faʻē
The Tongan word for mom is faʻē.
An informal word for a female parent.
Which one should you use?
While faʻē is the default form, the term māma is also used informally to mean mom.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In different regions of Tonga, some people use the informal term māmi for mom.
Did you know?
- The inverted comma in faʻē represents a glottal stop, a sound made by closing the vocal cords that acts as a full consonant in Tongan.
- Even though māma is common, the choice of word for 'mom' can be influenced by the level of 'fakaʻapaʻapa', or the respect one is expected to show within the household hierarchy.
- The term faʻē originates from the reconstructed Proto-Polynesian word *faqea, showing a direct ancestral link to many other Pacific island languages.
Examples in context
- Māmā, 'oku 'ofa lahi atu au kiā 'oe.Mom, I love you very much.
- Kātaki, ʻo atu ki ʻetu faʻē.Please, go to our mom.
- Ko e hā e toeʻi ʻa e faʻē?What did mom say?
Example conversation
Sina and Tevita are talking about their parents at home.
- SinaʻOku ʻalo ʻa hoku faʻē?Is my mom here?
- TevitaʻIo, ʻoku ʻi he kaveinga.Yes, she is in the kitchen.
- SinaʻOkuou fie faka-tala ʻa e faʻē.I want to tell mom.
- TevitaʻAlu atu kiye.Go over to her.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries faʻē, CC BY-SA 4.0.
