On-line Te Reo Māori Dictionary

Ehara tērā rākau i te tōtara, he rimu kē.
That is not a tōtara, it's actually a rimu.
Negations of identity sentences - ehara...

Ehara tērā i te kārearea, he kāhu kē.
That is not a falcon, it is actually a hawk.
Negations of identity sentences - ehara...

Ehara tērā i a Aroha, ko Tawa kē.
That person is not Aroha, it is Tawa.
Negations of identity sentences - ehara...

I taku taenga atu ki te kāinga, kua maoa kē i a ia ngā kai.
When I got home, he had already cooked dinner.
Simple sentences: past tense - i

I ngā rā o mua, mā te hōiho kē te moua e tō.
In former times, a horse pulled the mower instead.
Simple sentences: past tense - i

Kua haere kē i mua tata o taku taenga atu.
He left just before I arrived.
Simple sentences: past completed tense - kua

Kua kī kē te hōro i te tamariki.
The hall was full of children.
Simple sentences: past completed tense - kua

Ka haere i te ara i runga i te rangitoto, ke ahu ki Onehunga.
[They] went along the path over the scoria and headed to Onehunga.
Sentences with i - i

Pēnei au kua mate kē a Elvis, engari i kite au i a ia i Ōtaki.
I thought that Elvis was dead, but I saw him in Ōtaki.
I thought mistakenly - Pēnei au...

Pēnei au kua whakakore kē a John i te inu waipiro, engari i kite au i a ia e inu ana i te waina i te wharewaina.
I thought that John had already quit drinking, but I saw him drinking wine in the winery.
I thought mistakenly - Pēnei au...

Pēnei au kua timata kē te hui.
I thought the meeting had already started.
I thought mistakenly - Pēnei au...

Pēnei au kua haere kē koutou.
I thought you had already gone.
I thought mistakenly - Pēnei au...

Hei aha te pata kē, tīkina te pata tūturu.
Never mind the margarine, get the real butter.
Never mind the... No worries! - Hei aha te..., Kia ahatia!

Nō te tataunga o Taranga i ana tamariki, tokorima kē rātou.
When Taranga counted her children, there were five instead.
Belonging to the past - nō

Nō te pō, i a rātou ka taurite ki te kūrae o Taumata-apanui, ka peke a Tōrere.
At night, when they were opposite Taumata-apanui, Tōrere jumped [overboard].
Belonging to the past - nō

Nō tētahi rangi o Nōema, ka whakamōhiotia mai kua whakaaetia tā mātou tono.
One day in November, we were informed that our application had been successful.
Belonging to the past - nō

Nāku kē ētahi kai i hoko, nō reira kua pai tātou.
I already bought some food, so we are alright.
Conjuctions - because - nā te mea

I te tohutohu mai taku tamāhine ānō nei he matua kē ia.
My daughter was bossing me as if she was a parent
It was as if - ānō nei

Ke rāhuitia ēnei tauranga ike mā Ngāti-Kahukoka.
These fishing grounds were set aside for Ngāti-Kahukoka.
Passive sentences - tikina...

Ke tukuna e Wairangi tana taurekareka ki a Pare-whete.
His servant was sent by Wairangi to Para-whete.
Passive sentences - tikina...

E ai ki ngā kaimātai pūtaiao, ehara te wēra i te ika, he whakangote kē.
According to the scientists, whales are not fish, they are mammals.
According to... - E ai ki.../E ai ki tā... /Ki tā

E ai ki ngā kōrero, e ono kē ngā matimati i tētahi o ngā ringaringa.
According to what is said, he had six fingers on one of his hands.
According to... - E ai ki.../E ai ki tā... /Ki tā

Ki tā Kahu mā, nā rātou kē taua taonga.
According to Kahu and them, that taonga belongs to them.
According to... - E ai ki.../E ai ki tā... /Ki tā

Kāore e kore kua pau kē ngā tīkiti.
The tickets have no doubt sold out.
Certainly, almost certainly, no doubt - Kāore e kore

Ke kohi i te hua o te miro, hei hinu whakakakara.
They gathered miro berries to make scented oil.
For the purpose of - hei

Hei kai kē te mīti nā, kāore hei mōunu.
That meat is for food, not for bait.
For the purpose of - hei

Kainga i waho, ke whakaritea he tohunga hei whāngai mō Tū-whakairi-ora.
They ate out of doors, and a tohunga was appointed to feed Tū-whakairi-ora.
For the purpose of - hei

I pakeke ake au i Te Tai Tonga, engari ko Ahuriri kē tōku ake kāinga.
I grew up in Southland but Napier is my real home.
Conjunctions - but - engari

Hei te whare kē noa atu au noho mai ai.
I will stay at another house far away from yours.
Going somewhere to do something there - ki reira … ai.

Kāore kau he tiakarete i te pouaka - kua pau kē.
There are absolutely no chocolates in the box - they have all been eaten.
there wasn't any... absolutely no... - Kāore kau...

Mehemea ko au, e kore au e whakaae. Heoi anō, ko koe kē te rangatira, ehara i a au.
If it were me, I wouldn't agree to it. Still / However, you're the boss, not me.
Conjunctions - on the other hand, however - heoi anō

Tērā pea kua haere kē a Pita.
Pita might have left already.
Perhaps, quite possibly - Tērā pea, tērā tonu pea

Tērā pea ko Pāora kē te tuakana.
Perhaps Pāora is the tuakana.
Perhaps, quite possibly - Tērā pea, tērā tonu pea

He mea hoko kē pea te keke nei. Tērā tonu pea. Ehara ia i te tangata tunu keke, ki taku mōhio.
I think this cake might have been bought. Probably. As far as I know he's not a cake-maker.
Perhaps, quite possibly - Tērā pea, tērā tonu pea

He āhua matatau tonu ia ki te reo Māori, ahakoa nō tāwāhi kē a ia.
She's a pretty fluent speaker of Māori even though she's from overseas.
Discourse markers - although - ahakoa

Kia tae atu tātou ki te Whanganui a Tara, ke hīkoi ki te taha o te moana.
When we get to Wellington, we will work on the side of the ocean.
Adjectives and a-type statives -

Kei te mokemoke ahau i te mea kei rohe kē taku whānau.
I am lonely because my family is in another region.
Simple sentences - present tense with an adjective - kei te

Ka mutu ōna tohu, ka noho ki raro.
When his instructions were ended, he sat down.
Ka used to indicate the past - ka

Ka mau ki tana mere pounamu, ke hoatu ki te tamaiti ariki o taua ope nei.
[He] took his greenstone mere and gave it to the young leader of this group.
Ka used to indicate the past - ka

Kāore tātou e harirū, ka hongi kē.
We won't shake hands, we'll press noses instead.
Negations of the future (I will not go) - Kāore... e...

Inanahi ke haere atu ia mai i Rotorua ki Pōneke.
Yesterday, he went from Rotorua to Wellington.
Using 'ki' to indicate direction towards something - ki

Kei rohe kē taku whānau nō reira kei te mokemoke ahau.
My family is in another region, therefore I am lonely.
Therefore - nā reira, nō reira

Tokohia kē mai nei ngā tāngata e tae mai ana mō te kai!
What a lot of people are arriving for the food!
Towards - mai

He kōrero hōhonu kē atu.
A deeper talk.
Direction markers with adverbs - tonu mai, kā atu, rawa mai...

Pā tonu mai te karanga, ke whakaeke te ope.
As soon as they heard the call, the party went onto the marae.
Direction markers with adverbs - tonu mai, kā atu, rawa mai...

Āe, me haere kē atu au.
Yes, I'll go.
Direction markers with adverbs - tonu mai, kā atu, rawa mai...

Tau kē! Kei hea taua wharekai?
Awesome! Where is that restaurant?
That aforementioned thing - taua, aua

Mehemea ka kite he kurī i tētahi tangata, ke auau.
If a dog sees someone, it barks.
If (using mehemea) - mehemea, mehe, mēnā

Mehemea ka heke te hukapapa, ke haere mātou ki te maunga.
If the snow falls, we will go to the mountain.
If (using mehemea) - mehemea, mehe, mēnā

Kua oti kē i a Pou te Tārai tōna waka.
Pou had already finished adzing out his canoe.
Statives with 'i' - i a, i te, i ngā

Kātahi anō ia ka kite he rākau kē.
It was then that he saw it was just a stick.
Has just... - kātahi anō...

Ka mutu te hui, ka haere māua ki te tāone.
When the meeting is over, we will go to town.
When... - ka... ka; kia... ka

Ehara māu te kai nei, mā ngā kaumātua kē.
This food is not for you, it is for the elders.

Mā wai ēnei kapu tī? Mā ngā tamariki? Ehara, mā ngā kaumātua kē.
Who are these cups of tea for? The children? No, they are for the elders.

I te aha kē koe inanahi?
What were you doing yesterday?

Ka riro pea a Puhihuia i te tangata kē anō o rātou.
Perhaps Puhuihuia would be taken by another one of them.

Kei Taranaki kē rātou e noho ana.
They are living away in Taranaki.

Ka wani kē!
Neat, alright!

Kua ki kē te hōro i te tamariki (Pōtatau 1991:84)
The hall was full of children

Pakeke rawa ati au, kua tu kē au hei Mema-Pāremata.
When I eventually grow up, I am going to stand as a member of Parliament.

Kaua koe e huri kē!
Don’t turn away!

E pōhēhē a Hoani ke toromi ia, engari ka kauhoe mai he kauhauora.
John mistakenly thought he was going to drown, but a lifeguard swam up.

Ke whakatika te ope, ka haere, ka tae ki tētahi awa.
The party set off, travelled along, and came to a river.

Kua haere kē ngā kaimahi, nāna nei i mahi te hei?
The labourers who did the work on the hay have already gone.

Ehara nāku te karakia i taki, nā Aria kē.
I was not the one who recited the prayer, it was Aria.

Ke hoki ia ki Hawaiki, ka mauria e ia ētahi pounamu.
When he returned to Hawaiki, he took some pieces of greenstone with him.

Kua oti kē i ahau ngā kākahu te horoi.
I have already finished washing the clothes.

Kua haere kē atu ia.
He has already gone away.

Kua haere kē atu ra ia.
He has already gone away there.

Tino kaha kē te mura o te ahi, i te maroke ai hoki o aua rau rākau, otaota hoki
The fire was particularly fierce, especially because of the dryness of the leaves and grass

Tae rawa atu te whānau ki te hōhipera, kua hoki kē te koroua ki tōna kāinga.
By the time the family arrived at the hospital, the old man had already gone home.

Ahakoa te kohu, ka rere atu te waka rererangi.
Despite the mist, the plane took off.

Nā te aha kē rā au i pēnei ai ..
Why was I thinking like this ..

Ko tēnei manu, ko te kōtuku, me uaua kē ka kitea (Kāretu 1974:51)
This bird, the white heron, is very rarely seen

Me kai kē i te tuatahi.
You must eat first.

Tū kē atu tērā maunga.
That mountain stands apart.

Kāore kē au i.te mōhio whakawhiti ai a Māori mā ki tāwāhi.
I didn’t know that Māori and others often went overseas.

Ka kino kē tērā.
That is worse.

Tō tere kē hoki.
Gee, you’re quick alright.

Tino kaha kē te mura o te ahi, i te maroke ai hoki o aua rau rākau, otaota hoki.
The fire was particularly fierce, especially because of the dryness of the leaves and the grass.

Ko ngā iwi o te rāwhiti, o te tonga hoki, ha mahi kē i te "kei te...".
The tribes of the east and the south, on the other hand, use "kei te...".

He aha kē a Hone i tāhae ai i tō pukapuka?
Why did John steal your book?

Ki a Nikau kē te reta nei.
This letter is to Nikau.

Ke mea mai ia, ka pai tana kaiako ki te waiata.
He says that his teacher is good at singing.

Kua kite kē māua i tēnei kiriata.
We (him and I) have already seen this movie.

I mauria mai e au āna kai engari e whiu kē ana ia.
I brought his food but he was already satisfied.

E hia kē mai nei ngā putiputi ātaahua i tēnei kōanga.
What a lot of beautiful flowers this spring.

Kua kite kē mātou i tēnei kiriata.
We (us, three or more) have already seen this movie.

Ka pakeke rawa atu au, ka tū kē au hei Mema-Pāremata.
When I eventually grow up, I am going to stand as a member of Parliament.

Kei whea kē mai te pai o te mahi nei.
What an excellent job.

He kino kē koe!
You are too much!

Ka tau kē tō mahi.
Your work is awesome.

Ka piki, ke heke.
Up and down.

Kāore anō kia kitea te rā me te awatea, nā te mea e piri tahi ana ngā mātua, kei te kōpū kē ngā tamariki nei e noho pipiri ana, ānō nei he kāpō rātou.
The sun and daylight had not yet been seen because the parents were pressed together; the children were huddled inside the womb, as though they were blind.

Nō te mea kua manako noa kē te Atua ki āu mahi.
Since God has already approved your actions.

Ka tau kē!
How neat!

Ka kino kē!
How wicked!

Nā te ngākau kē tēnei hiainu.
This thirst belongs to the heart.

Te mutunga kē mai o te pai.
Couldn't be better.

Taihoa, kātahi anō tātou kia mahi i Mana Whenua, Mana Ao Tūroa, Mana Tangata, Mana Reo
Ehara te aromatawai i te whainga nui. Engari kē, mā te aromatawai koutou e kōrero ai. The assessment isn't the destination. The assessment is the reason to speak.

Nā Huia te reta kē i muri o te karaka.
The letter behind the clock is Huia's.

He rere kē koe i a au.
You are different from me.

He kaha kē tō kuia.
Your gran is surprisingly strong. She's 86 and she beat me in an arm wrestle.

rawa, tonu, kē, noa, pea, koa
L36: “Particles in the postposed perophery

He kē tēnei.
Ahhh... this is strange, or This is unusual.

He wahine kē atu ia.
She is an extraordinary woman.

B. Ko Tamahae kāore i noho ki te kāinga, i haere kē ki te whare pukapuka
Tamahae didn’t stay at home. He went to the library instead.

Kei whea kē tō tungāne?
Where is your brother?

Me te mea nei kei te moe kē rātou.
It looks as if they are already asleep.

Kei whea kē tō tunganē?
Where is your brother instead of being here?

Ka tau kē.
Awesome.

He pai kē te huawhenua ki a au.
I actually like vegetables.

Ka wani kē.
Fantastic.

Nāku kē te waka i whakakī.
I filled the car up with petrol.

Ka kino kē.
Wicked, that's bad as.

Kua maha kē hoki ngā tau e noho ana ki a au.
He has stayed with me for many years.

Kei te tuhituhi reta kē ahau.
I'm writing a letter.

He tawhiti kē tō koutou haerenga, ki te kore haere tonu.
You have come too far in your journey to not carry on.

Ki te kore e taea e koe, waiho mā tētahi kē atu e whakatutuki.
If you cannot manage it, leave it for someone else to complete.

Kei te haere ngā akonga ki te inu, tē mahi kē (ai) i ā rātou mahi
The students are going drinking, instead of doing their work

Anei kē te mea nui.
Here actually is the important thing.

Ke pai te kurī.
The dog is good.

Ke hongi te ihu ki te hauāuru; kua rongo i te haunga o tōna ariki.
He sniffed the winds of the west, and recognised the scent of his master.

Kua haere kē ia.
He has just gone.

rawa, tonu, kē, noa
Directional particles

E hia kē mai nei ngā kōura!
What a lot of crayfish!

Kua haere kē ahau.
There are three possible meanings:

E hia kē mai nei...
What a lot of...

Tokohia kē mai nei...
What a lot of people...

I te whakaaro kē ia.
She was thinking differently.

Kua moe kē a Hēnare.
Hēnare had slept already (was already asleep).

E hia kē mai ngā waka i tae atu ki Waitangi i taua wā
What a lot of canoes arrived at Waitangi at that time!

Ka wani kē! He mīharo! Kātahi rā te ingoa pai ko tērā.
Wicked! Amazing! That is a good name.

Ka mea mai a Māui, ‘ Āe, me haere kē atu au
Māui relied, ‘Yes, I had better go away.

Tū kē atu tēra maunga.
That mountain stands apart.

E pēnei kē iho ana rā, ‘ Haere!
Go!

Āpōpō a Tame ke kōrero.
Tame is speaking tomorrow.

Tae rawa atu rātou ki te kāinga, kua tae kē ō rātou hoa
When they eventually reached home their friends had already arrived

Kei hea kē ngā tamariki?
Where are the children? They are not where I expected them to be.

Kua haere kē ngā tamariki.
The children have gone somewhere else.

E aha kē ana koutou?
What on earth are you doing?

Kīhai te ika i mau ki te waha, i mau kē ki te hiku.
The fish was not caught by the mouth; it was caught by the tail instead.

Haere kē koe, haere ia.
You went one way; he went the other.

Me tango kē koe i tēnei.
Take this one instead.

He nui kē atu tēnei i tērā.
This, on the other hand, is bigger than that.

He ingoa kē tō tēnei pukapuka.
This book has a different name.

ke hei?
where?

Pāpā, nāku kē i raka te whare, nā Hera i whakaweto te hikohiko. Kua pai tātou.
Pāpā, I locked the house. Hera turned the power off. We are fine.

Tau kē kōrua, ka nui ngā mihi.
You two are great. Thank you!

Ka pai kē!
How great!

Ka rawe kē!
How excellent!

Kāo, i a Roberta mā kē ōu kākahu hākinakina!
No, Roberta and the others had your sports gear!

Ha mīharo kē!
How amazing!

Ehara! He tangata pono kē ia.
On the contrary! He's actually an honest fulla.

Tae rawa atu mātou ki te awa kua wehe kē te poti.
When we eventually arrived at the river the boat had already departed.

E ai ki ngā kōrero, e ono kē ngā matimati i tētahi o ngā ringaringa.
According to what is said, he had six fingers on one of his hands.

Kua toru kē ngā rā kei roto i te wai mātao rā, ā, kua tika mō te kai.
After the olives have been in cold water for three days, they are right for eating.

Nā Hata mā kē ēnei mahi
It was Hata and the others instead who did these things

Nō te mea kua manako noa kē te Atua ki āu mahi (Ecclesiastes 9:7)
Since God has already approved your actions

Ki tā Kahu mā, nā rātou kē taua taonga.
According to Kahu and them, that taonga belongs to them.

Ke tohu atu ia ki te reke o tana taiaha.
He pointed with the butt of his taiaha.

Kua haere kē atu rā ia.
He has already gone away there.

Te pene ā tōna whaēa kē.
His aunt's pen.

He pai rawa kē ki a ia tērā mahi.
For her, that job instead is better.

Ke heke te hukapapa.
The snow will fall.

Oho rawa ake ia i te ata, ka tirotiro haere, kua ngaro kē `na hoa.
When he finally woke up in the morning, [he] looked all around, but his friends had disappeared.

Kua toru kē ngā rā kei roto i te wai mātao rā, ā, kua tika mō te kai (Pōtatau 1991:156)
After they (olives) have been in cold water for three days, they are right for eating

Hei aha te pata kē, tīkina te pata tūturu.
Never mind the margarine, get the real butter.

Taku taenga atu ki te hōhipera, ka rongo au kua hoki kē taku hoa ki te kāinga
When I got to the hospital, I heard that my friend had already gone back home

Ākuanei, ahiahi rawa ake, kua pau kē tō hau!
Later on, by evening, you'll be exhausted!

He tamaiti pea au nā te tangata kē.
Perhaps I am a child of some other person.

Kua haere kē a Rewi.
Rewi has already gone.

Hei tino tauira hei tāna, "i roto i te Kowheori i ngā marama e ono, e hia kē nei ngā kupu mō te mate Kowheori i te tīmatanga rā."
A prime example "is when Covid-19 first hit, in the first six months there were so many different Māori names used for the word Covid".

Tau kē!
Fantastic!

Ehara nā Aroha ngā tamariki, nā Aria kē ngā tamariki.
The women are not Aroha's, they are actually Aria's children.

I te tohutohu mai taku tamāhine ānō nei he matua kē ia.
My daughter was bossing me as if she was a parent.

Kua haere kē ngā kaimahi nāna nei i mahi te hei.
The labourers who did the work on the hay have already gone.

Nō tō rātou taenga atu ki te marae, ka kite rātou kua timata kē te hui
When they arrived at the marae, they saw that the meeting had already begun

anake anō hoki kau kē koa noa pea rawa tonu
The ten particles here may be briefly glossed as follows.