maeva
The Tahitian word for welcome is maeva. Wiktionary also lists manava.
Meaning: greeting given upon someone's arrival (intj)
Ways to say it
| Tahitian |
|---|
| maeva |
| manava |
maeva is used to greet someone arriving at a place. It can be used as a standalone exclamation to say welcome to an individual or a group.
Which one should you use?
maeva is the standard way to say welcome to a person or a group.
Did you know?
- In traditional Tahitian custom, a guest might be 'welcomed' into a community through a choreographed dance before a single word is spoken.
- In some regional variations or older forms of the language, you may encounter manava, which shares a root with words related to the heart or spirit.
- In traditional settings, a welcome might be preceded by the blowing of a conch shell to announce the arrival of guests before maeva is spoken.
Examples in context
- Maeva!Welcome!This example shows how to use maeva as a standalone exclamation.Tatoeba #5248462 by Papadiamantopoulos, translation #4771541 by garborg
- Maeva i te fenua nei.Welcome to this land.
- Maeva i to'u vale.Welcome to my house.
Example conversation
Moani greets Tahi as he arrives at her home.
- MoaniMaeva, Tahi!Welcome, Tahi!
- TahiMauruuru roa, Moani.Thank you very much, Moani.
- MoaniE fā’ia te rē’o.Please, come in.
- TahiI’a ora na.Hello.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “welcome” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
