Māori body parts: ngā wāhanga o te tinana
Māori body parts are named with short everyday words: upoko ‘head’, kanohi ‘face’, karu ‘eye’, taringa ‘ear’, ihu ‘nose’, waha ‘mouth’, ringa ‘arm, hand’ and waewae ‘leg, foot’. The body is te tinana, and its parts are ngā wāhanga o te tinana. Two of the commonest words each cover two parts that English keeps apart. Below are the words, how to say them, how to say “my” with them, and how to say what hurts.
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 head and face
| Māori | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| upoko | head | OO-paw-kaw |
| māhunga | head | MAA-hoo-nga |
| makawe | hair (of the head) | mah-kah-weh |
| rae | forehead | rye |
| kanohi | face | kah-naw-hee |
| karu | eye | kah-roo |
| tukemata | eyebrow | too-keh-mah-tah |
| taringa | ear | tah-ree-nga |
| ihu | nose | ee-hoo |
| pāpāringa | cheek | PAA-PAA-ree-nga |
| waha | mouth | wah-hah |
| ngutu | lip | ngoo-too |
| niho | tooth | nee-haw |
| arero | tongue | ah-reh-raw |
| kauae | jaw, chin | kow-ah-eh |
There are two words for head, upoko and māhunga, and both are everyday Māori. Ng is the sound in the middle of English singer, and a vowel with a macron is held about twice as long; the sounds are set out in the Māori pronunciation guide.
The body, arms and legs
| Māori | English | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| kakī | neck | kah-KEE |
| pakihiwi | shoulder | pah-kee-hee-wee |
| uma | chest | oo-mah |
| tuarā | back | too-ah-RAA |
| puku | stomach, belly | poo-koo |
| hope | waist, hip | haw-peh |
| ringa | arm, hand | ree-nga |
| tuke | elbow | too-keh |
| matimati | finger | mah-tee-mah-tee |
| kōnui | thumb, big toe | KAW-noo-ee |
| maikuku | fingernail, toenail | my-koo-koo |
| turi | knee | too-ree |
| waewae | leg, foot | why-why |
| rekereke | heel | reh-keh-reh-keh |
One word, two parts
English divides the limbs more finely than Māori does.
- Ringa is the arm and the hand. Ringaringa is used the same way.
- Waewae is the leg and the foot.
- Kōnui is the thumb and the big toe.
When it matters which, the rest of the sentence makes it clear, the way English makes clear which arm of a chair or foot of a hill is meant.
Inside the body
| Māori | English |
|---|---|
| manawa | heart |
| roro | brain |
| wheua | bone |
| toto | blood |
| kiri | skin |
Te Aka notes that toto is usually spoken of in the plural, as ngā toto, and that makawe is used mainly in the plural too: ngā makawe, the hair. Manawa is also the heart as the seat of feeling, as it is in English.
My head, my feet: saying “my”
Parts of your own body take the o form of the possessive: tōku ‘my, one thing’ and ōku ‘my, more than one’. Use tōku for one part and ōku for two or more.
| Māori | English |
|---|---|
| tōku upoko | my head |
| tōku kanohi | my face |
| ōku taringa | my ears |
| ōku ringa | my hands, my arms |
| ōku waewae | my feet, my legs |
Why body parts take o and not a is explained in Māori possessives: a and o.
Saying what hurts
Mamae means hurt, sore or pain. Put kei te in front, as with any state that is true now, then the part of the body:
| Māori | English |
|---|---|
| Kei te mamae tōku upoko. | My head hurts. |
| Kei te mamae ōku waewae. | My feet hurt. |
| Kei te mamae tōku tuarā. | My back hurts. |
| Kei hea te mamae? | Where does it hurt? |
For a stomach ache Te Aka gives a different verb, ngau ‘to bite’: Kua ngau taku puku., literally my stomach has bitten.
For the classroom and at home
Body parts are taught early because they can be touched as they are said. A few ways to use them:
- Touch and say. Call out a part and everyone touches it: upoko, pakihiwi, turi, waewae.
- Ask where. Kei hea tō ihu? Where is your nose? The answer is a finger on the nose, which needs no Māori at all to begin with.
- Count them. E rua ōku karu. I have two eyes. Kotahi tōku ihu. I have one nose. The numbers are in Māori numbers, days and months.
More ideas for teachers are in te reo for teachers, and for younger learners in Māori for kids. Another topic that works the same way is Māori colours. Verbavia’s te reo Māori course teaches these words in sentences, free on the web.
Sources
- Te Aka Māori Dictionary: tinana — body.
- Te Aka Māori Dictionary: upoko and māhunga — head.
- Te Aka Māori Dictionary: makawe — hair of the head, used mainly in the plural.
- Te Aka Māori Dictionary: kanohi, karu, taringa, ihu, waha, niho, arero, ngutu, kauae, rae, pāpāringa and tukemata.
- Te Aka Māori Dictionary: pakihiwi — shoulder.
- Te Aka Māori Dictionary: ringa — arm, hand; waewae — leg, foot; kōnui — thumb, big toe.
- Te Aka Māori Dictionary: kakī, uma, tuarā, puku, hope, tuke, matimati, maikuku, turi and rekereke.
- Te Aka Māori Dictionary: toto — blood, usually spoken of in the plural; manawa, roro, wheua and kiri.
- Te Aka Māori Dictionary: puku, with “ngau [te] puku — to have a stomach-ache”.