nofoa
The Samoan word for chair is nofoa.
nofoa refers to the piece of furniture known as a chair.
Meaning: furniture (noun)
Did you know?
- The word nofo can describe both a temporary act of sitting in a nofoa and the permanent act of residing in a house.
- In traditional Samoan culture, the type of 'chair' or seating available often signaled a person's social status, with high chiefs sitting on specific mats rather than Western-style nofoa.
- The root word nofo is used in the phrase nofo i lalo, which literally means 'sit down' but is also used to tell someone to be humble or stay in their place.
Examples in context
- E tasi le nofoa.There is one chair.
- O iinei le nofoa fou.The new chair is here.
Example conversation
Manu and Sina are tidying up the living room.
- ManuSina, fea le nofoa?Sina, where is the chair?
- SinaO lo'o i le fale.It is in the house.
- ManuFa'afetai, aua na o le nofoa e manaia.Thanks, because only the chair is nice.
- SinaE truth lea, Manu.That is true, Manu.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chair” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
