teine
The Samoan word for girl is teine.
teine is a noun used to refer to a young female person.
Meaning: young female person (noun)
Did you know?
- In traditional Samoan culture, a teine of high rank might be referred to as a taupou, a title for the village maiden who represents the village's honor.
- Samoan has different registers of speech, and while teine is common, a more formal or 'chiefly' language might use different descriptors to refer to a young woman.
- The term teine is used in the popular 'Siva' dance, where the movements of a girl are meant to be graceful and modest to reflect the cultural value of 'fa'aaloalo' or respect.
Examples in context
- O se teine lelei lava lena.That is a very good girl.
- E iai se teine i le fale.There is a girl in the house.
- O le teine lea e tusa ma ia.That girl is just like her.
Example conversation
Manu and Sina are looking at a photograph.
- ManuO ai lea teine i le ata?Who is that girl in the photo?
- SinaO lo'u tinigao lea.That is my niece.
- ManuE matua ata lenei teine.This girl is very cute.
- SinaAe foliga mai oe.But she looks like you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “girl” translations and entries teine, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
