Ahiahi mārie
/aˈhiahi ˈmaːrie/word by word
To say good evening in Maori, use Ahiahi mārie. It is a friendly greeting used in the evening.
Ahiahi mārie is used when you meet someone in the evening, from late afternoon onwards.
Meaning: greeting said in the evening (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
Ahiahi means evening and mārie means calm or peaceful, so the phrase wishes someone a peaceful evening.
How do you pronounce it?
The IPA is /aˈhiahi ˈmaːrie/. The a in mārie is long, like the a in father and the r is a light tap.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not leave out the long vowel mark in mārie. It shows the vowel is held longer.
When do people say it?
Greetings like Ahiahi mārie are widely heard across New Zealand.
Did you know?
- In traditional Maori culture, the concept of peace and calm expressed in mārie is closely tied to the idea of 'noa', a state of being free from sacred restrictions.
- The word ahiahi is formed through reduplication, a process where a root word is repeated to alter its meaning or intensity.
- The word ahiahi is a linguistic relative of the Hawaiian word ahiahi and the Samoan word afiafi, reflecting a shared ancestry from Proto-Polynesian.
Examples in context
- Ahiahi mārie ki a koe.Good evening to you.
- Ahiahi mārie, e hoa.Good evening, friend.
- Ahiahi mārie katoa.Good evening to everyone.
Example conversation
Maia and Wiremu meet at a community center in the evening.
- MaiaAhiahi mārie, Wiremu.Good evening, Wiremu.
- WiremuAhiahi mārie, Maia.Good evening, Maia.
- MaiaKei te pēhea koe?How are you?
- WiremuKei te pai ahau.I am well.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (ahiahi, mārie) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ahiahi, mārie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
