tofoʻā
The Tongan word for "whale" is tofoʻā.
The term tofoʻā is used to refer to a whale, a large sea mammal.
Meaning: large sea mammal (noun)
Did you know?
- Tongan kinship terms are sometimes used metaphorically with the tofoʻā to describe a great leader who provides for their people.
- In Tongan, the term for whale, tofoʻā, can also be used metaphorically to describe something exceptionally large or impressive in size.
- In some poetic Tongan chants, the whale is described using epithets rather than the direct word tofoʻā to elevate the beauty of the description.
Examples in context
- ʻOku ʻi ai ha tofoʻā.There is a whale.
Example conversation
Ana and Tevita are looking at the ocean from a boat.
- AnaTevita, ʻala moa ʻa e tofoʻā!Tevita, look at that whale!
- TevitaʻOku leleha moʻoni ia.It is truly huge.
- AnaNaʻa ke hāiki tofoʻā ʻi he taʻu faka-toʻu?Did you see a whale last year?
- TevitaʻIkai, ko e ʻotu tofoʻā ʻoku hāiki leva.No, this is the first whale I've seen.
