kāinga
The Tongan word for cousin is kāinga.
The word kāinga refers to a child of a person's parent's brother or sister.
Meaning: child of a person’s parent’s brother or sister (noun)
Did you know?
- In Tongan culture kāinga can be used to describe people from the same home village even if they are not biologically related.
- Tongan kinship terms are deeply tied to social rank and a kāinga relationship may be influenced by the relative status of the parents.
- Because kāinga means 'family' or 'relative' it is often used as a warm greeting to acknowledge a shared bond between two people.
Example conversation
Tevita and Sina are talking about their family tree.
- TevitaKo ai pē ko hoku kāinga ʻa Sina?Is Sina just my cousin?
- SinaʻIo, ko e tama ʻo ho tuofefine ia.Yes, she is the child of your aunt.
- TevitaʻOku ou manatu’i hoku kāinga ko iá.I remember that cousin of mine.
- SinaʻOku tatau pē koe ʻene hoa.You are just like her friend.
