Tongan Language
About Tonga > Culture > Tongan Language
Whilst English is widely spoken in the Kingdom of Tonga (as it is the official language), we thought you might like to learn some Tongan too.
Go straight to the info on:
Background on the Tongan Language
Tongan Alphabet
Rules of the Tongan Language
Sounds
Useful Words and Phrases
Background on the Tongan Language
The Tongan language is one of the Polynesian languages, along with Niuean, Samoan, Hawaiian, Maori, Tahitian and more. Together with Niuean, the Tongan language forms the Tongic subgroup of Polynesian.
Tongan Alphabet
Unlike European languages, Polynesian languages are primarily oral rather than written. The Tongan language is phonestic, which means each word is written according to sound and pronounced according to its written form.
The Tongan alphabet is made up of 16 characters, as opposed to the 26 characters in the English alphabet.
| English: | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | - | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
| Tongan: | A | - | - | - | E | F | - | H | I | - | K | L | M | N | NG | O | P | - | - | S | T | U | V | - | - | - | - |
Rules of Tongan Language
1. There are no dipthongs (which means two vowel sounds pronounced as one syllable).
2. There are no double consonants in a row.
3. All words must end in a vowel.
Sounds
| Letter: | A | E | F | H | I | K | L | M | N | NG | O | P | S | T | U | V |
| Sound: | Ah | Eh | Fa | Ha | Ie | Ka | La | Ma | Na | Ng | Oh | Pa | Sa | Ta | Uh | Va |
| As in: | Far | Ever | Far | Hair | Coffee | Car | Love | Me | No | Singer | Go | Pig | Snake | Tip | Tune | Very |
Tongan vowels may feature macrons (where a small horizontal line is drawn above the character). The macron serves to lengthen the vowel sound.
A vowel may also feature glottal stop (known as a fakau’a). The glottal stop always precedes a vowel and serves to create a guttural sound.
The use of macrons and glottal stops can be used to differentiate meanings between words that are otherwise spelt identically.
Useful Words & Phrases
Greetings & Conversation Essentials
| English | Tongan |
|---|---|
| Hello | Malo e lelei |
| Good morning | Malo e lelei ki he pongipongi ni |
| Good evening | Malo e lelei ki he efiafi ni |
| How are you? | Fefe hake? |
| Fine, thank you | Sai pe, Malo |
| What's your name? | Ko hai ho hingoa? |
| My name is ... | Ko hoku hingoa ko ... |
| Where are your from? | Ko ho'o ha'u mei fe fonua? |
| I'm from ... | Ko 'eku ha'u mei ... |
| Are you married? | Kuo ke'osi mali? |
| Yes | 'Io |
| No | Ikai |
| Maybe | Maholo pe |
| Please | Faka molemole |
| Thank you (very much) | Malo ('aupito) |
| You're welcome | 'lo malo |
| Welcome | Talitali fiefia |
| Excuse me | Kataki |
| I'm sorry | Faka molemole'iau |
| Goodbye (to someone who is leaving) | 'Alu a |
| Goodbye (to someone who is staying) | Nofo a |
Shopping
| English | Tongan |
|---|---|
| How much? | 'Oku fiha? |
| How many? | Ko e me'a 'e fiha? |
| Cheap/cheaper | ma'ama'a/ma'a ma'a ange |
| Expensive | mamafa |
| Where can I buy? | Teu fakatau mei fe ha? |
| Where is? | Ko fe'ia a'e? |
| Big/bigger | Lahi/lahi ange |
| Small/smaller | Si'i si'i/si'i si'i ange |
| More | Lahi |
| Less | Si'i |
| Is it ripe? | 'Oku momoho? |
| What is this called? | Ko e ha hono hingoa 'o e me'a ko 'eni? |
| What is this used for? | Ko e ha e me'a 'oku faka'aonga'i 'eni ki ai? |
Getting Around
| English | Tongan |
|---|---|
| Go straight | 'Alu hangatonu |
| Turn right | Afe to'omata'u |
| Turn left | Afe to'ohema |
| Stop | Tu'u |
| Go | 'Alu |
| Where is the ... hotel (Police station, hospital, market, Palace, Restaurant)? | 'Oku tu'u 'i fe 'a e ... hotele ('a e fale polisi, 'a e falemahaki, 'a e maketi, 'a e palasi, 'a e falekai)? |
| Where can I get a ... bicycle (horse, car)? | Ko fe nai ha feitu'u teu ma'u ai ha ... pasikala (hoosi, ka)? |
| Where do I get the boat to 'Eua? | Ko e fe ha feitu'u teu ma'u ai ha vaka 'oku folau ki 'Eua? |
| When does the boat leave? | Ko e fiha 'oku folau ai e vaka? |
| When is the last bus back to town? | Ko e fiha 'oku lele ai e pasi faka'osi ki kolo? |
| Where is the nearest beach? | 'Oku tu'u 'i fe 'a e matatahi ofi mai ki heni? |
| Is it safe to swim here? | 'Oku sai nai eni 'o 'ikai ke fakatu'utamaki ki he kaukau? |
| How far is it to .... from here? | Ko e ha hono mama'o 'o ... mei heni? |
Language difficulties
| English | Tongan |
|---|---|
| I understand | 'Oku mahino kiate 'au |
| I don't understand | 'Oku ikai ke mahino kiate 'au |
| Do you speak English? | 'Oku ke lava 'o lea faka palangi? |
| Does anyone speak English? | 'Oku 'iai ha taha'oku lea faka palangi? |
| How do you say? | Koe ha ho lea? |
| What is this called? | Ko 'e ha hono hingoa 'o 'e me'a ko 'eni? |
Food
| English | Tongan |
|---|---|
| Pig | Puaka |
| Mutton flaps | Sipi |
| Chicken | Moa |
| Beef | Pulu |
| Fish | Ika |
| Raw fish | 'Ota ika |
| Dog | Kulii |
| Shellfish | Fingota |
| Prawns | Uloula'avai |
| Lobster | 'Uo |
| Crab | Paka |
| Octopus | Feke |
| Horse | Hoosi |
| I do not eat | 'Oku 'ikai keu kai |
| I am allergic to | 'Oku kovi kia au |
| I am a vegetarian | 'Oku 'ikai keu kai kakano'i manu |
| I am full | 'Oku ou fiu |
| Fruit | Fuluti |
| Apple | Apele |
| Banana | Siaine |
| Vegetable | Vesitapolo |
Numbers
| English | Tongan |
|---|---|
| One | Taha |
| Two | Ua |
| Three | Tolu |
| Four | Fa |
| Five | Nima |
| Six | Ono |
| Seven | Fitu |
| Eight | Valu |
| Nine | Hiva |
| Ten | Hongofulu |
| Eleven | Tahataha |
| Twelve | Taha-ua |
| Thirteen | Taha-tolu |
| Fourteen | Taha-fa |
| Fifteen | Taha-nima and so on |
| Twenty | Ua-noa |
| Twenty-one | Ua-noa-taha |
| Twenty-two | Ua-noa-ua |
| Twenty-three | Ua-noa-tolu |
| Twenty-four | Ua-noa-fa |
| Twenty-five | Ua-noa-nima and so on |
| One hundred | Teau |
| One thousand | Tahaafe |
| Ten thousand | Tahamano |
