hoku
The Tongan word for "my" is hoku.
hoku is a determiner used to indicate that something belongs to the speaker.
Meaning: belonging to me (det)
How does it change in a sentence?
hoku is the singular, non-honorific form. You use this form when the person who possesses the object is a single individual and the relationship is not formal or highly respectful.
Did you know?
- Because Tongan uses different possessive forms for different classes of nouns, you might use a different word for 'my' if you are talking about a piece of clothing versus a piece of food.
- Tongan distinguishes between 'A' and 'O' classes of possession, so hoku is only used for things the speaker has control over or created, such as 'my house'.
- While hoku is the singular form, the plural 'our' changes depending on whether the group includes the person being spoken to.
Examples in context
- Ko hoku ʻofá.It is my love.
Example conversation
Akuila and Losa are talking about a piece of fruit.
- AkuilaKo hoku ‘api ‘eni.This is my apple.
- Losa‘Oku mālie ia.It looks delicious.
- AkuilaTe u foaki atu kiate koe.I will give some to you.
- LosaMālō, Akuila.Thank you, Akuila.
