aroha
The Tahitian word for love is aroha.
aroha is a noun used to express strong affection.
Meaning: strong affection (noun)
Did you know?
- Tahitian is a member of the Austronesian language family, meaning aroha is a very distant relative of words in languages spoken as far away as Madagascar.
- While we use it to mean 'love' today, the ancient root of aroha originally meant 'to beckon' or 'to wave' to someone.
- While aroha means 'love', it is also used in Tahitian to describe a feeling of deep compassion or pity for someone in distress.
Examples in context
- E nui te aroha i te fenua.There is much love for the land.
Example conversation
Manu and Mareva are talking about their family.
- ManuE aha tō aroha iā tō māmā?What is your love for your mother?
- MarevaHe aroha i te tūroa vau iā ona.I have an endless love for her.
- ManuTe aroha e mau i te fāmī.Love keeps the family together.
- MarevaʻAe, e maitaʻi tēia.Yes, that is beautiful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “love” translations and entries aroha, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aroha, CC BY-SA 4.0.
