mālō
mālō is the Samoan way to say congratulations.
mālō is a common expression used to say congratulations or well done. To congratulate someone on a specific achievement, you use the structure mālō followed by the achievement, such as mālō le mea na e faia (congratulations on what you have done).
Meaning: expressing approbation (intj)
Which one should you use?
Adding the word lava to create mālō lava makes the expression more emphatic, similar to saying 'well done indeed'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Samoa, Fa'amanuia is used to say congratulations. In American Samoa, Manuia can be used to convey congratulations.
Did you know?
- The word mālō can also be used as a friendly greeting when arriving at a place or meeting someone. In this context, it functions more like 'hello' or 'greetings' than 'congratulations'.
- The word mālō is a descendant of the Proto-Polynesian word *malo, which meant 'victorious'. This links the modern expression of congratulations to ancient concepts of winning a battle.
- The term Manuia used in American Samoa to mean 'congratulations' is also the standard word used to wish someone 'good luck' or 'health'.
Examples in context
- Mālō le fa'ataunu'uina o lau sini.Congratulations on achieving your goal.
- Mālō lava i lou manuia!Great job on your success!
- Mālō le galuega ua uma.Well done on finishing the work.
Example conversation
Tau and Losa are celebrating Losa's graduation.
- TauMālō, Losa! Na e gata mai.Congratulations, Losa! You finished.
- LosaFaafetai tele, Tau.Thank you very much, Tau.
- TauO se manuia tele lea.That is a great success.
- LosaOu te fiafia tele.I am very happy.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mālō, CC BY-SA 4.0.
