Numbers in Māori



Learn numbers in Māori

Knowing numbers in Māori is probably one of the most useful things you can learn to say, write and understand in Māori. Learning to count in Māori may appeal to you just as a simple curiosity or be something you really need. Perhaps you have planned a trip to a country where Māori is the most widely spoken language, and you want to be able to shop and even bargain with a good knowledge of numbers in Māori.

It's also useful for guiding you through street numbers. You'll be able to better understand the directions to places and everything expressed in numbers, such as the times when public transportation leaves. Can you think of more reasons to learn numbers in Māori?

The Māori language (Te Reo Māori) belongs to the Austronesian language family, and more specifically, in the Eastern Polynesian languages branch, to the Tahitic languages. Spoken by the Māori people, the indigenous population of New Zealand, where it is coofficial alongside English and New Zealand Sign Language, it counts about 148,000 speakers.

List of numbers in Māori

Here is a list of numbers in Māori. We have made for you a list with all the numbers in Māori from 1 to 20. We have also included the tens up to the number 100, so that you know how to count up to 100 in Māori. We also close the list by showing you what the number 1000 looks like in Māori.

• 1) tahi
• 2) rua
• 3) toru
• 4) whā
• 5) rima
• 6) ono
• 7) whitu
• 8) waru
• 9) iwa
• 10) tekau
• 11) tekau mā tahi
• 12) tekau mā rua
• 13) tekau mā toru
• 14) tekau mā whā
• 15) tekau mā rima
• 16) tekau mā ono
• 17) tekau mā whitu
• 18) tekau mā waru
• 19) tekau mā iwa
• 20) rua tekau
• 30) toru tekau
• 40) whā tekau
• 50) rima tekau
• 60) ono tekau
• 70) whitu tekau
• 80) waru tekau
• 90) iwa tekau
• 100) kotahi rau
• 1,000) kotahi mano
• one million) kotahi miriona
• one billion) kotahi piriona

Numbers in Māori: Māori numbering rules

Each culture has specific peculiarities that are expressed in its language and its way of counting. The Māori is no exception. If you want to learn numbers in Māori you will have to learn a series of rules that we will explain below. If you apply these rules you will soon find that you will be able to count in Māori with ease.

The way numbers are formed in Māori is easy to understand if you follow the rules explained here. Surprise everyone by counting in Māori. Also, learning how to number in Māori yourself from these simple rules is very beneficial for your brain, as it forces it to work and stay in shape. Working with numbers and a foreign language like Māori at the same time is one of the best ways to train our little gray cells, so let's see what rules you need to apply to number in Māori

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Digits from one to nine are specific words, namely kore [0], tahi [1], rua [2], toru [3], whā [4], rima [5], ono [6], whitu [7], waru [8], and iwa [9].

The tens are formed by setting the multiplier digit before the word for ten (tekau), except for ten itself: tekau [10], rua tekau [20], toru tekau [30], whā tekau [40], rima tekau [50], ono tekau [60], whitu tekau [70], waru tekau [80], and iwa tekau [90].

Compound numbers are formed by linking the digit to the ten with the mā coordinator (e.g.: tekau mā whitu [17], rua tekau mā toru [23]).

The hundreds are formed by setting the multiplier digit before the word for hundred (rau): kotahi rau [100], rua rau [200], toru rau [300], whā rau [400], rima rau [500], ono rau [600], whitu rau [700], waru rau [800], and iwa rau [900].

When the multiplier of a big number name is the unit [1], the word tahi is replaced by kotahi, which expresses the accuracy (once and only once). We find it in one hundred (kotahi rau), and also in one thousand (kotahi mano), one million (kotahi miriona), one billion (kotahi piriona)…

The thousands are formed by setting the multiplier digit before the word for thousand (mano): kotahi mano [1,000], rua mano [2,000], toru mano [3,000], whā mano [4,000], rima mano [5,000], ono mano [6,000], whitu mano [7,000], waru mano [8,000], and iwa mano [9,000].

The word for million is miriona (10⁶), and the word for billion is piriona (10⁹).