Tongan → English: ʻ (fakauʻa)

untranslatable - usually introducing the object or subject of a verb

fence, wall; enclosure, pen

to open one's eyes; to awaken, or be awake, to see clearly, or to be wide awake

to fence, fence in

this afternoon (said at noon or in the morning)

to keep awake, to prevent from sleeping; to keep watch beside (a corpse) all night long; to prepare and light up (a native oven) immediately on waking

(adv-interrog) when (future)

Africa

Majesty (ʻene ʻAfio - his/her Majesty)

(of king or queen) to sit, to be present, to live (swell, reside), or to look

(adj/n) regal for nofoʻanga place for sitting, seat; dwelling-place

regal for ʻilo to know

(adj/v) hot and steamy (of a native oven with food in it); of a person in a state of fever (hot, with moist skin); of the air (hot and humid, muggy, sultry); of a room (close, stuffy, or oppressively warm)

to be fine ( not raining)

(adj/v) for food to have a stale or mouldy smell

(adj/v) self-centred, self-important, proud, conceited, presumptuous; to be so preoccupied with one's own doings, ideas, ability or importance, as to be heedless of others

very early tomorrow morning

whirlwind, cyclone, waterspout or tornado

by way of trial or probation, experimentally, tentatively

trying, try, attempt, test, experiment; temptation

to taste; to try (by way of test or experiment, to make an effort); to try on or try out; to tempt

by day

day; birthday

to be day or daylight

day of remembrance

birthday

(adj/n) Seventh Day Adventist

to continue until day-break; to pass through a place at daybreak

period extending from Christmas to the end of the prayer week (Meth.); saint's day (Cath.)

holiday (resting day)

Emancipation Day

(adj/v) (of the moon) to be very bright

bright or vivid (of colours)

regal for birthday

smoke; soot

to smoke, emit smoke

gall, gall-bladder

to be enveloped, overpowered, damaged or hurt by smoke

kind of tree with edible almond-like fruit (Canarium harveyanum)

he (or she), that, the one(s), that is to say, namely

the fact is, the fact of the matter (or the trouble) is

to put up, to finish off, or to open up

to misapply, or to do in a wrong way

to put or carry in one's belt

ice, piece of ice, ice cube; ice-chest or refrigerator

ice-cream

icing sugar

iodine

idol

place or thing in or on which anything is placed or kept; receptacle, container, shelf, case, tin, etc.

to kick; to pedal (a bicycle, etc.); to treadle, work the treadle of (a lathe, sewing-machine, etc.); (of a gun, etc.) to kick, recoil

to kick, jerk or jump about convulsively

to kick; pedal; treadle; recoil

(n/v) (to play) football

made of wood, wooden

tree, plant; wood

fruit tree, fruiting tree or plant

plant or tree, any part of which is used as food

flowering plant or tree

club (weapon); bow (of a violin)

golf-club

fishing-rod or pole

creeping plant, creeper

kind of bush that has small leaves and bears clusters of small pods (Indigofera)

(adj/v) abounding in trees or plants, wooded

to kick repeatedly

therewith, with it, or (in a relative sense) wherewith, with which

with (referring to instrument or means)

to surround with a fence, to fence in, to be fenced in

to have the hands clasped behind the back (regarded by Tongans as discourteous)

to besiege

friend, dear (untranslatable expression of affection used only when addressing someone)

(n/v) (to have a) strong but pleasant smell

(n/v) (marked with) wavy stripes

tongue (older form, still used occasionally, of ʻelelo,)

aluminium

son (of a sovereign), regal for son

to row or paddle (the person or thing carried in the boat)

ceremonial kava ring

(n/v) (to be) good or fine weather

(n/v) (to be) bad or stormy weather

with determination

to be determined, to work or play with determination; (of work, etc.) to be done with determination

to go for a row, to go out rowing

regal for to be born or to give birth (fanauʻi or fāʻeleʻi)

honorific or regal for to love (ʻofa )

to go (of persons, etc., or of a road); (of orders or instructions) to be sent, be issued, go out; to go on to become, to become in course of time, to grow into

to go to stool, to ease the bowels

to walk or go on foot

to go a long way, or to keep away (not come near)

go near to it; to relieve oneself

to go round, or round and round, in a more or less circular path

to go with, take with one, as a present for someone

to begin badly but end well

to begin well but end badly

road or course or route by which someone or something goes; conveyance

(of a road or path) to be used, to be in use

to provide with a stone wall, to surround with or enclose within a stone wall

expectation; hope

to expect, think (that something will happen); to expect hopefully, to hope, look forward to

our, ours (dual)

our, ours (plural)

America

(adj/v) sticky, viscous, glutinous, gluey

ambassador

to wake up, awake from sleep

your, yours (dual)

your, yours (plural)

later on, at some future time or date

future

to be such as one naturally envies or congratulates or regards as fortunate

cave, cavern; den; cabin; hold or hatchway

shortly, presently, a little later on, later on today

a little later on

their, theirs (dual)

their, theirs (plural)

yesterday

this afternoon (if said at night), or yesterday afternoon (if said on the following morning)

when (in the past)

when (emphatic form of prec.)

very early this morning, at dawn (now past)

at noon today (said in the afternoon or evening)

a short time age, earlier today; or earlier in the present speech or letter

a little earlier (today)

last night

this morning (now past)

anthem

to spit, spit on, spit out

shark

(adj/v) waking up with difficulty, difficult to awaken

corpse, dead body of human being

(adj/v) abounding in sharks

angel

to be surpassed by

(adj/v) waking up easily, easily awakened

cloud(s)

lining (of a house, garment, etc.)

to defend, protect

palm of the hand

sole of the foot

August

(adj/v) useful, of practical value; helpful, beneficial, effective, profitable, or worth while; requisite, needful, necessary

Australia

to be cloudy, to be more or less covered with clouds

deep respect, reverence

to be respectful or reverent (referring to the inward feeling or mental attitude

two men sitting next to the sovereign at a ceremonial kava-drinking ceremony and acting as joint masters of ceremonies

perhaps, I guess, I suggest, or untranslatable (It expresses uncertainty, conjecture, or questioning)

apple

custard apple

sour-sop

vermiform appendix, appendix (of the body)

allotment of ground; home; area of land, or enclosure, devoted to a particular purpose

jail, prison

wedding or funeral celebrations (as the affair of a household)

camp

to camp, encamp; or to stay, reside temporarily

tonight (said during the day)

wake, all-night watch kept beside a corpse

tomorrow

apostle

(adj/v) (of earth or road) sticky; (of a sewing-machine, etc.) stiff, inclined to stick; (of work, etc.) not running smoothly

ass, donkey

to protrude, stick out; to emerge; (of a road) to come out; to show itself, to appear or become visible (to the sight or to the mind); to be more or less obvious; to turn up, appear on the scene; to crop up as in conversation

to be all the greater, all the more, still greater, still more

(adj/v) clear and bright (of liquids, air, sky, glass)

(adj/v) difficult to get through

(adj/v) easy to get through; (of a photographic film) sensitive to light

aspirin

Aspro

to begin to emerge, or to emerge very slightly

shadow; reflection, image; picture

to show or appear as a shadow or reflection

space, room; clearing; air, atmosphere, space between earth and sky; freedom, etc.

to surround, encircle or enclose with a fence or wall

to be out of focus, badly focused

Atlantic

atlas

to be in focus, properly focused

(adj/v) (of a place, building, boat, etc.) to be quite empty, quite unoccupied

intelligent

mind, understanding, intellect, intelligence, reason

(adj/v) broad-minded

(adj/v) narrow-minded; small-minded

(adj/v) dense (mentally)

(adj/v) open-minded; willing to listen

(adj/v) having a good intellect, or a sound mind

(adj/v) habitually looking at the bright side of things, optimistic

(adj/v) intellectually strong; strong-minded

(adj/v) sharp (mentally)

(adj/v) mentally alert, or clear-headed

(adj/v) silly, lacking in understanding or intelligence, simple, unsuspecting when one ought to suspect

silliness; simpleton, silly person, chump

(adj/v) witless, senseless

(adj/v) quick at grasping or comprehending things

(adj/v) well-balanced (mentally), right-minded

(adj/v) slow at understanding, slow to grasp things (mentally), dense, dull

(adj/v) of weak intellect, feeble-minded

(adj/v) dull and more or less stupid, doltish

(adj/v) quick at understanding, mentally keen

(adj/v) (of a place, building, boat, etc.) to be more or less empty, to be only partly occupied, to have plenty of room for more; (of people) to be so few as to leave

our, ours (dual)

our, ours (plural)

(adj/v) to be free, unencumbered, not busy, not engaged, not in debt; plain, mere pure, not mixed, combined, diluted or flavoured; (of shoes, garments) to be comfortably loose

without anything else, exclusively, entirely, only, merely, simply, utterly

liver

spleen, milt

calf (of the leg)

atmosphere

thatch; roof

to be thatched, to have a roof, put a roof on

atom

the bonito

way, nature, what it leads to, result, outcome

current, stream

(of pus) to ooze out, flow; (of a boil, etc.) to give out pus

indeed, to be sure

(adj/adv or v) whole-heartedly, devotedly; or to be whole-hearted, devoted

to perish, to come to ruin, to suffer destruction; or to become extinct

to prune

wanderer, vagrant, vagabond

to be a wanderer, to wander about without any fixed place of abode

to be washed away or carried along by a current

tomorrow morning

to go without food, to fast

fish-poison (of any kind)

to fish with fish-poison

to rumble, etc.; to keep on going or coming in great numbers

ounce

to live (reside) temporarily, to sojourn

(of meat or a dead body) to putrefy, to be in a state of decomposition

to be weak and exhausted (as the result of hunger)

very, extremely, wholly, completely; altogether, to cease altogether; for good

to husk, shell, pod or (of wheat) to thresh; (of beans) to string; (of fish) to bone

to scale(fish

dividing fence (or wall); communion rail

average

to take, remove, take away, or convey; to send or send away

to be spirited away; (of the mind) to be carried away, distracted

to take or send to the wrong place, or to take or send away wrongfully or by mistake; to misrepresent or misinterpret

avocado

to remain awake, or to keep on waking up, to be wakeful, or awake for most of the time; or (in exhorting persons who appear to be sleepy or uninterested) to wake up

to visit, pay a visit

to smart, sting (of the eyes)

ark

my, mine

to row, to paddle (a boat)

his, her or hers, its

to spit

to behave in a respectful, polite, or reverential way

to be all the greater, all the more, much greater, much more

my, mine

your (thy), yours (thine)

to empty or empty out one thing at a time or little by little, or to rummage about in or among

air

heir

to hold or carry under the arm

to push or squeeze in between two things which are already close together; to hold or grip or pick up between two things; to push or squeeze oneself in between two persons or things which are already close together

to be stuck, caught, jammed, or entangled

to be holding or carrying under the arm

(adj/v) (of a garment, etc.) too tight; constricted; crowded, crammed, full; (of a path) obstructed, full of obstructions

(va) to laugh loudly, to guffaw

to stink

chief, man or woman of chiefly rank

captain (of a vessel)

acre

to inquire, inquire into or about, investigate; to claim, lay a claim to

my, mine

to sit, stand or walk with the face turned upwards

elephant

tongue; or something resembling a tongue

element

area

snail

core (of a boil); essence, heart, central or fundamental feature, kernel

to stink, to be putrid

emerald

our, ours

amen

to wriggle or screw oneself about, to move or jerk this way and that, to fidget

empire

emperor

to lick

their (dual)

their (plural)

his, her

to tickle (touch so as to produce tickling sensations)

engineer, mechanic

apron

April

bishop (Cath.)

epoch

essay, written composition

flat-topped artificial mound of earth

to husk (a green coconut) with the teeth

handle (of axe, spade, etc.); frame (of picture); holder (of pen); chassis (of car)

Asia

to fetch, get or procure fire

estimate(s)

our (dual)

ours (plural)

mine

to walk on the toe, the heel, or the edge of the foot (as when one has a sore on another part of the sole)

editor

edge, extremity, corner; aspect, respect, detail, particular

to walk in a leaning position (as if lame in one leg)

the largest of the islands near Tongatapu

Europe

to go for a walk; to go away for a change; to pay attention to or visit a girl

evangelist

(of an unmarried girl) to be visited from time to time, to have attentions paid to her, by men or boys; (of a road or a place) to be frequented by people going for a walk or on holidays

to go for a stroll; to go away for a rest or change; to hang round or pay attention to a girl; (of a unmarried girl) to have illicit sexual intercourse

to keep away from, to avoid unbecoming familiarity with, or out of respect or humility

to lie face upwards (used only of a corpse)

at, on, in, than

at, on, in, then, etc.

is there

at, on, in, them, etc.

no, not, to be not, not to be,

eagle

equator

(n/v) (having a) freckle, mole, speck, stain, spot or patch of dirt or discoloration

under

niece or nephew

(adj/n or v) (having) several or many freckles; speckled, spotted, or piebald

well-informed

knowingly

knowledge

to see, espy, catch sight of, notice, perceive; to find, find out, discover; to be conscious or aware of; to recognize; to know

lo and behold, etc., (indicating suddenness and surprise)

to drink kava

to be well known or generally known

mark, impression

to show, show up, be seen, be recognizable; to be indicated, shown, recognized, or known; distinguished by a special mark or characteristic; conspicuous, outstanding, notable, memorable

(adj/v) difficult to see, find or perceive; difficult to know or understand

(adj/v) easy to see, find or perceive; easy to know or understand

to know to some extent, or to have an idea (or suspicion) that something may be so

image, likeness

shoal of bonito

share, allotted portion, quota

to have or receive a share

(in ancient Tonga) presentation of food to the Tuʻitonga in a way that came to be regarded as inconsistent with the Christian religion

insect

incense

inch(es)

inspector

India

invoice

England

yes

to shout out loudly, to yell,

yacht

to keep on saying yes

indicating that what one has just said was wrong and is now to be corrected; indicating interest, wonder, or appreciation

alas (introducing a regretful wish)

Egypt

(adj/n) east

anger

to be angry

on the beach (near the sea), or in or on the sea (swimming or fishing)

Italy

eternity

(adj/v) not easily becoming angry, difficult to make angry

to scold, to speak to angrily

(adj/v) easily becoming angry, irascible, thin-skinned

Eden

(adj/v) often angry, easily made angry, irritable, or surly

trade union

unit (of light or power)

on, upon, on top of

under

of

closely woven basket used by Tongan women for holding valuables

to take, give, send, or lend, (to him or them, etc.)

to take, send, give, or lend, (to you, etc.)

as far as, or until; and even

love, fondness, or kindness

to love, be fond of, be kind to

to love or be kind to me or to us; or often used to mean: 'it is to be hoped

object of affection, darling, sweetheart

to love, be fond of, be kind to

man's or couple's daughter

loved, beloved

to love (constantly)

officer

office

(adj/v) overbaked

to take or send up or along, to pass or hand up or along; to uplift

to take or send down, to pass or hand down

habitually rushing or precipitous, rash

provisions (for voyagers or for workmen)

to dash, rush; to act rashly or precipitately, to do something rashly or in a fit of temper; (of pain) to shoot, to dart; (of the stomach) to have spasms or shooting pains

to rush at, rush for; to attack, make an onslaught on, raid, or invade

to rush with outstretched arms

to make a mad rush for something

(n/v) (to have) supper

to rush in where one is not wanted, to intrude, to interfere

to start with fear or surprise or sudden grief; to get a shock, be startled or astonished

to be partly filled, to have something in it, to be neither full nor empty

(adj/v) burnt (of food)

O, oh

expressing surprise

expressing surprise, astonishment, pity, regret, disappointment, or annoyance

organ (musical instrument)

if

octave

October

oak

sign of the present tense (placed before the verb)

to gnaw (as a rat does); to gnaw or scrape off with the teeth (as in eating corn from the cob)

altar

olive

alcohol

(adj/n) alto

to keep on putting more food into one's mouth before the last mouthful is finished, to stuff

upper, higher

place or space above

head-rest

to bring, to give or send or lend (to me or us)

our, ours (dual)

our, ours (plural)

omega

your, yours (dual)

your, yours (plural)

their, theirs (dual)

their, theirs (plural)

gunpowder; fireworks

dynamite

sand

(adj/v) sandy, covered with sand, all over sand

to shrink back or withdraw itself, to protrude or show itself slightly

and so on, or and so forth

to fix a layer of something to

ocean

to be finished; to be finished up, spent, all used up, or all sold; to be completed, ended, past, over

oxygen

to get through the whole of,

(adj/v) not easily finished or used up

(adj/v) easily finished or used up

to spend or devote all one's ability, to do one's utmost

to be quite finished (of work, etc.); to be finished up (so that nothing is left)

(adj/v) not easily burnt up, burning away slowly (not quickly)

(adj/v) easily or quickly burnt up

(adj/v) raw, uncooked

to eat raw fish or shell-fish

to order (goods)

fruit salad, or a kind of mixed fruit drink

our, ours (dual)

our, ours (plural)

rubbish, refuse, what is rejected or thrown away as worthless

row, line, series, chain or long group

object of worship, deity, god

God

to regard or treat as a god, to deify; also to adore, idolize, love extravagantly

(n/v) (to perform a) type of action song in which the performers sit in a single row

and I

don't, not to, not

till, until

Not yet

Let me see (wait a moment while I think it over)

Please don't

oven (manufactured, not the native under-ground oven)

overtime; payment for overtime

all night long until day break

for three days

(of a hen) to cover and protect with her wings

my mine

his, her or hers, its

my, mine

your (thy), yours (thine)

bundle of things bound or tied together, as a faggot or a sheaf

habitually craving for food, greedy (for food), voracious

voraciously

to hanker after or crave for food

maggot

yam

kind of yam, but more like potato or sweet potato than ordinary yams

cover, covering

to cover (with), put a covering over

rain

to rain; to come down like rain, to rain down; to have rain

to be rained on, or to be caught in the rain

young one(s), offspring (one or more) of bird or animal

electric

lightning; electricity

meaning; reason, object, purpose; agrument, contention, position, view, attitude

to have meaning or reason; to mean, to denote

to have different meanings or reasons or contentions (views)

(adj/v) difficult to understand or explain, more or less incomprehensible

(adj/v) easy to understand or explain or to see the meaning of (or reason for)

to have the same meaning or reason, or the same contention (view or views), etc.

to rain off and on, to be wet, rainy

ukulele (musical instrument)

to be patient, long suffering

(adj/v) dirty; black (fro ʻuliʻuli)

dirtiness; dirt

to steer

(adj/v) filthy, extremely dirty, disgustingly dirty (physically or morally)

(adj/v) not easily becoming dirty

(adj/v) easily getting dirty

to make dirty, to dirty, to soil

(adj/v) black

head; upper end

(tree or plant) clump

(adj/adv) first

(adj/v) having an abnormally large head

(adj/v) long-headed, having a long-shaped head

(adj/v) wearing one's hair in the fijian style

(adj/v) straight-haired

(adj/v) grey-haired or white-haired

(adj/v) brown-haired

(adj/v) very brainy (clever)

false hair, wig

(adj/v) long-haired

(adj/v) thick-haired, having a thick head of hair

(adj/v) curly-headed

head of a family or tribe, etc., or its original ancestor

(ajd/v) short-haired

characteristic habit or quality

to lose, be beaten (in any game in which there are numerical scores)

(adj/v) having sores on the head

(adj/v) having hair (on one's head) which naturally sticks up straight

skull

the have the hair closely cut

(adj/v) swelled-headed, conceited

(n/v) (to be an) only child or the only one still living

(adj/v) having a head narrow at the back ('axe-headed')

(adj/v) bald-headed

headquarters

heading, title

yam-top (stalk-end of yam tuber)

low-lying rocks adjoining the shore, or inner reef

fingers (collectively)

toes (collectively)

to kiss

to eat and drink at the same time

rainbow

to kiss

clay

(adj/v) rusty

rust

to have a craving for food (esp. sea food)

plug, stopper, cork

to plug, plug up, put a plug or stopper or cork in

native oven or fire-hole; food cooked in a native oven; fire in a native oven

to cherish an affectionate desire or longing

universe

university

scales (of fish), shell (of turtle)

spouse, husband, wife (an old word seldom used)

to move over or along; to approach or draw near

to move a little way along, to push along slightly

caterpillar

large hermit-crab

tail of a lobster

lobster

buttocks; anus

land (not sea); interior or inland (not coast)

to hold or carry between the teeth

(adj/v) (of a coconut) beginning to sprout

soft kernel or 'apple' of a sprouting coconut

brain

to get or draw (water or other liquid); to pour liquid into (bottle, jug)

rock-face of coast, coastal cliff

to bundle together, bundle in

to bite

giant land-crab

(of a cock) to crow

cover (for a number of things at once)

to cover (a number of things, not one only)

to roar, to drone (loudly, as an aeroplane does); to rumble; to crash (referring to the sound)