• Highest Respect for Tongan Women

    In Tongan society, the women or the sisters outrank the males or brothers in the family unit. Accordingly, the language used is one of respect.  This value and respect the women’ rank is evident in cultural celebrations where the male or brother performs his duty to his paternal aunty and sisters. They are culturally elevated,…

  • 5 Tips learning Tongan for beginners

    Here are 5 tips for those who want to learn Tongan as a foreign language or those wanting to improve their language skills. Learning Tongan does not have to be a chore. Follow these tips, and you will soon discover a beautiful rich language and culture. Immerse yourself. Ideally spending a good six months in the Kingdom would…

  • Letter E: colouring in printable

    Colour in the picture printable for your kid. To print click on Letter E printable. Letter E is the first in our series of colouring in pages for kids. These colouring in pages are fun and will help kids recognise the Tongan alphabet begin to associate the alphabet with Tongan words.  begin to pronounce familiar words learn…

  • Tama Tonga: A silly song for you

    For the past week we have been having a lot of fun with making songs up. Just like ʻWash your face with orange juiceʼ, the lyrics you make up can be crazy and make no sense at all. But every kid will love it and enjoy learning at the same time. This is the second…

  • Taʻahine Tonga: a silly song about you

    For the past week we have been having a lot of fun with making songs up. My kids love hearing songs Iʻve made about them. This first part is made up songs for the girls. Iʻve only used the tune of the verses from Peter Combsʼ – Wash your face in orange juice. If you…

  • Game: how many Tongan words can you make?

    Practice the Tongan sound of the vowel A with this Tongan word game! This is a great game to practice saying the Tongan alphabet and adding to your vocabulary. With this game you will quickly realise that there is only one way to sound out the vowel A. Say A (ah) as in ʻah-huh, A…

  • Happy International Tongan language day

    I heard on the radio this morning that it was International mother language day. A day that has been celebrated by the UNESCO since 1999. This yearʻs theme is “access to books and digital media in local languages”.  How fitting it is, as the whole premise of this blog is to celebrate and promote the…

  • Write a lunch note of ʻofa

    Kidʻs love to receive notes. Even better when it is a surprise. Try writing a note in Tongan and leave it in your kids lunch box if they are old enough to read. As you incorporate more Tongan words into your childrenʼ vocabulary and/ or yourself, they will soon learn to love speaking in Tongan.…

  • The Tongan Alphabet

    Motuʼaleá Faka Tonga 17 letters in the Tongan alphabet. 5 vowels; a-e-i-o-u 12 consonants; f-h-k-l-m-n-ng-p-s-t-v- ‘ ‘ Faka’ua (glottal stop) is considered a consonant and the last letter in the Tongan alphabet  

  • Welcome to Letʼs Learn Tongan

    Mālō e tau lava, Greetings and WELCOME to “Letʼs Learn Tongan” blog. My name is Hema and I am a mother and a teacher to my four children. I believe passing on one’s culture is important. I believe that one’s language is the carrier of that culture. Therefore I feel it my duty to teach the Tongan language to…