Family relationships

Now add some words that let you talk more precisely about siblings, age order, and grandparents.

Te Reo Māori	English
tuakana	older sibling (same gender)
teina	younger sibling (same gender)
tuahine	sister (of a male)
tungāne	brother (of a female)
pōtiki	youngest child
kuia	grandmother
koroua	grandfather

Brothers and sisters: tuakana and teina are used for an older or younger sibling of the same gender as the speaker. So a boy would call his older brother tuakana, and a girl would call her older sister tuakana. If the siblings are different genders, different words are used: tuahine is a male's sister, and tungāne is a female's brother, regardless of age.

Grandparents: kuia and koroua are “grandmother” and “grandfather”. You may also hear kui and koro in everyday speech. Like many relationships in te ao Māori, these words can be broader too, and may also be used when addressing or referring to an older man or woman, not only a literal grandparent.

Ngā hononga whānau — Family relationships

Ngā hononga whānau — Family relationships