Basic Nouns

1. Te wai

   Water

   Usage

   Ask for drinking water; pair it with “bottle” if you want sealed water

   Grammar Note

   Māori nouns are learned with the singular article "te"; the plural article is "ngā."

2. Te kai

   Food

   Usage

   The general word for food; useful when hunting for somewhere to eat

3. Te moni

   Money

   Usage

   The base word for paying and changing currency

4. Te wharepaku

   Toilet

   Usage

   Combine it with the “where” question

5. Te pepa muku

   Tissue

   Usage

   Many toilets have no paper — use this word to buy some

6. Te rongoā

   Medicine

   Usage

   At a pharmacy; combine it with gestures for your symptom

7. Te pēke

   Luggage

   Usage

   For checking in, carrying on, or reporting lost bags

   Grammar Note

   "Te pēke" is one bag; a whole set of travel luggage is "ngā pēke."

8. Te kī

   Key

   Usage

   At hotel reception when collecting or returning it

9. Te tīkiti

   Ticket

   Usage

   Covers both transport tickets and admission tickets

10. Te uruwhenua

    Passport

    Usage

    Comes up at check-in, currency exchange, and any police check

    Grammar Note

    "Uruwhenua" is the modern Māori word for a passport, built from "entering the land."

11. Te waea

    Phone

    Usage

    When you need to borrow one or ask for a number

12. Te pūhihiko

    Charger

    Usage

    To borrow one at a hotel or café, or buy one in a shop

    Grammar Note

    "pūhihiko" refers to electrical or electronic equipment; here it stands for the charger (the same word as in the matching card in the Electronics category).

13. Te teihana

    Station

    Usage

    A landmark word when asking for directions

14. Te hōhipera

    Hospital

    Usage

    The first word you need if you fall ill

15. Te pirihimana

    Police

    Usage

    For theft or accidents; combine it with “where?”

    Grammar Note

    A transliteration of English "policeman"; the plural is "ngā pirihimana."

16. Te toa

    Shop

    Usage

    When looking for somewhere to buy something

17. Te rūma

    Room

    Usage

    Use it when asking a hotel about vacancies

18. Te huarahi

    Road

    Usage

    The base word when asking the way

19. Te whānau

    Family

    Usage

    A guaranteed small-talk topic; showing photos goes a long way

20. Te ingoa

    Name

    Usage

    For introductions and for giving your name at a counter

21. Te māhunga

    Head

    Usage

    Point here to show where it hurts

22. Te karu

    Eye

    Usage

    For eye symptoms

23. Te niho

    Tooth

    Usage

    At a dentist or pharmacy

24. Te korokoro

    Throat

    Usage

    For a sore throat

25. Te puku

    Stomach / belly

    Usage

    To point at stomach pain

26. Te tuarā

    Back

    Usage

    For back pain

27. Te hope

    Lower back / waist

    Usage

    Waist; hope also means "end / later", so point at your body while showing it

28. Te waewae

    Leg / foot

    Usage

    Covers both leg and foot; point at your own body to narrow it down

29. Te ringaringa

    Hand / arm

    Usage

    Covers both hand and arm

30. Te uma

    Chest

    Usage

    For chest pain or tightness

31. Te taringa

    Ear

    Usage

    For an earache

32. Te kakī

    Neck

    Usage

    For neck pain

33. Te pokohiwi

    Shoulder

    Usage

    For shoulder pain

34. Te turi

    Knee

    Usage

    Knee; turi separately also means deaf

35. Te maihao

    Finger

    Usage

    For a finger injury; maihao covers fingers and toes

36. Te kiri

    Skin

    Usage

    For rashes and other skin symptoms

37. Te ihu

    Nose

    Usage

    For nose symptoms

38. Te hōtēra

    Hotel

    Usage

    To show a taxi driver where you are going

39. Te taunga rererangi

    Airport

    Usage

    To show a taxi driver where you are going

40. Te tūnga pahi

    Bus stop

    Usage

    To ask where the bus stop is

41. Te waka tinei ahi

    Fire engine

    Usage

    waka (vehicle) plus tinei (to extinguish) plus ahi (fire)

Browse all TravelPhrases languages