Useful phrases in Rapa Nui

A collection of useful phrases in Rapa Nui (Vananga rapa nui), a Polynesian language spoken mainly on Easter Island

See these phrases in any combination of two languages in the Phrase Finder. If you can provide recordings, corrections or additional translations, please contact me.

Key to abbreviations: frm = formal, inf = informal, sg = singular (said to one person), pl = plural (said to more than one person).

Phrase	Vananga rapa nui (Rapa Nui)
Welcome	Koho-mai Ka oho mai
Hello (General greeting)	'Iorana Pe hē 'Iorana
Hello (on phone)
How are you?	Pe hē a koe? Pēhē koe? Pahe koe? Pēhē kōua ta'atoa? (How are you all?) Pahe kōua ta'atoa? (How are you all?)
Reply to 'How are you?'	E riva-riva no 'ā a au Riva-riva a au. Māuru-uru
Long time no see
What's your name?	Ko ai tu'u 'ingoa?
My name is ...	Ko ... to'oku 'ingoa
Where are you from?	Mai hē a koe? Ō hē mai koe?
I'm from ...	Mai te ... a au Ō ... mai au
Pleased to meet you
Good morning (Morning greeting)	'Iorana
Good afternoon (Afternoon greeting)	'Iorana
Good evening (Evening greeting)	'Iorana
Good night	'Iorana
Goodbye (Parting phrases)	'Iorana Ka oho riva-riva
Good luck!	Ka oho riva-riva!
Cheers! Good Health! (Toasts used when drinking)	Māuru-uru
Have a nice day
Bon appetit / Have a nice meal
Bon voyage / Have a good journey
Yes	'Ina
No	'Ē-ē
Maybe
I don't know	Kai 'ite 'ana au
I understand	Ko angi-angi 'ana au
I don't understand	Kai angi-angi 'ana au
Please speak more slowly
Please say that again
Please write it down
Do you speak English?
Do you speak Rapa Nui?
Yes, a little (reply to 'Do you speak ...?')
Speak to me in Rapa Nui
How do you say ... in Rapa Nui?
Excuse me	Ko hape 'ā a au
How much is this?	Ehia tara?
Sorry
Please	Ana hanga koe
Thank you	Māuru-uru
Reply to thank you	'O te aha no
Where's the toilet / bathroom?	Ko 'ite 'ana koe i he te hare komo?
This gentleman will pay for everything
This lady will pay for everything
Would you like to dance with me?
Do you come here often?
I miss you
I love you	Hanga rahi au kia koe
Get well soon
Go away!
Leave me alone!
Help!
Fire!
Stop!
Call the police!
Christmas greetings
New Year greetings
Easter greetings
Birthday greetings	Te aroha mo te ra'a poreko!
One language is never enough
My hovercraft is full of eels

If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.

Information about Rapa Nui | Phrases | Numbers | Rongorongo script | Books

Links

Other collections of Rapa Nui phrases
https://www.easterisland.travel/easter-island-facts-and-info/rapa-nui-language/learn/
http://wikitravel.org/en/Easter_Island_phrasebook
http://www.logos.it/corso_rp/02_lezione.html
http://www.logos.it/corso_rp/04_lezione.html
http://imaginaisladepascua.com/en/easter-islands/rapa-nui-culture/rapa-nui-language/
https://forum.unilang.org/viewtopic.php?t=4272

Phrases in Polynesian languages

Hawaiian, Māori, Niuean, Rapa Nui, Samoan, Tahitian, Tokelauan, Tongan, Tuvaluan

Phrases in other languages

[top]

You can support this site by Buying Me A Coffee, and if you like what you see on this page, you can use the buttons below to share it with people you know.

Conversations - learn languages through stories

If you like this site and find it useful, you can support it by making a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or by contributing in other ways. Omniglot is how I make my living.

Note: all links on this site to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.fr are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission if you click on any of them and buy something. So by clicking on these links you can help to support this site.

[top]