uo teine
The Samoan word for girlfriend is uo teine.
uo teine is used to refer to a female partner in a romantic relationship.
Meaning: a female partner in a romantic relationship (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of uo, which means friend and teine, which means girl or young woman.
Did you know?
- The word uo for 'friend' is used for both romantic partners and platonic friends, meaning the distinction between a 'girlfriend' and a 'female friend' often relies entirely on social context and tone.
- In many Samoan songs and contemporary poetry, the concept of a 'female friend' is often used as a euphemism for a lover to maintain a sense of poetic modesty.
- Using teine to refer to a romantic partner can sometimes sound quite youthful or even slightly patronizing if the woman is older, as it literally translates to 'girl'.
Example conversation
Talisa and Sione are chatting about their weekend plans.
- TalisaO le a e alu fa'atasi ma lau uo teine?Are you going together with your girlfriend?
- SioneIoe, o le a matou alu i le sailau.Yes, we are going on a trip.
- TalisaE sili atu le lelei o le sailau.A trip is much better.
- SioneFa'afetai, Talisa.Thank you, Talisa.
