mohe
/mo.he/
To sleep in Tongan is mohe.
mohe is a verb meaning to rest in a state of reduced consciousness.
Meaning: to rest in state of reduced consciousness (verb)
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /mo.he/ and it consists of two syllables.
Did you know?
- If you are speaking to an elder or someone of high rank, your way of referring to their rest might change to include honorific particles that are not required when speaking about yourself.
- In traditional Tongan poetic speech, references to 'sleeping' can sometimes serve as metaphors for death or a permanent rest.
- Because Tongan is a VSO (Verb-Subject-Object) language, mohe will often appear at the very beginning of a sentence, which is the opposite of English structure.
Examples in context
- 'Oku mohe 'a e tama.The man is sleeping.
- 'Ofa atu, mohe lelei.Goodbye, sleep well.
Example conversation
Sina and Akuila are tired after a long day.
- SinaʻOku ou mohe lava.I am very sleepy.
- AkuilaʻOku ou mohe mo.I am sleepy too.
- SinaTau mohe ʻeni.Let's sleep now.
- AkuilaʻOku lelei, mohe atu.That is good, go to sleep.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “sleep” translations and entries mohe, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
