1. About Fijian
Fijian (Na vosa vaka-Viti) is an Austronesian language and one of the official languages of Fiji, spoken as a first language by roughly 350,000–600,000 people and understood as a lingua franca across the islands. It is written in the Latin alphabet, has just five clear vowels and no tones, and most syllables are simple consonant–vowel — all of which make it approachable to begin.
There are two early surprises, both pleasant once learned. First, several letters spell sounds an English reader would not expect — b is 'mb', d is 'nd', c is a voiced 'th', g is 'ng', and q is 'ng-g'.1 Second, the verb usually comes first in the sentence (Fijian is verb-initial, typically Verb–Object–Subject).2 Neither is hard; they just need a little rewiring of English habits.
Key features to know from day one
- The verb comes first. Fijian is verb-initial (usually Verb–Object–Subject), so the action leads the sentence.2
- Surprising consonant spellings. b = 'mb', d = 'nd', c = voiced 'th' (as in 'this'), g = 'ng' (as in 'singer'), q = 'ng-g' (as in 'finger'), and dr = 'ndr'.1
- Two articles: na before ordinary (common) nouns, and o (also ko) before people's names and pronouns.2
- A rich pronoun system — Fijian distinguishes singular, dual, 'a few' (paucal) and plural, and an inclusive vs exclusive 'we'.2
- Five pure vowels (a, e, i, o, u); a macron marks a long vowel, which can change meaning, so length matters.
- Possessive is shown with classifiers (for food, drink, and general things) — a feature met later, not in the first lessons.
2. Pronunciation & the alphabet
The vowels are pure and consistent (a, e, i, o, u). The consonants are where Fijian spelling differs most from English — these values are regular, so once learned they always apply.1
| Letter | Sound | Example |
|---|---|---|
| b | 'mb' (prenasalized) | bula ('mbula', hello/life) |
| d | 'nd' (prenasalized) | dua ('ndua', one) |
| q | 'ng-g' as in 'finger' | yaqona ('yang-gona', kava) |
| g | 'ng' as in 'singer' | gone ('ngone', child) |
| c | voiced 'th' as in 'this' | ciwa ('thiwa', nine) |
| dr | 'ndr' as in 'laundry' | drau (hundred) |
| a e i o u | pure vowels; a macron marks length | mama vs māmā |
Because every letter has a steady value, Fijian is easy to read aloud once the table above is familiar — there are no silent letters and almost no exceptions.
3. Greetings & essential words
These everyday greetings and the numerals below follow standard (Bauan) Fijian usage.3
| Fijian | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hello! (also 'life/health') | |
| (vinaka) | Hello (more formal) |
| Io | Yes |
| No | |
| Thank you / good | |
| Thank you very much | |
| Goodbye / goodnight | |
| Please (a request) | |
| Excuse me (passing by someone) | |
| Io, vinaka | Yes, thanks |
Numbers 1–10
| Value | Fijian | Value | Fijian |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | ||
| 2 | 7 | ||
| 3 | 8 | ||
| 4 | va | 9 | |
| 5 | 10 |
Practice: greetings & numbers
Practice: Core Fijian greetings and the first five numbers. Fijian uses the Latin alphabet with phonetic spelling, so type the word as written (remember b='mb', d='nd', c='th').. Type the missing word — accents are optional.
- 1.Hello! (everyday greeting, also means 'life'):
Hint: the famous Fijian greeting, literally 'life/health'
- 2.Thank you:
Hint: also means 'good'; doubles as 'thanks'
- 3.Yes:
Hint: the two-letter affirmative
- 4.No:
Hint: the basic negative; also 'none/nothing'
- 5.Goodbye / goodnight:
Hint: said on parting; pronounced 'mothe'
- 6.the number 'one':
Hint: spelled with d (pronounced 'nd')
- 7.the number 'two':
Hint: the number after dua
- 8.the number 'three':
Hint: the number after rua
- 9.the number 'four':
Hint: a short two-letter number
- 10.the number 'five':
Hint: also the word for 'hand' across many Pacific languages
10 questions
Grammar reference: Greetings and numerals per Schütz, The Fijian Language (Univ. of Hawai'i Press, 1985), cross-checked against Omniglot. All prompts original to LinguaCommons. CEFR A1.. Sentences are original to LinguaCommons.
4. Articles, pronouns & word order
The two articles
Fijian marks nouns with a short article: na before ordinary (common) nouns — na vale ('the house'), na gone ('the child') — and o (also ko) before personal names and pronouns — o Mere ('Mere'), o au ('I/me').2
Pronouns
The core singular pronouns are au ('I/me'), iko ('you'), and koya ('he/she/it'). Fijian also has dual and paucal forms and separates inclusive 'we' (keda, you-and-I) from exclusive 'we' (keimami, others-and-I) — a distinction worth noticing early.2
Verb-first sentences
Because Fijian is verb-initial, the verb (often with a subject marker e) leads: E bula na gone ('The child is well/alive'), literally 'is-well the child'. Keep the verb at the front and let na/o introduce the nouns that follow.2
Practice: articles, pronouns & key words
Practice: Use the two articles (na before common nouns, o/ko before names & pronouns), the core pronouns (au 'I', iko 'you'), the intensifier vakalevu, the request word kerekere, and the numbers 6–10. Type the Fijian as written.. Type the missing word — accents are optional.
- 1.common-noun article 'the': (the house) → ___
Hint: the article placed before ordinary nouns
- 2.personal article (before a person's name): Mere (— Mere) → ___
Hint: the article placed before people's names and pronouns
- 3.pronoun 'I / me': → ___
Hint: the first-person singular pronoun
- 4.pronoun 'you' (singular): → ___
Hint: the second-person singular pronoun
- 5.'thank you very much' =
Hint: the intensifier added to 'vinaka' for 'a lot'
- 6.please (when making a request):
Hint: the word used to make a polite request
- 7.the number 'six':
Hint: comes after lima (5)
- 8.the number 'seven':
Hint: comes after ono (6)
- 9.the number 'eight':
Hint: comes after vitu (7)
- 10.the number 'ten':
Hint: the round number after ciwa (9)
10 questions
Grammar reference: Articles, pronouns and vocabulary per Dixon, A Grammar of Boumaa Fijian (Univ. of Chicago Press, 1988) and Schütz (1985). All sentences original to LinguaCommons. CEFR A2.. Sentences are original to LinguaCommons.
5. Beyond the basics
🚧 In development. This section will cover the subject pronouns and tense/aspect markers (e.g. sa, na, ā) that sit before the verb, the full set of dual/paucal/plural pronouns, and how to ask questions. Content here is being expanded in a later run and is not yet complete.
🚧 In development. The possessive classifier system (kequ/noqu/mequ — for food, general, and drink possession) and high-frequency vocabulary will be added here.
🚧 In development. This section will treat 'high' (vosa vakaturaga) vs everyday registers, the standard (Bauan) variety vs regional communalects, and Fiji Hindi contact. Not yet complete.
🚧 In development. Planned: ceremony and kava (sevusevu) language, respect terms, and idiom. Not yet complete.
🚧 In development. Planned: near-native listening and a media plan (FBC radio, Fijian-language news and song). Not yet complete.
- Fijian language — overview — phonology, orthography and grammar
- Fijian alphabet & pronunciation (Omniglot) — the special consonant values
- Numbers in Fijian (Omniglot) — numeral forms
Notes & Bibliography
- On Fijian orthography, in which several letters spell prenasalized or non-obvious sounds — b = [mb], d = [nd], q = [ŋg], g = [ŋ], c = voiced 'th' [ð], dr = [ndr] — cf. Schütz, Albert J., The Fijian Language (Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 1985); and 'Fijian language.' [source] ↩
- On Fijian basic word order (verb-initial, typically VOS), the two articles (common na, personal o/ko) and the pronoun system (with inclusive/exclusive and dual/paucal distinctions), cf. Dixon, R. M. W., A Grammar of Boumaa Fijian (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988); and Schütz (1985). [source] ↩
- Numerals (dua, rua, tolu, va, lima, ono, vitu, walu, ciwa, tini) and core greetings (Bula, Vinaka, Io, Sega, Moce) per standard usage, cross-checked against Omniglot and Schütz (1985). [source] ↩