tupu
The Samoan word for king is tupu.
The word tupu is used for both historical monarchs and modern heads of state in a formal context. You can also use the related noun tupu'aga to refer to the state or concept of kingship.
Meaning: a male of a royal family who is the supreme ruler of his nation (noun)
Which one should you use?
The formal way to say king in Samoan is Tui.
Did you know?
- The word tupu is a homonym in Samoan and also means 'to grow' or 'to sprout'. This links the concept of royal leadership to the natural growth of a plant.
- In Samoa, the concept of leadership described by tupu is deeply tied to the 'fa'amatai' system, where titles are bestowed by the family rather than solely through bloodline inheritance.
- The word tupu descends from the Proto-Austronesian root *Cubuq, making it a linguistic relative to words for growth and leadership across many Pacific and Southeast Asian languages.
Examples in context
- O le tupu o SamoaThe king of Samoa
- O le tupu o lenei atunuu.He is the king of this country.
- O se tala i le tupu ma lona nuu.It is a story about the king and his village.
Example conversation
Mere and Sione are reading a history book about old monarchies.
- MereO le tupu lea o le atunuu.That is the king of the country.
- SionePe e malosi le tupu?Is the king strong?
- MereIoe, e malosi tele o ia.Yes, he is very strong.
- SioneE umi le tala o le tupu.The story of the king is long.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “king” translations and entries tupu, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tupu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
