hoosi
The Tongan word for horse is hoosi.
The word hoosi is used to refer to members of the species Equus ferus.
Meaning: members of the species ''Equus ferus'' (noun)
When do people say it?
hoosi is a loanword from the English word 'horse'.
Did you know?
- Because hoosi is a loanword, the Tongan language has no native word for 'horse' since the animal was not present in the islands before European contact.
- In many Pacific contexts, including Tonga, the arrival of the 'hoosi' changed traditional transport and even influenced certain ceremonial aspects of village life.
- The spelling of hoosi follows Tongan orthography, where double vowels are common and used to indicate long vowel sounds.
Examples in context
- ʻOku ʻiate au ko e hoosi.I have a horse.
Example conversation
Sina and Sione are visiting a farm.
- SinaʻOku ʻino ʻa e hoosi koʻaní!That horse is beautiful!
- SioneʻIo, ʻoku mālie ia.Yes, it is calm.
- SinaʻE lava ke u hoko ki ai?Can I ride it?
- SioneʻIo, ʻe lava ke ke hoko.Yes, you can ride it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “horse” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
