moce
The English phrase "good night" is translated into Fijian as moce.
The word moce is used as a general farewell. While English speakers often choose between saying "goodbye" or "good night" depending on the time of day, moce covers both scenarios.
Meaning: a farewell (phrase)
Did you know?
- While moce is used as a farewell, its literal meaning in Fijian is 'to sleep'. Saying goodbye is essentially telling the other person to go to sleep.
- Depending on the region, moce may be repeated as moce moce to soften the farewell or make it sound more affectionate and casual.
- The word moce shares a common ancestor with the Māori word moe, which also means 'to sleep'.
Examples in context
- Moce vinaka.Good night.
Example conversation
Teresia and Semi are leaving each other's houses at night.
- TeresiaMoce vinaka, Semi.Good night, Semi.
- SemiVinaka, Teresia. Moce.Thanks, Teresia. Good night.
- TeresiaSa moce sara.Goodbye for now.
- SemiMoce.Good night.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry moce, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries moce, CC BY-SA 4.0.
