Is it "horoia o ringaringa", or "horoi o ringaringa?" - The answer might surprise you.
Kia ora ki a tatou! I know I have spoken on this topic before, but it's something that i come across often enough that I wanted to touch on it again.
My personal goal is to strive to speak the reo which was spoken by our tupuna (obviously not completely possible, but I want it to be as close as can be).
I want my reo maori to be reo maori, rather than english masked as maori. Olelo Hawaii language advocate Keao NeSmith addresses similar concerns in the olelo. Timestamp is 33 minute mark here in an interview on Keep it Aloha. Keao also delves into this topic in an interview on Ka Alala here.
whakatauki - E kore e kitea he toki huna. [Kohikohinga whakatauki a Raupo, pg 25]
Is it horoia o ringaringa, or horoi o ringaringa?
horoi vs horoia: key differences [https://upokopakaru.wordpress.com/2012/09/13/how-to-wash-your-hands/]
"Me tino whakamākū ngā makawe ki te wai, ā ka hopi: horoia kia kore he hopi i roto i ngā makawe (TTT 1/4/1923:2). / Thoroughly wet the hair with water and then lather it up with soap: rinse it so that there's no soap left in the hair": horoia - However if you look at the source material, you can see that the article is aimed towards parents washing their children's hair, as opposed to the children washing their own hair [https://maoridictionary.co.nz/word/1438 (example 1)] [https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/TOATAK19230401.2.3]
Commands to someone regarding themselves:[Ray Harlow, A Maori Reference Grammar, pg 196]
Ray Harlow has this to say - "An exception to the rule that transitive verbs with oject use the passive for commands is found in sentences with a reflexive object, where the patient of the action is the same person/people as the subject. in this case, the passive suffix is not used and the oject is marked with i:
Whakapaipai i a koe! - Make yourself look pretty!
Horoi i a koutou! - Wash yourselves!
He also has this to say:
"A fourth construction is used for commands that some action should be performed by some part of the body. These commands are more like instructions to the particular body part, which is the subject and follws the verb without any suffix or particle:
Hamama tou waha! - Speak, open your mouth!
Takahi tou wae! - Stamp your foot!
Toro mai o ringa! - Stretch out your hand!
Williams also agrees with the above statement with examples as follows: [W.L. Williams, H.W.Williams, 9th edition, First Lessons in Maori, pg 85.]
Titiro ou kanohi - Open your eyes.
Hamama tou waha - Open your mouth.
Totoro tou ringaringa - Stretch out your hand.
Hupeke tou waewae - Bend your leg.
A Maori Podcast
Kia ora! Welcome to this podcast! As per the title, it's a Maori podcast and I am Maori. I try to keep the podcast completely in Te Reo, this is mainly because I want to improve my own language skills, and the best way to do it is to completely speak the language. I share my insights into learning and improving my reo Maori skills especially as someone that doesn't reside back in the homeland. Hoi ano, nahaku noa, I hope that you enjoy this mahi, and I'm proud to be Maori and to share our language. Ko te reo kia rere!If you live abroad and need a place to hang out, I finally found a great hangout spot filled with Maori speakers here.Discord - Reo MaoriI also have a Patreon where I hope to add some additional value. You can find me here:https://patreon.com/amaoripodcastI am planning to start a regularly online space to korero. Details are here:https://www.patreon.com/posts/korero-space-for-153338068
- No. of episodes: 65
- Latest episode: 2026-04-01
- Education Language Learning Self-Improvement
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