vai
The Samoan word for water is vai.
vai is used to refer to all forms of water, such as drinking water, seawater and rainwater.
Meaning: inorganic compound H₂O (noun)
Did you know?
- In Samoan culture, vai is not just a resource but is often linked to spiritual purity and the concept of life force. Water is central to traditional cleansing rituals used before important social ceremonies.
- The Samoan word vai shares a common ancestor with words for water in many other Austronesian languages across the Pacific and Southeast Asia.
- In Samoan, the word vai is also used to describe 'bath' or 'bathwater', showing how the language groups liquid and the act of washing together.
Examples in context
- E manaia le vai.The water is nice.
- Sui se vai mo a'u.Get some water for me.
- E tele le vai i luga o le lau.There is a lot of water on the leaf.
Example conversation
Losa and Manu are sitting at the dining table.
- LosaManu, e te mana'omia se vai?Manu, do you need some water?
- ManuIoe, fa'afetai lava.Yes, thank you very much.
- LosaO le vai lea.Here is the water.
- ManuFa'afetai tele lava, Losa.Thank you very much, Losa.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “water” translations and entries vai, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries vai, CC BY-SA 4.0.
