mohe
/mo.he/
mohe is the Tongan phrase for go to sleep.
mohe is used to describe the act of beginning to sleep or going to bed for the night.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of mohe is /mo.he/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- In Tongan poetry and song, mohe is often used as a metaphor for 'death', symbolizing a final and eternal sleep.
- In a traditional Tongan household, the act of mohe is communal, as it is common for multiple generations of a family to sleep in one large shared room.
- When addressing elders, one would rarely use a command involving mohe directly, as it could be perceived as impolite or overly blunt.
Example conversation
Sina and Tevita are talking late at night.
- SinaKuo pouli, mohe atu nai, Tevita.It is dark, go to sleep now, Tevita.
- TevitaʻOku ʻikai mohe ʻaʻu.I am not going to sleep.
- SinaKuai mohe ke tatau mo ʻaʻau.Go to sleep like I am.
- TevitaOk, te u mohe atu.Okay, I will go to sleep.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry mohe, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
