How to Say “Good Morning” in Tahitian
The Tahitian phrase for good morning is ʻia ora na.
Tahitian is the Polynesian language of Tahiti and the other Society Islands in French Polynesia, spoken by about 68,000 people in a 2007 count. French is the only official language of French Polynesia, but Tahitian is widely used and taught in schools. It is related to Hawaiian, Maori and Samoan.
Tahitian has a small alphabet and every vowel is pronounced. A macron marks a long vowel, and an apostrophe-like mark called the ʻeta is a short catch in the throat. The everyday greeting is ia ora na (hello) and thank you is māuruuru.
| Family | Austronesian, Polynesian |
|---|---|
| Speakers | about 68,000 (2007) |
| Where spoken | French Polynesia |
| Script | Latin alphabet |
| Codes | ty (ISO 639-1), tah (ISO 639-3) |
Speaker number: Ethnologue (2007), via Wikidata. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
Ia ora e te Noera is the Tahitian phrase for Merry Christmas. In Tahiti, Ia ora e te Noera is the standard way to wish someone a Merry Christmas.
The Tahitian way to say hi is ‘ia ora na. This phrase is used to say ‘Hello’ or can be understood as ‘Good health.’
To say happy birthday in Tahitian, use ‘Ia ‘oa‘oa i tō ‘oe mahana fānaura‘a. This phrase is used to wish someone well on their birthday.
The Tahitian word for goodbye is Nānā. The word Nānā is used to express farewell.
The Tahitian phrase for grandma is māmā rūʻau. māmā rūʻau is used to refer to a grandmother in an informal context.
The Tahitian phrase for “thank you” is māuruuru. māuruuru is a common and versatile way to say thank you in Tahitian.
The Tahitian word for welcome is maeva. maeva is used to greet someone arriving at a place.
The Tahitian word for the toast “cheers” is manuia. manuia is used as a toast when drinking to wish others well or to celebrate a moment.
ia ora na i teie po is the Tahitian way to say goodnight. ia ora na i teie po is a greeting used when meeting someone during the evening or at night.