What is the Rarotonga & Cook Islands Language?

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Where Does Cook Islands Māori (Rarotongan) Come From?

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

The Cook Islands Māori was traditionally a spoken language with no written form until missionaries began writing it 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 Māori and New Zealand Māori the Same?

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

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Pronunciations in Cook Islands Māori (Rarotongan)

The first thing to know about pronunciation in Cook Islands Māori 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 Māori

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 Māori

“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 Māori, such as “Nga” and “Ngatangi’ia”. Once you’ve mastered how to say “ng” at the beginning of words, pronouncing in the middle of words should come easily.

How to Pronounce Vowels in Cook Islands Māori

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 is 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 Māori, the glottal stop represents a closing of the throat between vowel sounds, rather than sounding the vowels in a single, flowing sound. So “ta’i” is pronounced “ta-ee”, not like the English way of saying “tie”.

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Cook Islands Māori Words and Phrases to Know

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

Basic Phrases in Cook Islands Māori

Hello – Kia Orana!
Yes – Ae
No – Kare
Please – ‘Ine
Thank you – Meitaki
Thank you very much – Meitaki ma’ata (Rarotonga), Meitaki Atupaka (Aitutaki), Meitaki Ranuinui (Atiu)
Goodbye (to the person staying) – E no’o ra
Goodbye (to the person leaving) – ‘Aere ra
See you later – Ka kite
Excuse me – Ina ake ana ine?
How are you? – Pe’ea koe?
We (two) are fine – Metaki maua
We can do it! – Ka rauka ia tatou
I will help – Naku e tauturu
Come in – Tomo mai
Listen to me – Akarongo mai ki aku
Maybe / Perhaps? – Pēnei akī?

Places in the Cook Islands Māori

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

Animals and Nature

Fish – Ika
Bird – Manumanu
Dog – Puaka
Cat – Kure
Turtle – Onu
Shark – Mango
Pig – Puaka
Coconut tree – Nikau
Flower – Tiare

Food and Drink in the Cook Islands Māori

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

Useful Descriptive Words

Beautiful – Manea
Hot – Vera
Cold – Anuanu
Rain – Ua
Wind – Matangi
Water – Vai
Sun – Ra
Rainbow – Anuanua

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.

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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 two languages in the Cook Islands: English and Cook Islands Māori. Pukapukan is its own distinct dialect but is not seen as an official language.

What Languages are Spoken in Rarotonga?

The languages spoken in Rarotonga are English and Cook Islands Māori (also known as Rarotongan). There is a small number of people on Rarotonga who can also speak Pukapukan.

Do They Speak English in Rarotonga?

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