What is the Rarotonga & Cook Islands Language?

© Dylan Harrison - Cook Islands Tourism

Where Does Cook Islands Maori (Rarotongan) Come From?

For those of you who like a bit of context, Cook Islands Maori is part of a Polynesian branch of the huge Austronesian family of languages. Its closest relative languages are New Zealand Maori and Tahitian Ma’ohi.

Cook Islands Maori was traditionally a spoken language with no written form until missionaries wrote the language in the 1830s.

You can get more of an overview of the history of the Cook Islands and the great Polynesian migration in A Brief History of Rarotonga & the Cook Islands.

Are Cook Islands Maori and New Zealand Maori the Same?

Most travellers visiting the Cook Islands from New Zealand wonder if New Zealand Maori and Cook Islands Maori are the same languages. The answer is they are different languages but with obvious similarities and some shared words, such as the words for food (kai), language (reo), mountain (maunga) and countless other examples.

The Pukapukan Language

An extremely different dialect in the Cook Islands compared to Cook Islands Maori is Pukapukan, which you’re highly unlikely to hear while visiting the islands unless you venture to the lesser-visited islands of the Northern Group, specifically the island of Pukapuka.

Although it’s still up for debate where Pukapukan originates, the language is thought to have influences from Kiribati, Tokelau, Tuvalu, the Solomon Islands and even the Takuu Atoll in Papua New Guinea. Pukapukan has minor intelligibility with Cook Islands Maori.

© Kieran Scott - Cook Islands Tourism

Pronunciations in Cook Islands Maori (Rarotongan)

The first thing to know about pronunciations in Cook Islands Maori is that there are only 13 letters in the Cook Islands alphabet: a, e, i, k, m, n, ng, o, p, r, t, u and v.

How to Pronounce Consonants in Cook Islands Maori

Consonants are pronounced the same as they are in English with the exception of the letter “v” which is sometimes interchangeable with a “w” sound.

How to Pronounce “Ng” in Cook Islands Maori

“Ng” has a soft pronunciation, similar to the sound in the middle of the word “singing”. The letters are commonly used at the beginning of words in Cook Islands Maori, such as “Nga” and “Ngatangi’ia”. Once you’ve masted how to say “ng” at the beginning of words, pronouncing in the middle of words should come easy.

How to Pronounce Vowels in Cook Islands Maori

The Cook Islands Maori/Rarotongan vowels are pronounced like the following:

• A as in “far”
• E as in “let”
• I as in “marine”
• O as in “orange” but with no “r” sound
• U as in “flute”

The thing to note about Cook Islands Maori vowels are the long and short vowel variants. Long vowels will be marked with a macron, which looks like: ā, ē, ī, ō and ū.

How to Pronounce the Glottal Stop

The glottal stop is the apostrophe before or between vowels, such as in “ta’i” the word for one or “‘are” the word for house. In Cook Islands Maori, the glottal stop represents a closing of the throat in between the vowel sounds, instead of sounding the vowels in one flowing sound. So “ta’i” is pronounced “ta-ee” not like the English way of saying “tie”.

© CookIslandsPocketGuide.com

Cook Islands Maori Words and Phrases to Know

Although English is widely spoken, effort in speaking the local language is always appreciated. Here are some Cook Islands Maori words and phrases to try out…

Basic Phrases in Cook Islands Maori

Hello – Kia Orana!
Yes – Ae
No – Kare
Please – ‘Ine
Thank you – Meitaki
Thank you very much – Meitaki ma’ata
Goodbye (to the person staying) – E no’o ra
Goodbye (to the person leaving) – ‘Aere ra
See you later – Ka kite

Places in Cook Islands Maori

Beach – Tapa ta’atai
House – ‘Are
Church – Ekalesia/’Are pure
Shop – Toa
Ocean – Moana
Reef – Akau
Mountain – Maunga
Island – Motu
Town – Taoni
Village – Tapere

Food and Drink in Cook Islands Maori

Eke – Octopus
Ika mata – A raw fish in coconut cream dish
Kumara – Sweet potato
Kuru – Breadfruit
Poke – Pawpaw or banana dessert mixed with coconut sauce
Puaka – Suckling pig
Rukau – Taro leaves mixed with coconut sauce and onion
Taro – Tropical root vegetable
Unga – Coconut crab
Ahi – Tuna
Mahimahi – Dolphinfish

Learn more important words to know in the 15 Rarotongan Words You Need to Know When Visiting the Cook Islands, as well as more things to eat in the Traditional Rarotongan Food: 10 Foods to Try in the Cook Islands.

© Lara Hotz - Cook Islands Tourism

Frequently Asked Questions About the Cook Islands Language

Finally, here are the most frequent questions travellers have about the language of the Cook Islands.

How Many Languages are in the Cook Islands?

There are three languages in the Cook Islands: English, Cook Islands Maori and Pukapukan.

What Languages are Spoken in Rarotonga?

The language spoken in Rarotonga are English and Cook Islands Maori (also called Rarotongan). There is a small number of people on Rarotonga than can also speak Pukapukan.

Do They Speak English in Rarotonga?

Yes, English is widely spoken across Rarotonga, although the native language is Cook Islands Maori, also known as Rarotongan.