Common Māori phrases for everyday use

The Māori phrases you will use most are kia ora ‘hello, thanks’, ka pai ‘good’, aroha mai ‘sorry’, tēnā koa ‘please’, āe ‘yes’, kāo ‘no’ and ka kite ‘see you’. Below they are set out by situation, from saying thank you and answering how are you? to asking someone to speak more slowly, wishing someone luck and running a meeting, each with what it means, when to use it, and the forms that change when you speak to two people or more. Almost every phrase has a recording you can play.

Updated 7 October 2026 · 12 min read

Tap 🔊 to hear an example. Māori examples play Papa Reo, the te reo Māori voice made by Te Hiku Media from recordings of native speakers.

The Māori phrases you will use most

If you learn only a dozen, learn these. Each one is covered in more detail further down.

Māori	Meaning	Note
Kia ora.	Hello. / Thanks.	To anyone, any time. Also cheers and good luck.
Kei te pēhea koe?	How are you?	To one person.
Kei te pai.	I’m fine.	The usual answer.
Tēnā koa.	Please.	At the start of a request.
Aroha mai.	Sorry. / Excuse me.	Apologising, or getting past someone.
Āe.	Yes.
Kāo.	No.	Only as the answer to a question.
Ka pai.	Good. / Well done.	Agreeing, approving, praising.
Kāore au i te mārama.	I don’t understand.
Kōrero anō, koa.	Say it again, please.
Kia kaha!	Be strong! Keep going!	Encouragement, and support in hard times.
Ka kite!	See you later!	Informal goodbye.

Greetings, email openings and sign-offs have a guide of their own, Māori greetings for emails and everyday life, so this page only touches on them.

Why some phrases change for two people

Te reo Māori has three words for you: koe for one person, kōrua for exactly two and koutou for three or more. Any phrase with you in it changes with the number of people you are speaking to. Phrases with no pronoun, such as kia ora, aroha mai and ka pai, suit any number. Unlike French or German, Māori has no polite you and familiar you (see formal and informal you, by the numbers); the pronoun only counts.

	one person	two people	three or more
How are you?	Kei te pēhea koe?	Kei te pēhea kōrua?	Kei te pēhea koutou?
Thank you (formal)	Tēnā koe.	Tēnā kōrua.	Tēnā koutou.
See you again	Ka kite anō au i a koe	Ka kite anō au i a kōrua	Ka kite anō au i a koutou

The same goes for we, which comes up in let’s go below: tāua is you and I, tātou is all of us, you included.

How to say thank you in Māori

Kia ora is the everyday thank you as well as the everyday hello. For a bigger thank you, add rawa atu ‘very much’; to name what you are thanking someone for, add mō ‘for’.

Māori	Meaning	Note
Kia ora.	Thanks.	Everyday, to any number of people.
Kia ora rawa atu	Many thanks.	Warmer.
Kia ora rawa atu mō te kai.	Thank you very much for the food.	mō + what you are grateful for.
Kia ora mō tō āwhina.	Thanks for your help.	tō is your, one person.
Tēnā rawa atu koe.	Thank you very much.	Formal, to one person.
Ngā mihi.	Thanks.	Also the standard email sign-off.
Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou.	Warm thanks to you all.	To a group; ki a koe for one.
Kāo, engari kia ora mō te tono mai.	No, but thank you for the invitation.	Turning something down kindly.

How to answer thank you

Māori	Meaning	Note
Kāore he raruraru.	No problem.	The easiest answer to thanks.
Kei te pai.	It’s fine, that’s all right.	Works for thanks and for apologies.
Kia ora.	Thanks.	Thanks in return.

How are you, and how to answer

The question is a kei te sentence, the pattern Māori uses for what is happening now, so the answers use it too.

Māori	Meaning	Note
Kei te pēhea koe?	How are you?	One person; kōrua for two, koutou for more.
E hoa, kei te pēhea koe?	Hey friend, how are you?	Friendly.
Kei te pai.	I’m fine.	The usual answer.
Kei te pai ahau.	I am well.	A full sentence.
Kei te pai, kei te pēhea koe?	Good, and you?	Returning the question.
Kei te pai noa iho.	Just fine.	Nothing to report.
Kei te harikoa au.	I’m happy.
Kua ngenge au.	I’ve got tired.	kua: it has happened.
Kāore au i te pai.	I’m not well.
Kei te pēhea kōrua? Kei te pai māua.	How are you two? We two are well.	Two people ask and answer with the dual.
Kei te pēhea tō whānau?	How’s your family?	A natural next question.

One caution from the course: a flat Kei te pai. after longer, warmer turns can mean it’s fine in the English sense that it is not.

See you later, and other goodbyes

Māori	Meaning	Note
Ka kite!	See you later!	Informal, from either side.
Ka kite anō au i a koe	I’ll see you again.	The full form, to one person.
Ka kite au i a koe āpōpō.	I’ll see you tomorrow.
Hei āpōpō.	See you tomorrow.	Short; listed by Te Herenga Waka.
Mā te wā.	See you, in time.	Friendly.
Haere rā.	Goodbye.	Said to the person leaving.
E noho rā.	Goodbye.	Said by the person leaving, to the one who stays.

Te Aka Māori Dictionary gives the full sentence, Ka kite anō au i a koe, with kōrua or koutou in place of koe for two or more people, and calls Ka kite anō and Ka kite shortenings of it that it regards as incorrect. The short forms are what you will hear most, but the full one is never wrong. Haere rā and E noho rā are the pair most often mixed up; the greetings guide explains why the direction matters.

Please, sorry and excuse me

Te Aka glosses aroha mai as sorry, I’m sorry, my apologies, a modern usage. It does three jobs: an apology, a request to get past, and a way into a question. Please is tēnā koa at the front of a request, or koa straight after the command, and Te Aka notes that koa softens a request and makes it more polite.

Māori	Meaning	Note
Aroha mai.	Sorry.	Any number of people; no pronoun.
Aroha mai, he pātai tāku.	Excuse me, I have a question.
Aroha mai mō te tatari.	Sorry for the wait.	mō + what you are sorry for.
Aroha mai, kāore au i kite i a koe.	Sorry, I didn’t see you.
Nāku te hē.	My fault.	Owning a mistake.
Kei te pai, kaua e āwangawanga.	It’s fine, don’t worry.	Accepting an apology.
Tēnā koa.	Please.	Before the request.
Homai koa te tote.	Pass the salt, please.	koa after the command.
E noho koa.	Please sit down.
Tēnā koa, he pene tāu?	Excuse me, do you have a pen?	Asking to borrow something.
Ka taea e koe te āwhina i a au?	Can you help me?	A question is a polite request too.

Yes, no and maybe in Māori

Māori	Meaning	Note
Āe.	Yes.	Te Aka also gives OK.
Kāo.	No.	Only as an answer; it is a short form of kāore, which negates sentences.
Tērā pea.	Maybe.	Tērā pea ka haere au. ‘Perhaps I’ll go.’
Koia.	Exactly.	Strong agreement.
Tika.	That’s right.
Kāore au i te mōhio.	I don’t know.
Taihoa.	Hold on.	Wait, not yet.
Ka titiro au. Māku e whakaaro.	I’ll look into it. I’ll think about it.	Often a polite no.

Kāo answers a question; it does not make a sentence negative. To say I don’t understand you need kāore, as in the next section. And a refusal rarely comes alone: the course’s own guidance is to give a reason with it, as in Aroha mai, kāore au i te wātea i tēnei rā. ‘Sorry, I am not available today.’

I don’t understand: asking someone to repeat or slow down

These are the most useful phrases a learner can have, because the person you are speaking to very likely speaks English as well, and the conversation will switch the moment you let it.

Māori	Meaning	Note
Kāore au i te mārama.	I don’t understand.
Kōrero anō, koa.	Say it again, please.	anō is again.
Aroha mai, ka taea e koe te kōrero anō?	Sorry, could you say that again?	Gentler.
Kia āta kōrero koa.	Please speak slowly.	āta is carefully, deliberately.
Ka taea e koe te kōrero pōturi?	Could you speak slowly?	pōturi is slow.
Ka taea e koe te tuhi?	Could you write it down?
He aha te kupu Māori mō…?	What is the Māori word for…?	Ends with the English word.
Kei te mārama koe?	Do you understand?	Checking the other way.
Ka pai, kei te mōhio au.	Right, I understand.

What’s your name, where are you from, and I’m learning te reo

Māori	Meaning	Note
Ko wai tōu ingoa?	What is your name?	Literally who is your name. You will also hear Ko wai tō ingoa?
Ko Mere tōku ingoa.	My name is Mere.	Put your own name after ko.
Nō hea koe?	Where are you from?	To one person.
Nō Pōneke ahau.	I’m from Wellington.	Nō Ingarangi ahau. ‘I am from England.’
Nō hea koutou? Nō Pōneke mātou.	Where are you all from? We are from Wellington.	Three or more; mātou leaves the listener out.
Kei te ako au i te reo Māori.	I’m learning te reo Māori.	Worth having ready.
He iti taku reo, engari kei te ako au.	My reo is small, but I am learning.
Aroha mai, kei te ako tonu au.	Sorry, I’m still learning.
Ka taea e koe te kōrero Māori?	Can you speak Māori?

Saying you are learning does more than excuse your mistakes. Te reo is a language being revived, and learning it is heard as taking part. You may well be answered with He iti taku reo. — Kei te pai! Kia kaha. ‘My reo is small. — That’s fine! Keep going.’

Good luck, well done, congratulations and happy birthday

Te Aka gives kia ora as hello! cheers! good luck! best wishes!, so the commonest phrase in the language covers cheers and good luck as well. Kia kaha is the other: Te Aka has be strong, get stuck in, keep going, and also go for it then, sometimes with a hint that there are risks.

Māori	Meaning	Note
Kia ora!	Cheers! Good luck! Best wishes!	To anyone.
Kia kaha!	Be strong! Go for it!	Before an exam, a game, a hard week.
Kia kaha, kia māia, kia manawanui.	Be strong, be brave, be steadfast.	A fuller encouragement.
Ka pai.	Good. Well done.	Everyday praise.
Ka rawe!	Excellent!	rawe is excellent, fine.
Ka mau te wehi!	Awesome! Fantastic!	Strong praise.
Mahi tika ana!	Great work, well done!	Given by Te Aka as praise.
Ngā mihi nui ki a koe!	Congratulations!	To one; ki a koutou for a group.
Rā whānau ki a koe!	Happy birthday!	rā whānau is both birthday and happy birthday.
Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete	Merry Christmas	Seasonal.
Ngā mihi o te tau hou	Happy New Year	Seasonal.

Two warnings from Te Aka. Ka pai can also mean it serves you right, said with no sympathy, and Ka mau te wehi can express fright as well as admiration. Tone and context tell them apart, as they do with great in English.

Have a good day, take care, and love

Māori	Meaning	Note
Kia pai tō rā	Have a good day	kia + a quality is a wish; tō is your, one person.
Kia pai tō mutunga wiki	Have a good weekend	mutunga wiki is the end of the week.
Kia tūpato	Be careful	Take care, in the sense of caution.
Noho ora mai	Stay well, all the best	Said to someone staying where they are.
Mauri ora!	Be well!	An energetic farewell.
Arohanui.	Much love.	To friends and family. Te Aka prefers it as two words, aroha nui.
Aroha nui ki a koutou.	Much love to you all.	Also said in sympathy.
Kei te aroha au ki a koe.	I love you. / I care about you.	To one person.

Aroha is wider than romantic love. Te Aka gives the verb as to love, feel pity, feel concern for, feel compassion, empathise, which is why Aroha nui ki a koutou. suits a family in mourning as well as a letter to a friend, and why the same word starts aroha mai ‘sorry’.

Let’s go, hurry up and come here

Māori	Meaning	Note
Haere mai!	Come here! Welcome!	Te Aka gives both.
Haere mai ki te kai!	Come and eat!
Tēnā, haere tātou.	Right then, let’s go.	tātou: all of us, you included.
Ka haere tātou.	Let’s all go.
Me haere tātou ki te kai?	Shall we all go and eat?	me makes it a suggestion.
Kia tere, kei mahue koe i te pahi.	Hurry, or you’ll miss the bus.	Kia tere! on its own is hurry up.
Taihoa!	Hold on!	Wait, not yet.
Whakarongo mai.	Listen to me.	mai points towards the speaker.
Kaua e whakamā.	Don’t be shy.	Encouraging a guest, for example to eat.

Māori phrases for work: meetings and emails

For opening and signing off an email, use the greetings guide, which has the openings, the sign-offs and templates to copy. These are for the meeting itself and the messages around it. The ones marked Te Herenga Waka come from Victoria University of Wellington’s list of phrases for the office.

Māori	Meaning	Note
Kia ora koutou.	Hello, all of you.	Opening a meeting.
Nau mai, haere mai.	Welcome.	Welcoming people in.
Me karakia tātou.	Let’s say a karakia.	Before a meeting or a meal, where that is the custom.
Me hui tahi tāua.	I would like to meet with you.	Te Herenga Waka; tātou for a group.
Hei hea te hui?	Where will the meeting be?
Kia pēhea te roa o te hui?	How long is the meeting?
Kāore anō te hui kia tīmata.	The meeting has not started yet.
Aroha mai, ka tōmuri au.	Sorry, I’ll be late.
Kāore au e tae atu ki te hui ā te Rāpare.	I won’t make it to the meeting on Thursday.	Send an apology rather than just not coming.
Āe, taihoa ake nei.	Yes, one moment please.	Te Herenga Waka; on the phone.
Kāo, kei te hui ia.	Sorry, she is in a meeting.	Te Herenga Waka; ia is he or she.
I pēhea te hui?	How was the meeting?
Heoi anō tāku mō nāianei.	That is all for now.	Te Herenga Waka; closing a message.

Getting Māori phrases right

Keep the macrons. They mark long vowels, and a long vowel can make a different word. The pronunciation guide explains how to say them.
Count the people. koe, kōrua, koutou. When unsure, a phrase without a pronoun, like kia ora, suits any number.
Check single words in Te Aka. For anything longer than a phrase, English to Māori translation explains what a translation tool cannot know from your English.

Where to go from here

Phrases get you through moments; words and patterns get you through conversations. How many Māori words you need shows how far the commonest words go, and the Māori frequency list ranks them. For a plan, learn Māori for beginners sets out the first thirty days. Nearly every phrase on this page comes from Verbavia’s free te reo Māori course (our own course), which is why it has a recording: every lesson is hand-written, from the first word to the end of B1, with the grammar explained in English and every example voiced by Papa Reo, the native te reo voice made by Te Hiku Media. It is free on the web and works in any browser, including on a phone.