kei te aroha au ki a koe
In Māori, "I love you" is said as kei te aroha au ki a koe.
This phrase is used to express an affirmation of romantic feeling.
Meaning: affirmation of romantic feeling (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "I am loving you". The particle kei te indicates a continuous present tense.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word au is the first-person singular pronoun meaning "I", while koe is the second-person singular pronoun used when addressing one person.
Did you know?
- While the phrase is used for love, the root of aroha originally meant 'to beckon' or 'to wave' in Proto-Austronesian.
- In Maori culture, aroha extends beyond romantic love to encompass compassion, empathy and deep care for others in the community.
- The word aroha is often used in Maori to describe a sense of kinship and belonging to the land and ancestors, not just to another person.
Example conversation
Manaia and Anahera are saying goodbye before work.
- ManaiaKei te aroha au ki a koe, Anahera.I love you, Anahera.
- AnaheraKei te aroha au ki a koe hoki, Manaia.I love you too, Manaia.
- ManaiaKa kite koe āpōpō.See you tomorrow.
- AnaheraĀe, ka kite koe.Yes, see you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aroha, au, koe, te, CC BY-SA 4.0.
