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There are five vowel sounds in te reo Māori and ten consonant sounds. It’s important to learn how to pronounce them correctly as it helps retain the integrity of the language.
Vowels – Oro puare
Vowels in te reo can be pronounced ‘short’ or ‘long’. We use macrons to show vowels with a long sound – ō, for example. Long and short vowels can completely change the meaning of a word, so it’s important to use macrons on long vowels.
Where two different vowels appear together they keep their basic sound and run together.
The short vowels are:
- a – as in but
- e – as in vet
- i – as in beat
- o – as in walk
- u – as in to.
Listen to pronunciation of the short vowels
The long vowels are:
- ā – as in bar
- ē – as in dairy
- ī – as in peel
- ō – as in bore
- ū – as in too.
Listen to pronunciation of the long vowels
Consonants – Orokati
There are 10 consonants in the Māori language – h, k, m, n, ng, p, r, t, w, and wh. Most are pronounced the same as they are in English, with the exception of:
- ng – as in winger
- wh – as in film
- r – which is rolled, as in udder or puddle.
Listen to pronunciation of the consonants
More information
Te Taura Whiri i Te Reo Māori (the Māori Language Commission) provides more information about the whakahuatanga (pronunciation) of te reo Māori vowels and consonants.
If you need advice on setting up macrons on your keyboard, the Kupu website has instructions.