Cook Islands Languages

Cook Islands

Languages

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Description

The official languages of the Cook Islands include English and Cook Islands Māori (or "Rarotongan"). Cook Islands Maori and its dialectic variants are closely related to both Tahitian and to New Zealand Māori. The language of Pukapukan is also spoken and is closely related to the Samoan language. It is the language spoken on the Island of Pukapuka located in the northern section of the Cook Islands.

Word List(s)

Māori

• Useful Phrases in Māori
• Table from New Zealand Language Page

Days of the week and Months in Māori

Days of the Week
Day	Adaptation	Official
Monday	Mane	Rāhina
Tuesday	Tūrei	Rātū
Wednesday	Wenerei	Rāapa
Thursday	Tāite	Rāpare
Friday	Paraire	Rāmere
Saturday	Rāhoroi/Hāterei	Rāhoroi
Sunday	Rātapu/Wiki	Rātap

Months of the Year
Month	Adaptation	Official
January	Hānuere	Kohi-tātea
February	Pēpuere	Hui-tanguru
March	Māehe	Poutū-te-rangi
April	Āperira	Paenga-whāwhā
May	Mei	Haratua
June	Hune	Pipiri
July	Hūrae	Hōngongoi
August	Ākuhata	Here-turi-kōkā
September	Hepetema	Mahuru
October	Oketopa	Whiringa-ā-nuku
November	Noema	Whiringa-ā-rangi
December	Tīhema	Hakihea

Words for family members and other relatives in Māori (Te Reo Māori), a Polynesian language spoken in the Cook Islands and New Zealand

Māori (Te Reo Māori) Language
English Meaning	Māori (Te Reo Māori) Meaning
family	whāmere (family, household) whānau (extended family) ngare (family, kin, blood relatives, relations)
parents	mātua, (sg. matua)
father	matua, matua tāne, pāpara
mother	kowhaea, kōkā, māmā, whaea, whaene
child(ren)	taitamaiti, tamaiti
son	tama
daughter	tamāhine, tamawahine
husband	hoa tāne, tāne, tahu, tau
wife	wahine
sibling	hāmua (older)
brother	kauaemua (older/eldest brother/sister) teina, taina (older brother of a male) taina (younger brother of a male) tungāne (brother of a female) parata
sister	kauaemua (older/eldest brother/sister) tuākana (older sister of a female) teina, taina (younger sister of a female) kaikuahine (sister of a male)

Māori (Te Reo Māori) Language
English Meaning	Māori (Te Reo Māori) Meaning
uncle	matua, matua tāne, matakēkē
aunt	whaea, whaene, kōkā, matakēkē
cousin	kaihana, parata tuahine (female cousin of a male) tungāne (male cousin of a female) epeepe, matamatahuānga (distant cousin/relative)
nephew	tama, irāmutu, tamaiti whakaangi
niece	irāmutu, tamaiti whakaangi
grandparents	tīpuna, tūpuna
grandfather	tupuna tāne, tipuna tāne
grandmother	tipuna wahine, tupuna wahine, tāua
grandchild	mokopuna, moko
father-in-law mother-in-law	hūngoi, hungawai, hungarei
son-in-law daughter-in-law	hinaonga, hunōnga
foster father	matua whangai
foster mother	whaea whāngai
step-father step-mother	matakēkē

Pukapukan

Alphabet and Pronunciation

Māori

• Māori Language Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Māori Language Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Table from New Zealand Language Page

A a	Ā ā	E e	Ē ē	H h	I i	Ī ī	K k	M m
a	ā	e	ē	ha	i	ī	ka	ma
[a/ʌ]	[aː/ʌ:]	[e]	[eː]	[h/ç]	[i]	[iː]	[k(ʰ)]	[m]
N n	Ng ng	O o	Ō ō	P p	R r	T t	U u	Ū ū
na	nga	o	ō	pa	ra	ta	u	ū
[n]	[ŋ]	[o]	[oː]	[p(ʰ)]	[ɾ]	[t(ʰ)]	[ʊ/u]	[ʊ:/u:]
W w	Wh wh
wa	wha
[w]	[ɸ/f/w]

Diphthongs: meaning a sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, in which the sound begins as one vowel and moves toward another

ua	ūa	ue	ui	ūi	uo	oa	oe	oi
[ua̯]	[uːa̯]	[ue̯/u̯e]	[ui̯/u̯i]	[u:i̯]	[uo̯ /u̯o]	[oa̯]	[oe̯]	[oi̯]
ōi	ou	ōu	ia	īa	ie	ae	āe	ai
[o:i̯]	[ou̯]	[o:u̯]	[ia̯]	[i:a̯]	[ie̯/i̯e]	[ae̯]	[aːe̯]	[ai̯]
ao	āo	au	āu	ea	ei	ēi	eo	eu
[ao̯]	[aːo̯]	[aʊ̯]	[a:ʊ̯]	[ea̯]	[ei̯]	[e:i̯]	[eo̯]	[eʊ̯]
iu	io	īo
[iu̯]	[io̯]	[iːo̯]

Pukapukan

• Pukapukan Language Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Pukapukan Language Alphabet and Pronunciation

Language Aids and Dictionaries

Māori

• Māori Dictionary
• English-Māori Dictionary
• Cook Islands Languages Dictionary
• The Raupo Dictionary of Modern Māori

Pukapukan

• English-Pukapuka Dictionary

Additional Resources

• East Polynesian Borrowings in Pukapukan