puaka
/pu.a.ka/
The Tongan word for pig is puaka.
puaka is a noun used to refer to the mammal of the family Suidae.
Meaning: mammal of family Suidae (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The word has three syllables and is pronounced /pu.a.ka/.
Did you know?
- In certain traditional settings, the pig is not just food but a sacred medium for expressing respect between different levels of Tongan hierarchy.
- Tongan traditional kinship systems sometimes use animal metaphors, and the behavior of a puaka can be used in idiomatic descriptions of greed.
- The word puaka shares its ancient roots with similar words for pig found in many other Pacific languages, such as Samoan and Maori.
Examples in context
- ʻOku ʻi ai ha puaka.There is a pig.
Example conversation
Losa and Viliami are visiting a farm.
- LosaViliami, fakaʻuha e puaka ʻko iá.Viliami, look at that pig.
- ViliamiʻOku telekete moʻoni ʻa e puaka ʻá.That pig is really small.
- LosaʻOku ʻinoʻino ʻa e puaka ʻá.The pig is dirty.
- ViliamiʻOku lea puaka ʻa e fakafoʻou.The new one is a pig.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pig” translations and entries puaka, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries puaka, CC BY-SA 4.0.
