mālō e lelei
The Tongan word for hello is mālō e lelei.
mālō e lelei is the standard and most common way to greet someone in Tongan.
Meaning: greeting (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to something like 'goodness is good' or 'well-being is well'.
Did you know?
- The word mālō is used not only in this greeting but also to say 'thank you'. Depending on the context, mālō can express gratitude for a gift or praise for a job well done.
- While mālō e lelei is the standard greeting, Tongan social hierarchy is so strict that you might use different levels of respect depending on the status of the person you are greeting.
- In Tongan culture, a verbal greeting like mālō e lelei is often accompanied by a respectful gesture of the head or a slight bow, especially when addressing elders.
Examples in context
- Mālō e lelei!Hello!This sentence is useful for practicing the greeting mālō e lelei.Tatoeba #3296588 by Ricardo14, translation #373330 by CK
- Mālō e lelei ki he fāmili kotoa.Hello to the whole family.
Example conversation
Losa and Sione meet on the street.
- LosaMālō e lelei, Sione!Hello, Sione!
- SioneMālō e lelei, Losa.Hello, Losa.
- LosaFēfē hake koe?How are you?
- SioneʻOku ou lelei, mālō.I am well, thank you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hello” translations and entries mālō e lelei, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
