How to Say “Bad” in Tongan

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kovi
The Tongan word for bad is kovi.
kovi is an adjective used to describe things that are unfavorable or negative in nature.
Meaning: unfavorable, negative (adj)

Did you know?

  • The severity of something 'bad' is often measured by the damage done to va, the relational space between people.
  • In Tongan storytelling, a character described as 'bad' might actually be described through their lack of 'faka'apa'apa', which means 'respect'. To be bad is to be someone who lacks respect for the hierarchy.
  • While kovi describes a bad situation, it is rarely used to describe a person's character in Tongan. Instead, Tongan speakers often use terms related to being 'wrong' or 'unrighteous' to describe a bad person.

Example sentences for Tongan are not verified yet.

Example conversation

Sina and Tevita are talking about a movie they watched.

  1. Sina

    Naʻe leleʻi ʻa e fīlimali?
    Was the movie good?
  2. Tevita

    ʻIkai, naʻe kovi au.
    No, it was bad.
  3. Sina

    Ko e hā ʻa e kovi?
    Why was it bad?
  4. Tevita

    Naʻe kovi ʻa e ngū.
    The ending was bad.

Sources

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Nathaniel Paul
Nathaniel PaulHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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