fakaʻofoʻofa
The Tongan word for beautiful is fakaʻofoʻofa.
fakaʻofoʻofa is an adjective used to describe something or someone as attractive.
Meaning: attractive (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective fakaʻofoʻofa does not change its form to agree with the gender or number of the noun it describes.
Did you know?
- While fakaʻofoʻofa is a general term for beauty, Tongans use a completely different set of vocabulary when speaking to or about royalty, known as lea faka-ʻeiki.
- Tongan adjectives like fakaʻofoʻofa typically follow the noun they describe, which is the opposite of the standard English word order.
- The word fakaʻofoʻofa is built from the root word ofoʻofoʻa, which relates to the concept of being 'wonderful' or 'extraordinary'.
Example conversation
Sina and Akuila are looking at a sunset together.
- SinaSiʻi lāngilangi, ʻoku fakaʻofoʻofa e langi.Look, the sky is beautiful.
- AkuilaʻIo, ʻoku mālie fakaʻofoʻofa.Yes, it is beautifully pleasant.
- SinaʻOku ou fakaʻofoʻofa foki e kulikuli.I think the colors are beautiful too.
- AkuilaʻOku lava fakaʻofoʻofa taha.It is truly beautiful.
