Pō mārie
/ˈpoː ˈmaːrie/
In Māori, "good night" is expressed as Pō mārie.
Pō mārie is used as a farewell when parting with someone at night or before going to sleep.
Meaning: a farewell (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of pō (night) and mārie (peaceful, calm or quiet), literally meaning "peaceful night".
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈpoː ˈmaːrie/
Did you know?
- The word pō can refer not just to the night, but to the spiritual darkness and the underworld in Māori mythology.
- The root of mārie is related to the word selamat used in greetings in Malay.
Examples in context
- Manuia te pō e hoaHave a good night, my friend
- Pō marie! Mā te atua koe e manaakiGood night! May God bless you
- Pō mārie ki a koe.Good night to you.
- E hoa, pō mārie.Friend, good night.
- Pō mārie katoa.Good night to everyone.
Example conversation
Anahera and Tane are saying goodbye before going to sleep.
- AnaheraTane, pō mārie.Tane, good night.
- TanePō mārie, Anahera.Good night, Anahera.
- AnaheraMoemoea pai.Sweet dreams.
- TaneKua tae te wā. Pō mārie!It is time. Good night!
Sources
- Pronunciation from the Wiktionary entry pō mārie.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mārie, pō, pō mārie, CC BY-SA 4.0.
