Home Introduction Grammar English-Rapanui
a e g h haka i k m n o p r t u v
- tu, to crush into puree, like women of old did, crushing sweet potatoes and mixing them with cooked egg to give the children.
- tu'a,
- back, shoulder, tu'a ivi, shoulder blade; tu'a ivi more, lumbago; moa tu'a ivi raá, "sun-back chicken": chicken with a yellow back which shines in the sun.
- behind (a locative adverb, used with i, ki, a, o, etc).
- Tu'a Hotu Iti, Ancient name of the area extending from the north-east to the south-east of the island.
- tuahane, brother (also: taína tamâroa).
- tuahine, sister (also: taina tamahahine).
- tûai, ancient, of ancient times; i te nohoga tûai-era-á, in ancient times; tagata tûai, ancient people, the people of yore.
- tuamigo, a fish (women catch them in the sea at night, never during the day).
- tu'a-papa, pelvis; hips.
- tuere heu, a grass: Agrestis avenacea.
- tugu, cough; to cough.
- tugutugu, young man, boy; bachelor.
- tuha, to distribute the food or the gift given out during a party or an umu papaku. (This is the official role of the motuha).
- tuha'a, to reserve a share of the food or the gifts for someone (see tuha above).
- tuhi, to point with the forefinger (which is called tuhi henua); to offer something to someone by pointing at it; to denounce someone, to put the blame on someone. tuhi henua. forefinger, index finger.
- tuhia háûa, ring finger;
- tui,
- to sew mats, to make strings.
- the three stars of Orion's Belt.
- tuitui, to string together; to tie together the chickens to be given away at a gogoro moa; tuitui koviro to join hands, forming a circle.
- tuke, stem, stalk; vein of dry banana leaf; whole, dry banana leaf with its kaka;
- tuke niu, palm leaves.
- tuke raá, sun rays, sun beams.
- tuke gao, nape of the neck; top of the spine.
- tuki,
- to fecundate with sperm. He-tuki Makemake ki te oone rapo, he-poreko-mai te tagata, Makemake ejaculated into the clay, and man was born.
- to fertilize the ground by tilling, ploughing: e-tuki-á au i te henua, I am tilling the ground.
- to be shocked, grieved, distressed; used in expressions like e-mamae-nó-á au i te vânaga, he-tuki-no-mai-á i te vânaga i-kî-mai era koe, I am hurt by these words, shocked by what you told me.
- tukituki, to paint, to decorate with colored spots or dots; he-tukituki te nua hai pua. to decorate a cape with yellow dots (using the yellow dye extracted from the pua plant).
- tuku,
- to leave something lying spread on the ground; to spread, unfurl, unroll something on the ground; tukuga, mat spread on the ground; tukuga tagata, mat on which have been put pieces of cooked human flesh.
- tuku kupega, a fishing technique: two men drag along the top of a fishing net doubled up, spread out on the bottom of a small cove, trapping the fish into the net; tukutuku, to fish while swimming, holding a basket-shaped net.
- tuku huri, to sit with one's buttocks resting on one's heels, soles flat on the ground (also: tuku-turi). Figuratively: ka tuku! pay attention! (literally: sit still!).
- tuku rîu, to sit in the posture typical of choir singers in rîu festivals or singing festivals in general, which was sitting on one's heels.
- tukuga, mat spread on the ground; tukuga tagata, mat on which have been put pieces of cooked human flesh.
- tukutuku, to fish while swimming, holding a basket-shaped net (see tuku).
- tukuturi, to sit with one's buttocks resting on one's heels, soles flat on the ground (see tuku).
- tumu,
- tree trunk.
- ancestors: tumu matu'á, parents; tumu tupuna, grandparents. By extension: tumu taína, members of friendly families.
- como término muy especial se usa tumu para se¤alar a familias o personas que no son parientes, de modo que sus hijos podían, según antigua usanza, casarse entre ellos y formar un nuevo tronco.
- origin of something; initiator of an idea; person who is the cause of a fight: tumu taûa.
- He-kore te tumu, to be so weakened that you cannot stand (lit.: the trunk is lacking).
- tuna, rolling stone.
- tunoko, dislocation, luxation (of the elbow, the ankle, the wrist).
- tunu, to heat, to cook; he-tunu i te kai, to cook food; tunu ahi, to roast on a fire.
- tupa, ancient buildings found scattered along the coast; made of stone, and almost all of them round, they served as shelters for fishermen.
- tupatupa, to carry (someone) on a stretcher; to carry (a load) with the help of several people.
- tupu,
- shoot, sprout, bud; to sprout, to bud.
- pregnant: vî'e tupu (o te poki); to be conceived (of fetus in its mother's womb): he-tupu te poki i roto i te kopú o toona matu'a.
- tupuaki, near, to draw near. He-tupuaki ki te hare o Hagapoukura, he drew near Hangapoukura's house.
- tupuna, grandparent; ancestors.
- tureme, a sort of aliment [Spanish: cierta clase de pasto, which may mean pasture or food; the word does not occur in the legends].
- turi,knuckle; turi-rima, elbow; turi-va'e ankle (also just turi).
- turu, to come down, to go down, to descend; ka-turu-age koe ki tai, go down to the sea now; turuga, coming down, descent.
- turuturu,
- to drip (of water or other liquids).
- stick, cane, baton (also: tokotoko).
- tuta'e,
- excrement, dung, filth; kai tuta'e, hens (lit.: filth-eaters).
- to disgrace, to seduce (a woman): he-tuta'e i te vî'e.
- tute, to chase away; he-tute koe au, I chase you away, i.e. go away! Shortened to: tute-atu!
- tutu,
- circle of fishing nets arranged in the shape of a funnels or baskets.
- to light a fire; he-tutu i te ahi: to burn something.
- to hit, to strike, to beat.
- tûtú, to shake (something) clean of dust or dirt; he-tûtú te oone o te nua, to shake the dirt off a nua cape.
- tutuhi, to reject the responsibility for a mistake onto one another, to blame one another for a mistake (see tuhi).
- tutuki, to stumble, to trip. O tutuki te va'e, in order not to trip.
- tutuma, firebrand, partly burnt stick.
- tuturi, to kneel.
- tu'u,
- to arrive: tu'u-mai.
- upright pole; to stand upright (also: tutu'u).
- to guess correctly, to work out (the meaning of a word) correctly: ku-tu'u-á koe ki te vânaga, you have guessed correctly [the meaning of] the word.
- to hit the mark, to connect (a blow).
- Ku-tu'u pehé, is considered as...; te poki to'o i te me'e hakarere i roto i te hare, ku-tu'u-á pehé poki ra'ura'u, a child who takes things that have been left in the house is considered as a petty thief.
- Tu'u aro, northwest and west side of the island.
- tu'u haígoígo, back tattoo.
- tu'u haviki, easily angered person.
- tuúra, servant of an ariki (king).
- tuuria, outer shell of crustaceans and mollusks: tuuria pipi, tuuria mama, tuuria hatuke, tuuria ura.
- tu'u-toga, eel-fishing using a line weighted with stones and a hook with bait, so that the line reaches vertically straight to the bottom of the sea.
- tu'utu'u, to hit the mark time and again (see tu'u).
- tu'utu'u îka, fish fin (except the tail fin, called hiku).
- tuví, mark on fishing line to indicate a number of fathoms, made with mahute fibre.