Home Introduction Grammar English-Rapanui
a e g h haka i k m n o p r t u v
- ké,
- other; different; different being; hare ké, a different house; e-ké-ro-á... e-ké-ro-á... there are some who... and others who...; me'e ké. something distinct, different: te puaka ina oona kuhane; me'e ké te tagata, he hakari oona, he kuhane, an animal has no soul; man is different, he has a body, and a soul; matu'a ké, the other relatives.
- ké te kairua, person who turns up for meals at other people's homes.
- used in exclamations: hahau ké! what a cool breeze!; hana ké! how hot! takeo ké! how cold!
- keakea, swollen (of a woman's belly after a few months of pregnancy): ku-keakea-á te manava o te hanau tama, the pregnant woman's belly is swollen.
- keho, flag-stone (which is plentiful in Rano Kau and was used to build Orongo); stone disc, used as a thrown weapon in wars.
- kehu, hidden; what cannot be seen because it is covered; he-kehu te raá, said of the sun when it has sunk below the horizon.
- ke'i, ability, skill, aptitude for a particular work: tagata ke'i mo keukeu o te henua. man good at working on the land and maintaining his family; ke'i kore inability: he ke'i kore o te tagata mo aga, mo hâgai i toona mahigo, man's inability to wordk and feed his family; ina he ke'i me aga, no aptitude for work.
- keke, to go down after after reached its zenith (of the sun): he-keke te raá.
- keke'e,to be lying on the ground, partly above it, to stick out: ma'ea ke'e ke'e, stones sticking out of the ground.
- kékekéke,to rustle, to creak: ku-kekekeke-áte hare i te to kerau, the house creaked in the wind.
- kekepu, animal mentioned in ancient traditions, the flesh of which was eaten in Hiva (also kepukepu).
- kekeri, to feel an indisposition of the stomach or the bowels: he-kekeri te manava.
- keke'u, shoulder (according to others, shoulder-blade); used also for "arm".
- kena, a sea bird, with a white breast and black wings, considered a symbol of good luck and noble attitudes.
- kenu, husband.
- keo, in human beings, upper part of the sternum, shaped like a fork; in birds, wish-bone.
- ke'o, ke'oke'o, fast, quick; to hurry; ka-ke'o-mai, come quickly, hurry up.
- kepo, sargasso, floating seaweeds.
- kere, used in the expression: he-kere i te ahi, to keep a fire going from one day to the next, by leaving embers in a hole in the ground, throwing some firewood on top, and covering it with ashes and some stones so that it does not burn out later.
- kerega,
- to be able (to do something): e-kerega-ró koe mo aga i te aga nei? will you be able to do this work? Used more often in a negative meaning; for instance, of a barren marriage: ina he kerega mo te poki.
- to produce results, to succeed: ina kai kerega te ara, e-hoki-no-mai, the expedition did not succeed, he came back (empty-handed); ina he kerega, said of fishermen who return empty-handed.
- kerekere, dark; black.
- kerekeretú, lead-coloured tufa.
- kerereki, hiccup, to have the hiccups.
- keri,
- to dig the ground to open a hole: he-keri i te rua; to pull sweet potatoes, yams, etc. out of the ground: he-keri i te kumara, ite uhi.
- quick, repeated movements: he-keri te tokerau, the wind whips, blowing strongly; he-keri te vave, the waves break continuously and strongly: ka-keri koe, ka-rere te va'e, hurry up, get running.
- kero, to complete, to finish a work; he-kero te maîka, to complete a banana plantation.
- kete, purse, basket (made of sugarcane leaves or of totora) kete hakaraka, gift of regalo formerly made to a newborn baby's mother.(See, in the traditions, the text entitled "Hens for a Baby's Good Luck"). The exact meaning of this word is unclear.
- ketekete, book of cigarette papers; omasum, psalterium (ruminant's stomach).
- ketu,
- to raise, to lift. Figuratively: to praise, to exalt, he-ketu, he-hakaávaáva i te igoa o te Atua, to praise and glorify the name of God.
- to open an abcess, a pus formation (transitive and intransitive).
- to speak again of someone else's past failure which had been buried and forgotten.
- keu, communal enterprise, work done in common: mo te keu. for the work done in common (for instance: collecting food mo te keu, to give to the helpers).
- keukeu,
- to work; to work long and steadily: he-keukeu te aga; tagata keukeu henua, farmer.
- to get ready, e.g. for a trip: ka-keukeu koe , ki oho tâtou. get ready, we are going; ka-keukeu ki turu ki tai, ki hî, get ready for going down to the sea, to fish.
- to approach (of rain): he-keukeu te ûa.
- keva, blind (mata keva); blind in one eye; very short-sighted.
- ki,(preposition) to, towards (a place, a person); after (time); for, in order to...
- kî,to say, to speak; word, language; will, wish (verbally expressed): e-hakarogo koe ki te kî o toou matu'a, obey you father's will.
- kia,
- let's go! (also: matu).
- interjection encouraging someone to say more: kia koe ka vânaga-mai, tell me more; kia ki te kî ki a koe, we'll talk another time.
- Kia kiva, careful, do keep it secret!
- kiakia,
- suffixed to a verb, expresses an action of long duration : he-ruku ki roto ki te vai, he-hopuhopu kiakia, she dives into the water and bathes at length.
- a bird (sea dove, Gigis alba).
- kiata, colored earth once used for painting one's body (ochre?).
- kiato, the horizontal poles connecting the canoe ( vaka ama) to the outrigger (ama).
- ki'ea,red earth rich in hematite (ferrous oxide). It was obtained from a mine on the slope of Poike, and was used to paint one's face.
- kíhikíhi,lichen; also: grey, greenish grey, ashen.
- kiki, stiff, to stiffen; kíkikíki: convulsions.
- kikino, see kino.
- kikiri, pebbles; also kirikiri.
- kikiu,
- said of food insufficiently cooked and therefore tough: kai kikiu.
- to tie securely; to tighten the knots of a snare: ku-kikiu-á te hereíga, the knot has been tightened.
- figuratively: mean, tight, stingy; puoko kikiu. a miser; also: eve kikiu.
- to squeak (of rats, chickens).
- kiko,
- meat, flesh: kiko moa, kiko manu, kiko îka, kiko kio'e, flesh of chicken, bird, fish, rat.
- (human) body, used in the ancient expression hare kiko pako'o, when speaking of a household (hare) who did not give shelter to a refugee or else surrendered his body to his pursuers.
- sterile, barren, unproductive; ku-kiko á te henua nei, this land is barren.
- internal fibres of the banana tree or of the totora reed, stuck to the bark, which are use to make braided ropes: kiko maîka, kiko gaatu, mo hiro o te taúra mo te akavega banana and totora fibres for twisting strings for akavega baskets.
- kimi, to seek; to investigate.
- kino,
- bad; kikino, very bad, cursed; kona kino, dangerous place.
- blemish (on body).
- kinoga, badness, evil, wickedness; penis.
- kinokino, badly made, crude: ahu kinokino, badly made ahu, with coarse, ill-fitting stones.
- kio,
- defeated; one who has taken refuge in a house or in a cave.
- to come out a winner, to win, to be victorious in war, in a quarrel, in a race: ku-kio-á te taûa i a Miru, the war was won by the Miru; ku-kio-á te toru vaka, the third boat won.
- kio'e, rat.
- kiogo, cave used as hiding place by a party of refugees (possibly a misprint for kioga -- translator's note).
- kiokio, to smell of smoke, to smell smoky (of food).
- kiri, skin; bark; husk; kiri heuheu, downy skin; kiri mohimohi (also kiri magó), smooth hairless skin.
- kirikiri miro, multicoloured.
- kiroké, kiroke'a, a seaweed (fleshy, tender, edible).
- kitoga, toilet, latrine, defecating ground.
- kiukiu, to chirp (of chicks and birds); to make short noises. The first bells brought by the missionaries were given this name.
- kiva,
- to keep a secret (see kia); silent, quiet; e-kiva koe i a au, keep my secret (i.e. do not denounce me, do not divulge what you know about me).
- smooth, regular (of things with a smooth surface without wrinkles or asperities).
- kivakiva, to be dumbstruck; silent, taciturn, absorbed in thought; he-kivakiva toona re'o. he became silent.