haere rā
/ˈhaere ˈraː/word by word
In Māori, "safe travels" is expressed as haere rā.
The phrase is used to say goodbye to someone who is departing, functioning similarly to "bon voyage" or "goodbye".
Meaning: bon voyage (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of haere (go) and rā (a particle used in farewells).
Which one should you use?
haere rā is specifically used when the person being addressed is departing. This differs from e noho rā, which is used to say goodbye to someone who is staying.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈhaere ˈraː/
Did you know?
- The word rā in haere rā shares an ancient root with the Malay word layar, which means 'sail'.
- The term rā belongs to a massive linguistic family that stretches from the islands of the Pacific all the way to Southeast Asia.
Examples in context
- Haere rā, e hoa.Safe travels, friend.
Example conversation
Maia says goodbye to Rawiri at the airport.
- MaiaKua tae mai te waka.The plane has arrived.
- RawiriĀe, me haere au.Yes, I must go.
- MaiaHaere rā, Rawiri!Safe travels, Rawiri!
- RawiriTēnā koe, Maia.Thank you, Maia.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry haere rā, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (haere, rā) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries rā, CC BY-SA 4.0.
