hā
/haː/
The Tongan word for "what" is hā.
Meaning: what? (interrogative pronoun) (pron)
How do you pronounce it?
/haː/
Did you know?
- In Tongan, there are separate registers of language for royalty and commoners, meaning the words you use to ask hā will change entirely depending on who you are addressing.
- The Tongan 'what' is part of a linguistic family that links the islands to places as distant as Madagascar, despite the vast distance between them.
- Beyond asking for information, hā is frequently used as a standalone exclamation to express shock or total disbelief.
Example conversation
Sina and Tevita are talking about a gift.
- SinaKo hā ʻa e meʻa ʻeni?What is this thing?
- TevitaKo ha meʻaʻofa kiate koe.It is a gift for you.
- SinaʻOku ou fakaʻapaʻapa kiate koe.I am grateful to you.
- TevitaʻOfa ʻatu, Sina.Love to you, Sina.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry hā, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
