair; she was a beautiful woman.

Show example

Hide example


2. (noun) spider web.

He māwhai pūngāwerewere i hangā hei kākahu (TW 14/4/1877:131). / Spider webs made into a garment.

Show example

Hide example


3. (noun) fishing net.


4. (noun) māwhai, dodder, Cassytha paniculata - leafless plant parasitic on herbs and shrubs forming tangled masses with stems yellowish green up to 3m long. Found in northern North Island in lowland scrub.


5. (noun) ambush vine, Sicyos mawhai - an herbaceous climber with stems up to 10 m long and 3-5 tendrils. Has vanished from much of its past range over the last 50 or so years. Currently it remains common only on the less accessible northern offshore islands (e.g. Three Kings, Poor Knights and Mokohīnau Islands) and on the Kermadec Islands. In suitable conditions white flowers are produced throughout the year.

pae paraha

1. (noun) toolbar (computer) - a row, column, or block of buttons or icons displayed on the screen that represent tasks or commands within the program. Toolbar buttons provide shortcuts to common tasks frequently accessed from the menus.

New favourites & quiz!

The Te Aka Māori Dictionary mobile app now has the ability to sort your favourite words into folders. Plus, these folders can be turned into a quiz for a fun way to learn words and definitions. Download or update the app today!

iOS Android

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