aha
1. (verb) (-tia) to do what? treated in what fashion? to do anything.
(Te Kākano Textbook (Ed. 2): 14, 28, 43-44, 99;)
E kui, me aha au? Me haere ki te whare wānanga, me āwhina i a Pāpā ki ngā mahi o te pāmu, me aha rānei? / Gran, what should I do? Should I go to university, help Dad with the work of the farm, or what?
I ahatia koe? / What happened to you?
See also tūpātai
2. Used with various particles for particular meanings.
Kua kaha te whiua o te pātai he aha tēnei mea te kaumātua me aha rawa rānei te tangata e kaumātua ai ki te titiro a te tangata? (HM 4/1998:2). / What a 'kaumātua' is, or what a person should do to be regarded by people as a 'kaumātua', are very popular questions.
See also he aha te aha, ehara i te mea he aha, hai aha!, hai aha?, hei aha, hei aha!, he aha?, kāore he aha, mā te aha, me te aha, me aha hoki, me aha koa, hei aha atu, hei aha koa, he aha hoki, ahakoa he aha, hei aha [tāu], he aha ... i ... ai, he aha ... e ... ai, tua-
3. (modifier) what sort?.
Tau: He hōiho aha tōna? Ira: He paipōro, he hōiho rata tonu - he pai mō ngā tamariki (HJ 2012:174). / Tau: What sort of horse does he have? Ira: A piebald, and quite a placid horse - good for the children.
4. (noun) what?.
5. (noun) anything whatsoever, and other, and others, et cetera.
(Te Pihinga Textbook (Ed. 2): 115;)
Ka kainga e rāua te poaka, te pikopiko, te aha, te aha. / They ate pork, fern shoots and other foods.
6. (noun) anything, nothing - especially after a negative.
Ehara i te aha. / It's nothing.
Ka pērā tonu ngā kōhine o tērā taipakeke - ka wheke mō te aha te take (HJ 2012:178). / Girls of that age are like that - they become angry for nothing.
Synonyms: kore noa iho, korekore, kāore kau, kore
