1. Introduction to te reo Māori
Māori — te reo Māori, “the Māori language” — is an Eastern Polynesian language and the Indigenous language of Aotearoa New Zealand. It has been an official language of New Zealand since 1987, and after severe 20th-century decline it is the focus of one of the world's best-known revitalization movements (kōhanga reo language nests, kura kaupapa immersion schools, and Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Māori Language Week).1
For an English speaker, te reo is welcoming: it has a small, consistent sound system and regular spelling, so you can read it aloud almost immediately. Its grammar works differently from English — verb-first order, small “particle” words instead of endings, and no conjugation — but the patterns are clear. Confidence: High for the beginner content here; this guide is nonetheless marked for community review (see §8).
Why learn te reo Māori?
- Respect and connection: te reo is central to Māori identity and to life in Aotearoa; even a little, used respectfully, matters.
- A beautiful, regular sound system: five vowels and ten consonants, spelled consistently.
- A gateway to the wider Polynesian family (Cook Islands Māori, Hawaiian, Sāmoan, Tahitian).
- A living revitalization success story with rich free official resources.
What the levels mean here
This guide follows the CEFR: A1–A2 (beginner) are complete below; B1–C2 are outlined and marked incomplete. Learners are encouraged to use community-led courses and kaiako (teachers) alongside it.
2. Pronunciation & spelling
Te reo Māori is written with the Latin alphabet and has just 15 sounds: ten consonants (h, k, m, n, ng, p, r, t, w, wh) and five vowels (a, e, i, o, u). Each vowel can be short or long; length is written with a macron (tohutō): ā, ē, ī, ō, ū. Spelling is fully regular.3
Sounds to know
| Letter(s) | Māori sound | Note |
|---|---|---|
| ng | /ŋ/ as in ‘singer’ | one sound; can start a word (ngā) |
| wh | usually /f/ (also /ɸ/) | whānau ≈ ‘FAH-now’ |
| r | a light tap, not English ‘r’ | like the tt in American ‘butter’ |
| a e i o u | pure vowels (ah eh ee oh oo) | never glide like English |
| ā ē ī ō ū | the same vowels, held longer | macrons change meaning |
Macrons change meaning
The tohutō (macron) is not decoration — it distinguishes words. For example keke (cake) vs kēkē (armpit), and anā (here it is) vs ana (a cave). Always write the macron. Confidence: High.
3. How Māori sentences work
Three ideas carry most beginner grammar. Confidence: High (per Te Aka and Te Taura Whiri resources).2
Verb first (VSO), with particles
Māori puts the verb first and uses small words (particles) to carry tense and aspect, rather than changing the verb. Tense/aspect markers sit before the verb: ka (general/inceptive), kua (perfect, ‘has/have’), e … ana (ongoing), i (past). Verbs never conjugate for person.
Articles: te, ngā, he
‘The’ is te for one thing and ngā for many: te whare (the house), ngā whare (the houses). ‘A/an’ is he: he whare (a house).
A and O possession
Māori marks two kinds of possession — the a category and the o category — depending on the relationship (roughly, things you have control over vs things that are inherent, like your body, your iwi, your feelings). This is a famous feature with no English equivalent; you learn it relationship by relationship.
4. Beginner vocabulary
Transliterations aren't needed — te reo is spelled as it sounds. Confidence: High for these everyday words.
Greetings & courtesy
| Māori | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Kia ora | Hi / thanks / be well | the everyday all-purpose greeting |
| Tēnā koe | Hello (formal, to one person) | Tēnā kōrua (to two), Tēnā koutou (to three+) |
| Mōrena | Good morning | borrowed, widely used |
| Haere mai | Welcome / come here | |
| Ka kite (anō) | See you (again) | |
| Ngā mihi | Thanks / greetings | lit. ‘the acknowledgements’ |
| Āe / Kāo | Yes / No |
Core words
| Māori | English | Māori | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| wai | water | whare | house |
| kai | food | whenua | land |
| whānau | family | aroha | love, compassion |
| tangata | person | reo | language |
| nui | big | pai | good |
Numbers 1–10
| Māori | English | Māori | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| tahi | 1 | ono | 6 |
| rua | 2 | whitu | 7 |
| toru | 3 | waru | 8 |
| whā | 4 | iwa | 9 |
| rima | 5 | tekau | 10 |
‘One’ on its own is often kotahi. Confidence: High.
Practice: greetings, numbers & sounds
Practice: Core greetings, the numbers 1–10, and key sounds. Type the Māori word (macrons optional in your answer).. Type the missing word — accents are optional.
- 1.The everyday all-purpose greeting is Kia .
Hint: the word means ‘life / health / well’
- 2.‘Yes’ is .
Hint: two letters; the opposite of ‘kāo’
- 3.‘No’ is .
Hint: the opposite of ‘āe’
- 4.The number 1 is (or kotahi).
Hint: you can hear it inside ‘kotahi’
- 5.The number 2 is .
Hint: three letters, starts with r
- 6.The number 5 is .
Hint: think of the 5 fingers on a hand
- 7.The number 10 is .
Hint: begins with te-
- 8.The digraph ‘wh’ is usually pronounced like the English letter .
Hint: whānau ≈ ‘...ah-now’
- 9.A macron (tohutō) makes a vowel (short or long?).
Hint: ā is this version of a
- 10.‘Welcome / come here’ is Haere .
Hint: ‘come’ (toward); its opposite is ‘atu’
10 questions
Grammar reference: Vocabulary and orthography per the Te Aka Māori Dictionary and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori; sentences original to LinguaCommons. CEFR A1. Confidence: High. Community review recommended.. Sentences are original to LinguaCommons.
5. More grammar
Tense/aspect markers
Because verbs don't change, the marker before the verb tells you the time: ka haere (will go / goes), kua haere (has gone), e haere ana (is going), i haere (went). Learn these four and you can place most actions in time.
Singular and plural ‘the’
Te becomes ngā in the plural: te tamaiti (the child) → ngā tamariki (the children). Notice the noun can change too (tamaiti → tamariki).
Using kia ora
Kia ora does a lot of work: hello, thanks, cheers, good health. Ngā mihi is a slightly more formal ‘thanks/greetings’.
Practice: articles, tense & possession
Practice: The articles te/ngā/he, the tense markers, and a/o possession. Answer in Māori, or in English where noted.. Type the missing word — accents are optional.
- 1.The singular ‘the’ is (e.g. ___ whare = the house).
Hint: two letters; its plural is ‘ngā’
- 2.The plural ‘the’ (many) is .
Hint: the plural partner of ‘te’
- 3.‘A / an’ is .
Hint: two letters; the indefinite article
- 4.The perfect marker meaning ‘has/have (done)’ is .
Hint: comes before the verb; ‘___ haere’ = has gone
- 5.The general tense/aspect marker (‘will / does’) is .
Hint: two letters; ‘___ haere’ = will go
- 6.Besides the ‘a’ category, the other possession category is the category.
Hint: a single vowel; used for inherent things (body, iwi)
- 7.Māori verbs do not for person (answer in English).
Hint: English verbs do this: I go, he go-es
- 8.Word order is Verb–Subject–Object, so the comes first (answer in English).
Hint: the V in VSO
- 9.The important word for ‘family’ (extended) is .
Hint: begins with the ‘wh’ digraph
- 10.The word for ‘love / compassion’ is .
Hint: also used as a given name
10 questions
Grammar reference: Grammar per Te Aka and Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori; sentences original to LinguaCommons. CEFR A2. Confidence: High. Community review recommended.. Sentences are original to LinguaCommons.
6. Culture & context
Te reo Māori carries te ao Māori — the Māori world. It lives on the marae (meeting grounds), in whaikōrero (oratory) and waiata (song), and in the mihi and pepeha by which people introduce themselves through their mountains, rivers and iwi. Learning even a little te reo is a way of honouring tangata whenua and the Treaty of Waitangi partnership.
The revival is real and hard-won: from near-collapse, kōhanga reo and kura kaupapa rebuilt intergenerational speakers, the Māori Language Act recognised te reo officially, and Te Wiki o te Reo Māori is now a national event. Learners are asked to go gently, follow community leadership, and keep learning tikanga (protocol) alongside the words.
“Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori.” — The language is the life-force of Māori mana. (attributed to Tā Hēmi Henare / Sir James Henare)
Where this guide is going
A1–A2 above are complete: pronunciation and macrons, articles, tense markers, VSO, a/o possession, beginner vocabulary and two practice sets. The intermediate material below is outlined and marked incomplete — and, like the whole guide, should be developed with Māori educators.
Planned B1–C2 (stubbed)
- B1: the full pronoun system (singular/dual/plural; inclusive vs exclusive), locatives, more on a/o possession.
- B2: passive verbs (a very common construction), nominalisation, negation patterns (kāore).
- C1: whaikōrero and formal registers, idiom, whakataukī (proverbs).
- C2: unadapted oratory, waiata and text, dialectal variation between iwi.
7. Learning resources
Use community-led and official resources first (verified June 2026):
- Te Aka Māori DictionaryReference — the standard online Māori–English dictionary, free
- Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission)Authority — official body; alphabet, sounds and learner resources
- Te Whanake (kupu.maori.nz / Te Whanake resources)Beginner — widely used self-study series by John Moorfield
- Learn te reo Māori (New Zealand Government) — official overview and pathways to courses
- Māori language (overview) — classification, history, status
Confidence: High that these are current, authoritative resources led by Māori institutions.
8. Notes, limitations & community review
⚑ Requires community review before publication. As an Indigenous language guide, it should be checked and led by Māori educators and Te Taura Whiri resources; the standard orthography (with macrons/tohutō) is used throughout, and content is kept to everyday learner material that official/community resources present openly. Nothing tapu (sacred/restricted) is included.
- Dialects (mita) differ between iwi; this guide uses widely-taught standard forms.
- This guide covers A1–A2 fully; B1–C2 are stubs and should be developed with community input.