Vowel Sounds
There are 5 vowel sounds in Māori:
| Māori Vowels: | Sounds like the underlined part of the English word |
|---|---|
| A | Are |
| E | There |
| I | Three |
| O | Or |
| U | Two |
If you know Spanish, the vowels have the same pronunciation as those in Spanish.
Vowels can be pronounced short or long.
In written form the long vowel is usually marked with a macron (a line above the letter).
- e.g. ā (long a sound)
This long vowel sound can change the meaning of a word in Māori. For example:
- wahine = woman (singular) – pronounced wahine
- wāhine = women (plural) – pronounced waahine
- manu = bird
- mānu = to float
Consonant Sounds
| Consonant | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| R | Is pronounced with a slight roll of the tongue. The tongue lightly touches the roof of the mouth once near the front. |
| WH | Is generally pronounced like an F (the top front teeth and bottom lip barely touch). |
| NG | The sound is similar to the middle ng in singing. |
| T | Somewhere between the sound of D and T in English pronunciation. |