• 5 ways to say the Tongan letter F

    5 ways to say the Tongan letter F: FA-FE-FI-FO-FU Tongan is a phonetic language – say it the way you read it. Take your ʻEnglish languageʼ hat off when you are learning Tongan. There are no silent letters, therefore do not get caught up by second guessing yourself about how to pronounce each letter. Remember…

  • 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 Letter M colouring in activity

    Here is another letter activity for your kids to enjoy. Letter M is for manupuna (bird) Manupuna literally means flying animal: manu (animal) puna (flying) pronounced as MA (mah) Tip: keep it simple and colour in for the little toddlers Tip: for the older kids add feathers & coloured paper for them to paste Check…

  • Tongan hiko

    ʻOkuʼ ke poto he hikoʼ ?  Are you skilled at juggling? ʻIo ʻoku ou poto lelei he hikoʼ – Yes I am quite skilled at juggling ‘Ikai ke poto au he hiko.  – No I am not good at juggling. ‘Oku ou vale he hiko – I am not skilled at juggling It is an ancient…

  • Ko hoku loto lyrics

    Mou hiva mai! Sing-a-long time! Ko hoku loto   Ko hoku loto ke maʻu e Sīsū  ko ʻeku holi pe kiateia te u feinga ka ʻikai lava ko e ʻuhi ko e angahala ka te u feinga pē ke u maʻu koe My wish is to find Jesus I only want him I will try…

  • Describe your ex using a Tongan song title

    Taimi fakamuna. Time for a bit of superficial fun and games. This would be an interesting list to compile. There are contemporary songs that are quite funny like Lome Lome and Satana and then there are old ʻHiva hanuʼ (sad songs of lost love) as well as Hiva Kakala which have lots of metaphors. List…

  • Tongan greetings from Randwick Park

    Great to see more classes getting interactive with the Tongan language and posting them online. Practice your pronunciation and follow along with the kids from Randwick Park School from New Zealand. Note the intonation right at the end when they are asking a question fefe hake? ʻAlu ki fē?

  • Vavai ‘a ‘Amelika: a failing of America

    I’m currently travelling in America and the general comments I have been getting from the old folks have been the same everywhere I go. They are happy to hear my children understand and speak in Tongan They are happy to hear a mother speak in Tongan to their children Their comments include “Vaivai ‘a ‘Amelika”…

  • 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.,…

  • Tongan Shortfilm: Feilaulau (Sacrifice)

    This is a heart warming little short film in Tongan about feilaulau which means sacrifice. Produced by Tuʻitahi productions,this has a wonderful message to it. Listen and watch,  cover the subtitles and test yourself if you can follow the narrative. I think most people can relate to one of these characters. 1. Nicky Brick: The…