This is a Swadesh list of words in Maori English .
For further information, including the full final version of the list, read the Wikipedia article: Swadesh list .American linguist Morris Swadesh believed that languages changed at measurable rates and that these could be determined even for languages without written precursors. Using vocabulary lists, he sought to understand not only change over time but also the relationships of extant languages. To be able to compare languages from different cultures, he based his lists on meanings he presumed would be available in as many cultures as possible. He then used the fraction of agreeing cognates between any two related languages to compute their divergence time by some (still debated) algorithms. Starting in 1950 with 165 meanings, his list grew to 215 in 1952, which was so expansive that many languages lacked native vocabulary for some terms. Subsequently, it was reduced to 207, and reduced much further to 100 meanings in 1955. A reformulated list was published posthumously in 1971.
№
English Māori
1
I ahau au
2
thou (singular)
koe
3
he ia
4
we māua mātou tāua tātou
5
you (plural)
koutou
6
they rātou
7
this tēnei
8
that tēnā tērā
9
here konei
10
there konā korā
11
who wai
12
what aha
13
where hea
14
when ahea nōhea
15
how pēhea
16
not kāore kīhai
17
all katoa
18
many maha
19
some ētahi
20
few ruarua torutoru
21
other ētahi atu
22
one kotahi
23
two rua
24
three toru
25
four whā
26
five rima
27
big nui rahi
28
long roa
29
wide whānui
30
thick mātotoru
31
heavy taimaha taumaha
32
small iti riki paku
33
short poto
34
narrow whāiti
35
thin hūai hūoi
36
woman wahine
37
man (adult male)
tāne
38
man (human being)
tangata
39
child (a youth)
tamaiti
40
wife hoawahine
41
husband hoatāne
42
mother whaea
43
father matua
44
animal kararehe kīrehe
45
fish ika
46
bird manu
47
dog kurī
48
louse kutu
49
snake mokongata nēke
50
worm noke toke
51
tree rākau
52
forest ngahere wao
53
stick (of wōd)
rākau
54
fruit hua huarākau
55
seed kākano pata purapura
56
leaf rau
57
root aka
58
bark (of trē)
kiri
59
flower pua puāwai
60
grass karaihe taru
61
rope taura
62
skin (of a person)
hiako kiri
63
meat (as in flesh)
kiko mīti
64
blood toto
65
bone koiwi iwi wheua
66
fat (noun)
koiwi iwi wheua
67
egg hua huamanu hēki
68
horn pihi tara maire
69
tail hiku waero
70
feather (rather not down)
huru huruhuru
71
hair huruhuru makawe
72
head māhunga mātenga upoko
73
ear taringa
74
eye kanohi karu mata whatu
75
nose ihu
76
mouth waha
77
tooth (rather not molar)
niho
78
tongue arero
79
fingernail kuku maikuku
80
foot wae waewae
84
wing parihau parirau
85
belly kōpū
86
guts whēkau
87
neck kakī
88
back tuarā
89
breast koumu
90
heart ngākau manawa
91
liver ate
92
to drink
inu
93
to eat
kai kamu
94
to bite
kati ngau
95
to suck
mome ngongo ngote
96
to spit
tuha tuwha
97
to vomit
ruaki
98
to blow (as wind)
puhi
99
to breathe
hā ngā whakangā
100
to laugh
kata
101
to see
kite
102
to hear
rongo
103
to know (a fact)
matau mōhio
104
to think
mahara whakāro
105
to smell (sense odor)
hongi
106
to fear
mataku wehi
107
to sleep
moe
108
to live
ora
109
to die
hemo mate
110
to kill
patu
111
to fight
riri whawahi
112
to hunt (transitive)
whai whakangau
113
to hit
patu
114
to cut
hae motu tapahi
115
to split
kōwhā matata
116
to stab (or stick)
oka
117
to scratch (an itch)
raki raku
118
to dig
kari keri
119
to swim
kau kauhoe
120
to fly
rere
121
to walk
haere haere mā raro wawake
122
to come
haere mai
123
to lie (as on one's side)
takoto
124
to sit
noho
125
to stand
tū
126
to turn (change direction)
huri
127
to fall (as in drop)
hinga taka
128
to give
hoatu hōmai koha
129
to hold (in one's hand)
puri
130
to squeeze
whakatē
131
to rub
kōmiri miri
132
to wash
horoi
133
to wipe
muku ūkui
134
to pull
tō
135
to push
pana pei
136
to throw
maka makawhiu whiu
137
to tie
here
138
to sew
tui
139
to count
tatau
140
to say
kī
141
to sing
waiata
142
to play
tākaro
143
to float
maunu rewa
144
to flow
rere
145
to freeze
tio
146
to swell
kukune pupuhi
147
sun rā
148
moon mahina marama
149
star whetū
150
water wai
151
to rain
ua
152
river awa manga wai
153
lake moana roto
154
sea (as in ocean)
moana tai
155
salt mātaitai tote
156
stone kāmaka kōwhatu pōwhatu
157
sand kirikiri one
158
dust nehu puehu pūnehu
159
earth (as in soil)
whenua
160
cloud ao kapua
161
fog kohu pūkohu
162
sky rangi
163
wind (as in brēze)
hau matangi
164
snow huka hukarere
165
ice kōpaka huka tio
166
smoke auahi pawa pua
167
fire ahi
168
ashes pungarehu
169
to burn (intransitive)
kā tahu mura
170
road ara huarahi
171
mountain maunga
172
red whero
173
green kākāriki kirīni
174
yellow kōwhai
175
white mā
176
black mangu pango
177
night pō
178
day (daytime)
rā
179
year tau
180
warm (as in weather)
mahana
181
cold (as in weather)
makariri mātao
182
full kī kikī
183
new hou
184
old tawhito
185
good pai
186
bad kino
187
rotten (as a log)
pirau piro
188
dirty paru paruparu
189
straight tika
190
round kōtakataka porotaka
191
sharp (as a knife)
koi
192
dull (as a knife)
pūhoi pūhuki
193
smōth māenēne
194
wet mākū mākūkū
195
dry (adjective)
maroke
196
right (correct)
tika
197
near tata
198
far mamao pāmamao tawhiti
199
right (side)
katau matau
200
left (side)
kauī māuī
201
at a hei i kei ki
202
in rō roto
203
with (accompanying)
i
204
and me
205
if ina kite kitemea mehe mei metemea
206
because nātemea nōtemea tātemea tōtemea
207
name ingoa
