n • intermediate
rā
sun
rah
Kei te whiti te rā.
The sun is shining.
✦ TE REO MĀORI ✦
🌿 Nature
68 words and phrases for focused te reo Māori practice.
Nature vocabulary
Pick a word card below to practise the Māori word, meaning, pronunciation and example sentence.
Vocabulary
natureenvironmentlandtaiao
n • intermediate
marama
moon
mah-rah-mah
He mā te marama i te pō.
The moon is bright at night.
n • intermediate
whetū
star
feh-too
He tini ngā whetū.
There are many stars.
n • intermediate
rangi
sky
rah-nghee
He kikorangi te rangi.
The sky is blue.
n • intermediate
whenua
earth / land
feh-noo-ah
He taonga te whenua.
The land is a treasure.
n • intermediate
wai
water
why
He mātao te wai.
The water is cold.
n • intermediate
awa
river
ah-wah
Kei te rere te awa.
The river is flowing.
n • intermediate
roto
lake
roh-toh
He hōhonu te roto.
The lake is deep.
n • intermediate
moana
sea
moh-ah-nah
He nui te moana.
The sea is vast.
n • intermediate
maunga
mountain
mow-ngah
Ko Taranaki te maunga.
Taranaki is the mountain.
n • intermediate
puke
hill
poo-keh
Kei runga te whare i te puke.
The house is on the hill.
n • intermediate
ngahere
forest
ngah-heh-reh
He ngahere nui kei reira.
There is a large forest there.
n • intermediate
rākau
tree
raa-kow
He rākau teitei tēnā.
That is a tall tree.
n • intermediate
putiputi
flower
poo-tee-poo-tee
He ātaahua ngā putiputi.
The flowers are beautiful.
n • intermediate
rau
leaf
row
Kei te hinga ngā rau.
The leaves are falling.
n • intermediate
kōhatu
stone / rock
koh-hah-too
He nui taua kōhatu.
That rock is big.
n • intermediate
onepū
sand
oh-neh-poo
He mahana te onepū.
The sand is warm.
n • intermediate
ahi
fire
ah-hee
Kei te mura te ahi.
The fire is burning.
n • intermediate
motu
island
moh-too
He motu iti kei te moana.
There is a small island in the sea.
n • intermediate
raorao
lowlands / flat country
rao-rao
Kei raro te kāinga i te raorao.
The settlement is down on the lowlands.
n • intermediate
pari
cliff
pah-ree
He tiketike te pari.
The cliff is high.
n • intermediate
puna
spring / source of water
poo-nah
He wai māori nō te puna.
Fresh water comes from the spring.
n • intermediate
ngaru
wave
ngah-roo
He nui ngā ngaru i te moana.
The waves are big in the sea.
n • intermediate
āniwaniwa
rainbow
aa-nee-wah-nee-wah
Kei te rangi te āniwaniwa.
The rainbow is in the sky.
n • intermediate
harakeke
flax
hah-rah-keh-keh
Kei te tipu te harakeke.
The flax is growing.
n • intermediate
rarauhe
fern
rah-rah-oo-heh
He maha ngā rarauhe i te ngahere.
There are many ferns in the forest.
n • intermediate
tī kōuka
cabbage tree
tee koh-oo-kah
Kei te tū te tī kōuka i te pārae.
The cabbage tree stands in the open field.
n • intermediate
kauri
kauri tree
kow-ree
He rākau nui te kauri.
The kauri is a great tree.
n • intermediate
pōhutukawa
pōhutukawa
poh-hoo-too-kah-wah
Ka whero te pōhutukawa i te raumati.
The pōhutukawa turns red in summer.
n • intermediate
pūkohu
moss
poo-koh-hoo
He pūkohu kei runga i te kōhatu.
There is moss on the rock.
n • intermediate
koru
fern frond
koh-roo
He ātaahua te koru hou.
The new fern frond is beautiful.
n • intermediate
kākano
seed
kaa-kah-noh
Kei te whakatō kākano mātou.
We are planting seeds.
n • intermediate
aka
vine
ah-kah
Kei te piki te aka i te rākau.
The vine climbs the tree.
n • intermediate
wana
seedling / young shoot
wah-nah
Kei te tipu te wana.
The young shoot is growing.
n • intermediate
kōwhai
kōwhai tree
koh-fye
He kōwhai te tipu i te taha o te awa.
A kōwhai tree grows beside the river.
n • intermediate
rimu
rimu tree
ree-moo
He rākau roa te rimu.
The rimu is a tall tree.
n • intermediate
tōtara
tōtara tree
toh-tah-rah
He rākau kaha te tōtara.
The tōtara is a strong tree.
n • intermediate
mānuka
mānuka tree
maa-noo-kah
He honi reka nō te mānuka.
Delicious honey comes from the mānuka.
n • beginner
oneone
soil / dirt
oh-neh-oh-neh
He pai te oneone.
The soil is good.
n • beginner
pakiaka
root
pah-kee-ah-kah
He roa ngā pakiaka.
The roots are long.
n • beginner
peka
branch
peh-kah
Kei runga te manu i te peka.
The bird is on the branch.
n • beginner
taiao
environment
tie-ow
Me tiaki te taiao.
We must look after the environment.
n • beginner
parahanga
pollution
pah-rah-hah-ngah
He kino te parahanga.
Pollution is bad.
adj • beginner
taketake
native (plant / animal)
tah-keh-tah-keh
He tipu taketake tēnei.
This is a native plant.
adj • beginner
tauhou
introduced / non-native (species)
tow-hoh
He manu tauhou tēnei.
This is an introduced bird.
adj • beginner
mōrearea
endangered
moh-reh-ah-reh-ah
He manu mōrearea te kiwi.
The kiwi is an endangered bird.
n • beginner
ngahere
bush
ngah-heh-reh
Kei te haere mātou ki te ngahere.
We are going to the bush.
n • beginner
manu
bird
mah-noo
Kei te rere te manu.
The bird is flying.
n • beginner
kiwi
kiwi (bird)
kee-wee
He manu taketake te kiwi.
The kiwi is a native bird.
n • beginner
tūī
tūī
too-ee
Kei te waiata te tūī.
The tūī is singing.
n • beginner
kererū
kererū / wood pigeon
keh-reh-roo
Kei te kai te kererū.
The kererū is eating.
n • beginner
pūkeko
pukeko
poo-keh-koh
Kei te oma te pūkeko.
The pūkeko is running.
n • beginner
pīwakawaka
fantail
pee-wah-kah-wah-kah
Kei te rere te pīwakawaka.
The fantail is flying.
n • beginner
pepeke
insect
peh-peh-keh
He iti te pepeke.
The insect is small.
n • beginner
pūngāwerewere
spider
poo-ngaa-weh-reh-weh-reh
Kei te hanga whare te pūngāwerewere.
The spider is building a web.
n • beginner
pūrerehua
butterfly
poo-reh-reh-hoo-ah
Kei te rere te pūrerehua.
The butterfly is flying.
n • beginner
pi
bee
pee
Kei te rere te pi i te māra.
The bee is flying in the garden.
n • beginner
pōpokorua
ant
poh-poh-koh-roo-ah
Kei te oma ngā pōpokorua.
The ants are running.
n • beginner
ika
fish
ee-kah
Kei te kauhoe te ika.
The fish is swimming.
n • beginner
mangō
shark
mah-ngoh
He nui te mangō.
The shark is big.
n • beginner
tohorā
whale
toh-hoh-raa
Kei te kauhoe te tohorā.
The whale is swimming.
n • beginner
aihe
dolphin
eye-heh
Kei te tākaro ngā aihe.
The dolphins are playing.
n • beginner
kekeno
seal
keh-keh-noh
Kei te noho te kekeno i te toka.
The seal is sitting on the rock.
n • beginner
mokomoko
lizard
moh-koh-moh-koh
Kei te oma te mokomoko.
The lizard is running.
n • beginner
poroka
frog
poh-roh-kah
Kei te tangi te poroka.
The frog is calling.
n • beginner
nākahi
snake
naa-kah-hee
Kāore he nākahi i Aotearoa.
There are no snakes in New Zealand.
n • beginner
tarutaru
grass
tah-roo-tah-roo
Kei te kai tarutaru ngā kau.
The cows are eating grass.
n • beginner
kōhanga
nest
koh-hah-ngah
Kei te kōhanga ngā hēki.
The eggs are in the nest.