Filters

Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

Filters

Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

mauī

1. (modifier) on the left hand, left side.

Ko te matapihi ki te taha mauī o te kūaha (HP 1991:12). / The window was on the left side of the door.

Show example

Hide example


2. (location) the left hand, left.

Ka wehe te moana i taua wā tonu, ngā wai ki mauī, ki katau (HP 1991:122). / At that very moment the sea separated, the water went to the left and to the right.

Show example

Hide example


3. (noun) left hand, left side.

Ka maunu te toki a Kahukura, ka whiua nā te mauī, nā te katau, ko te tukunga atu i reira, kua rewa a Kahukura i roto i te toto (JPS 1895:94). / Kahukura drew his axe, and struck left and right, so that when he left that place he was covered with blood.

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: mahue, ringa whāngai, ringa mauī, hema


4. (noun) cat's cradle, string game - a game in which a loop of string is placed around and between the fingers and complex patterns are formed.

mōtaha

1. (intransitive verb) be left on one side.

ringa mauī

1. (noun) lefthanded.

Synonyms: hemarehe


2. (noun) left hand, left arm.

I konei ka whara tana ringa mauī, ka ngaro te māpere me te mānawa (TTR 1990:220). / Here he was wounded losing the two middle fingers of his left hand.

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: ringa whāngai, hema, mauī

neke mauī

1. (verb) to indent left (text), move left.

mahue

1. (verb) (-tia) to be put off, take off, left.

Tēnā, mahuetia ngā kākahu! / Well then, take off the clothes!
Mahuetia ōna hoa ki tō rātou waka. / Her friends were left at their canoe.
Ka mahuetia te tau tawhito me ngā taumahatanga. / The old year with its difficulties was left behind.

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: mauī, unu, whakaanuanu, pāuhu, tuku


2. (stative) be laid aside, put off (clothes, etc.), put down.

Mahara noa a Tiopira kua mate ina hoki te roa e ngaro ana ki raro, mahue atu i a ia tana rāti (TP 10/1902:11). / Tiopira thought that it was dead due to the length of time it had been below, so he put down his harpoon.

Show example

Hide example


3. (stative) be left behind, deserted, given up, abandoned, passed by, left out, omitted, missed out, gone by, separated (marital status).

Nā tō pōturi i mahue tātou i te tai. / Because you were so slow we missed the tide.
I tana tomokanga i te Whare Pāremata, mahue ake ana i a ia ētehi o tōna whānau whānui hai āwhina i ngā mea pakeke o te kāinga. / When he entered Parliament he left some of his extended family to help the older ones of the village.

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: makere, rohai, toreke, mangamutu, ngere, hapa

nuku mauī

1. to move left, indent left.

rohetuku mauī

1. (noun) left service court.

whakatautika mauī

1. (transitive verb) (printing) left justify.

whaitua mauī

1. (noun) left outfield.

paihau mauī

1. (noun) (sport) left winger.


2. (noun) (sport) left wing.

hemarehe

1. (stative) be left-handed.

Synonyms: ringa mauī

huri whakamauī

1. (verb) to turn left.

huri whakatemauī

1. (verb) to turn left.

See also whakatemauī

kopa iti

1. (noun) floor space and corner on the left on entering a wharenui - normally the place where the local people of the marae sit or sleep.

Ka tomo atu a Māhinārangi tika tonu ki te kopa iti i te taha mauī o taua whare, ka noho atu ki te taha o tōna matua (TAH 3:20). / Māhinārangi entered and went straight to the front left-hand corner of the house and sat down beside her father.

Show example

Hide example

See also tara iti

kōrapa

1. (verb) to turn to the left (instead of the right, e.g. after a whaikōrero), false turn, a transgression of traditional proceedings.


2. (verb) to flinch, hesitate, waver, be indecisive.

Kei kōrapa! E rere te mānuka, tomokia! Kaua e kōrapa! (TWMNT 10/5/1874:116). / Don't hesitate! When the challenge goes out, attack it! Do not flinch!

Show example

Hide example


3. (stative) be misaligned, twisted, bent, warped, askew.

Kīhai i tirohia e ngā kaimahi, hanga tonu ana rātou i tō rātou whare, kake ana te mahi ki runga, me te takoto hē anō ngā pereki katoa i hangā ki runga ki te mea i kōrapa kē (TH 1/11/1861:4). / The workers did not notice, they continued building their house and the work progressed upwards with all the bricks being laid incorrectly on the one which was misaligned.

Show example

Hide example


4. (noun) long handled net for taking fish or birds.

Ko te kōrapa mō te mahi i te toutouwai me ētahi atu manu. Ka pinea te kōrapa ki te whenua. Ka whiua haerehia he mōunu ki ngā taha – he noke, he huhu, he kākano. Tau mai ana te toutouwai ka kūmea te taura kia taupokina te manu e te kōrapa (Te Ara 2014). / The kōrapa net was used to catch robins and other birds. It was pegged onto the ground, and bait – worms, huhu grubs or berries – was scattered beside it. When robins arrived, the string was pulled and the net landed on the bird.

Show example

Hide example


5. (noun) two-pronged spit (for roasting).

I a Kahutore te kōrapa tunu kai (W 1971:140). / Kahutore had the two-pronged spit for roasting food.

Show example

Hide example

mahuetanga

1. (noun) survivors, those left behind, remnants.

Nō muri mai, ka patua e Te Pareihe rātau ko ana tuarā, a Te Momo, kātahi ka panaia ngā mahuetanga o Ngāti Te Koherā (TTR 1990:177). / Later Te Pareihe and his allies killed Te Momo and then drove out the remnants of Ngāti Te Koherā.

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: remu


2. (noun) abandonment, desertion, leaving behind, leaving.

Aoakewake, ka whakahauraro rātau. Ka riro ko ētehi rangatira o Ngāti Tūwharetoa hei kūpapa, ka amuamutia e Horonuku ki ō rātau mahuetanga i a ia; kāore he huringa ake atu i te whai i a Te Kooti (TTR 1994:141). / A few days later they surrendered. Some Ngāti Tūwharetoa chiefs had gone to the government side. Horonuku reproached them for having abandoned him, leaving him no option but to follow Te Kooti.

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: whakakorekore, whakareretanga, whakarere, whakakore, whākorekore, whakarerenga

i haere Māori atu, i hoki Māori mai

1. I left as a Māori and I have returned as a Māori, task not accomplished, mission unsuccessful - an idiom to say that a mission was not accomplished. An idiom used by Tāwhiao after his unsuccessful trip to England.

Mere: I pēwhea tā koutou whīkoi ki te pāremata ki te tohe i te take rā? Whiri: Heoi anō. I haere Māori atu, i hoki Māori mai (HKKT 2011:12). / Mere: How was your trip to parliament to push our cause? Whiri: So, so. Our mission was unsuccessful.

Show example

Hide example


2. (noun) shredded leaves, left over pieces stripped off in the process of preparing flax.

Kaku. He kuka nō te harakeke kua tākirihia te whītau, te muka (M 2004:372). / Shredded leaves. The waste fibre of the flax after the woody parts have been removed to obtain muka (fibre used in weaving, etc.) (M 2004:373).

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: pūkaha

para

1. (noun) refuse, rubbish, waste, trash.

Makaia atu ai ngā para me ngā aha noa iho o ngā kāinga ki reira. / Rubbish and any old thing from the homes is discarded there.

Show example

Hide example

See also parakore

Synonyms: parahanga, rāpihi, kohe, whakapeka, whakanau, whakatoitoi, hawa, kapurangi, ota, whakapekapeka, tohetohe, huru, kape, tohe, whakahoe, whakakāhore


2. (noun) sediment.

E rite ana ngā uaua toto o te tinana ki te kōrere wai. Ka mahea ana te kōrere, pai ana te rere o te wai. Ka putu ana he para ki roto i te kōrere, kua iti haere te rere o te wai. Mehemea ka purutiti i te para, kati tonu atu. Pērā tonu te āhua o te rere o te toto i ngā uaua ki te manawa (Wh3 2003:121). / The arteries of the body are like water pipes. When the pipe is clear, the water flows well. When sediment collects in the pipe, the flow of water diminishes. If it is clogged up with sediment, it is blocked. The flow of blood in the arteries to the heart are exactly the same.

Show example

Hide example

Synonyms: waipara, whaipara


3. (noun) left over pieces stripped off in preparing harakeke (New Zealand flax).

See also kaku

pūkaha

1. (noun) left over pieces stripped off in the process of preparing flax.

Synonyms: kaku

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