Category: Vocabulary

  • Tongan hymn: Te u hiki ‘a hoku le’o lyrics

    Beautiful songs need to be shared. Sing-a-long. There is always a lot more appreciation when you know the words and the meaning behind it. Blessed Sunday to you all. 1. Te u hiki ‘a hoku le‘o – I will raise my voice up high Ke fai ‘atu ‘a e fakamālō – To give you thanks…

  • Fuaʻamotu and the white horse

    This is the story of how Fuaʻamotu got the nickname, the white horse. Ko e tala eni ʻo e hoosi teaʼ ʻa ia ko e hingoa fakateneteneʼ ʻa Fuaʻamotu. Fuaʻamotu, a town in Tongatapu has the unusual nickname of hoosi tea’ which means the white horse. According to oral stories, this name came about during…

  • Tongan slang: Tamani

    First of our Tongan slang series: Tamani comes from the word Tama = child or boy and Tama’ni meaning this boy. In slang however it is used as an interjection that means oh boy, man! wow, gee. An interjection is an abrupt remark or a side interruption. Or an exclamation esp. as a part of speech, e.g.,…

  • Pronouncing the Tongan vowel A

    Do you know someone who does not pronounce their vowels correctly? Or perhaps it is yourself. There are no more excuses with this visual 🙂 Share it with your friends and family and lets learn Tongan 🙂 The Tongan vowel A for beginners! All you need to know about the vowel A.   IT IS…

  • Learning from Tongan hymns: ʻEiki te u ʻi fē?

    Hymns are a great way to learn Tongan language. With not much resources around they are a great way to start. Lyrics ʻEiki te u ʻi fē, kapau ʻe ʻikai te ke kau mo au ʻI ho haʻofinima naʻa ne pukepuke au Ne u hē he teleʻa ʻo e mate ʻEiki ē Ka kuo ke…

  • Malimali means Smile!

      In anyoneʼs language kids know how to smile and give them a toy camera and they start acting like professional photographers and happily snap away. So this is a great way to teach Tongan to your kids. Not only are they having fun but they are also learning simple phrases. Here are some useful…

  • Counting to 100 in Tongan

    So you want to count in Tongan! The basic level of counting in Tongan is easier then you think. All you have to do is learn the numbers 0-10 then you can count from 1-99. Follow these simple rules. Counting 1-99 in Tongan numbers 0-9 noa, taha, ua, tolu, fā, nima, ono, fitu, valu, hiva…

  • Cold or warm season begins

    1st day of June and itʻs that time of the year when seasons change. Which season is it for you? Kuo kamata ʻa e faʻahitaʻu momoko he ʻahoʼni.  Winter time has started today. Kuo kamata ʻa e faʻahitaʻu māfana he ʻahoʼni. Summer time has started today.

  • Celebrating all things Green – lanumata

    St Patrickʼs day brings todayʼ theme: Colour Green, what can you see around you with the colour green. Ko e tau lēsoni ki he ʻahoʻni fekauʻaki mo e lanumatá. Ngaahi meʻa kehehe ʻoku lanumatá. Practice questions and replies: Ngaahi fehuʻi mo e tali ʻOku lanu hā ʻa e meleni? What colour is the melon? ʻOku…

  • Tongan seasons

    Itʼs that time of year when the seasons change. Ko e faʻahitaʻu fē ʻeni? Which season is it? Is it SPRING? (faʻahitaʻu) season of the blooms (matala) or Is it FALL/ AUTUMN? (faʻahitaʻu) season of the falling leaves (tō – fall, lau – leaf)