Filters

Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

Filters

Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

urukehu

1. (verb) to be light-haired, blond, fair-haired, red-haired, ginger-haired, sandy-haired, auburn.

Ka urukehu te tangata, ka kīia nō Warahoe (JPS 1922:40). / A red-haired person is said to be from the Warahoe.

Show example

Hide example


2. (adjective) be light-haired, blond, fair-haired, red-haired, ginger-haired, sandy-haired, auburn.

Ko Te Kani-a-Takirau he tangata tū rangatira, he roa, he kiritea, he ātaahua. He urukehu ōna makawe, he mingimingi (TTT 1/6/1926:413). / Te Kani-a-Takirau was a noble man, tall, fair and handsome. His hair was auburn and curly.

Show example

Hide example

See also kehu


3. (modifier) light-haired, blond, fair-haired, red-haired, ginger-haired, sandy-haired, auburn.

E ai ki te Māori, he uri ngā tāngata urukehu me ngā kōrako nō te patupaiarehe me ngā wahine nā rātou i ai (Te Ara 2017). / According to the Māori, red-haired people and albinos were the descendants of patupaiarehe and the women who conceived them.

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: mākekehu


4. (noun) red-haired person, ginger-haired person, sandy-haired person, auburn-haired person.

Ko ētahi Māori he kiritea, he tūrehu, he kōrako, he urukehu (TKO 30/10/1920:4). / Some Māori are fair-skinned, pale, albino or red-headed people.

Show example

Hide example

tūpare

1. (verb) (-ngia,-a) to shade the eyes with the hand.

Ko te ringa kei te tūpare atu i te rā kia kite ai ia (PK 2008:1008). / Her hand is shading her eyes from the sun so that she can see.

Show example

Hide example


2. (noun) chaplet, garland.

Nā ka kawea mai e te tohunga o Hupita, i te ngutu nei o te pā tōna temepara, he pūru, he tūpare ki ngā kūwaha, ka mea kia patua he whakahere e rātou ko ngā mano (PT Nga Mahi a nga Apotoro 14:13). / Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.

Show example

Hide example


3. (noun) leatherwood, Olearia colensoi - subalpine scrub shrub or tree to 10 m tall with thick, leathery, serrated leaves. The bark is light brown, papery and flaking. Branches covered in woolly, buff hairs. Flowers yellow or deep red. Found in subalpine, high rainfall areas.

taupuku

1. (noun) koropuka, bush snowberry, fool's beech, Gaultheria antipoda - native bushy shrub bearing rounded small leathery toothed leaves on hairy twigs. Hairs on twigs black mixed with shorter paler hairs. Flowers white, bell-shaped, solitary at base of leaf. Leaves alternating on stem, 7-10mm long by 6-10mm wide, sometimes much smaller at tip of twig, Fruit red or white.

See also koropuka

Synonyms: tāwiniwini, koropuka, takapo, pāpapa

koropuka

1. (noun) koropuka, bush snowberry, fool's beech, Gaultheria antipoda - native bushy shrub bearing rounded small leathery toothed leaves on hairy twigs. Hairs on twigs black mixed with shorter paler hairs. Flowers white, bell-shaped, solitary at base of leaf. Leaves alternating on stem, 7-10mm long by 6-10mm wide, sometimes much smaller at tip of twig, Fruit red or white.

takapo

1. (noun) koropuka, bush snowberry, fool's beech, Gaultheria antipoda - native bushy shrub bearing rounded small leathery toothed leaves on hairy twigs. Hairs on twigs black mixed with shorter paler hairs. Flowers white, bell-shaped, solitary at base of leaf. Leaves alternating on stem, 7-10mm long by 6-10mm wide, sometimes much smaller at tip of twig, Fruit red or white.

See also koropuka

Synonyms: tāwiniwini, koropuka, taupuku, pāpapa

pāpapa

1. (noun) eggshell, husk, chaff, bran.

(Te Māhuri Study Guide (Ed. 1): 27;)

He uru hua rākau rahi anō tō rāua, ā, e 60 eka te rahi o te whenua whakatipu ōti, whakatipu pāri, hai pāpapa whāngai i ngā hōiho (TTR 1998:159). / They had a large orchard and 60 acres growing oats and barley to make chaff to feed the horses.

Show example

Hide example


2. (noun) squash, kamokamo - a variety of vegetable marrow. This word seems to be peculiar to the northern Ngāti Kahungunu region.

He pēnā anō ngā tōhuka, ngā kānga, ngā pāpapa, ngā merengi, ngā kākāriki, ngā taro me ngā rīwai (HP 1991:14). / The sugar cane, maize, kamokamo, melons, rock melons, taro and potatoes were exactly the same.

Show example

Hide example


3. (noun) beetle - used as a general term for beetles.

E whā ngā momo pāpapa i mau i a mātau (Ng 1995:30). / We caught four kinds of beetles.

Show example

Hide example


4. (noun) common tiger beetle, Cicindela tuberculata, Neocicindela tuberculata - an endemic tiger beetle to Aotearoa/New Zealand. Adults are ground predators and larvae may live for several years in a hole in the ground, and grab and eat passing insects. Adults are commonly seen on clay banks in summer, running around and making short flights as they hunt other insects.

Synonyms: muremure, kūī, moeone


5. (noun) cockroach, stinkroach, black cockroach, Platyzosteria novaeseelandiae - found in the North Island and the northern South Island, it makes a strong smell when disturbed. Lives under the bark of trees and in rotting logs.

See also kēkerengū

Synonyms: kēkerengū, kēkereū


6. (noun) slater, pill bug, sow bug, woodlice - terrestrial Isopoda which vary slightly in appearance, but most are conspicuous and easily recognised by their elliptical, flattened segmented bodies, and seven pairs of legs. Colour is usually in the shades of grey, from dark to light, often mottled with green and yellow. Aotearoa/New Zealand slaters range in size from several millimetres to more than 2 cm in length. Slaters are mainly scavengers, feeding on a variety of decaying vegetation, tree bark, rotting wood, etc.


7. (noun) gumdiggers' soap, golden Tainui, kūmarahou, Pomaderris kumeraho - a native shrub with alternating, blue-green leaves on top and undersides pale with protruding veins. Flowers are creamy yellow in large, fluffy clusters. The whole plant is covered in a soft mat of hair. Found north of Bay of Plenty and Kāwhia.

See also kūmarahou

Synonyms: kūmara rau nui, kūmarahou


8. (noun) koropuka, bush snowberry, fool's beech, Gaultheria antipoda - native bushy shrub bearing rounded small leathery toothed leaves on hairy twigs. Hairs on twigs black mixed with shorter paler hairs. Flowers white, bell-shaped, solitary at base of leaf. Leaves alternating on stem, 7-10mm long by 6-10mm wide, sometimes much smaller at tip of twig, Fruit red or white.

See also koropuka

Synonyms: koropuka, takapo, tāwiniwini, taupuku

tāwiniwini

1. (noun) koropuka, bush snowberry, fool's beech, Gaultheria antipoda - native bushy shrub bearing rounded small leathery toothed leaves on hairy twigs. Hairs on twigs black mixed with shorter paler hairs. Flowers white, bell-shaped, solitary at base of leaf. Leaves alternating on stem, 7-10mm long by 6-10mm wide, sometimes much smaller at tip of twig, Fruit red or white.

See also koropuka

Synonyms: koropuka, taupuku, takapo, pāpapa

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