lanu moana
The English word blue is lanu moana in Samoan.
lanu moana is used to describe the color blue.
Meaning: blue-coloured (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally means color of the ocean.
Did you know?
- In many Polynesian languages, including Samoan, there was historically no single word for 'blue' that was separate from 'green', both falling under a broader category of colors.
- The word moana for the ocean is used throughout the Pacific and is the namesake for the Disney film character who seeks the open sea.
- The word 'moana' is believed to be derived from a root meaning 'channel' or 'passage', shifting from a way to describe a physical path to a way to describe a vast expanse.
Examples in context
- O le tusi lenei e lanu moana.This book is blue.
Example conversation
Losa and Sione are looking at clothes in a store.
- LosaSione, e sili atu le lanu moana.Sione, the blue one is better.
- SioneEa e te fia sili atu le lanu moana?Do you prefer the blue one?
- LosaIoe, e lanu moana le ie lea.Yes, that cloth is blue.
- SioneE lelei lena lanu moana.That blue color is nice.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lanu, moana, CC BY-SA 4.0.
