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Reo Māori kupu (words) for games |
This is a list of kupu (words) that can be used in drawing and guessing games like Pictionary, Skribbl, Sketchful.
It is aimed at being beginner-friendly. Here's how it works:
- You set up a game using the kupu word list.
- You provide all players with the Kupu & English translation table below.
- A player is given a kupu to draw. They can find out what the kupu means by looking at the table.
- The other players guess what the kupu is by looking at the drawing. If they know what it is in English, they can look up the kupu in the table below.
| Kupu | English |
|---|---|
| Aotearoa | North Island - now more commonly used as the Māori name for New Zealand |
| Te Waipounamu | the South Island |
| Te Ika a Māui | the North Island |
| wahine | woman, wife (wāhine: women, wives) |
| tāne | man/men, husband(s) |
| kuīni | queen |
| kīngi | king |
| kāinga | home |
| whare | house, building, residence, dwelling |
| kura | school |
| waka | canoe, canoe group, ocean-going vessel |
| awa | river |
| maunga | mountain |
| wai | water |
| moana | sea |
| roto | lake |
| motu | island, country, land |
| ngahere | forest |
| rākau | tree |
| ponga | silver fern / tree fern (wikipedia) |
| putiputi | flower |
| āniwaniwa | rainbow |
| whetū | star(s) |
| rā | sun |
| marama | moon |
| rangi | sky |
| pō | night |
| ahi | fire |
| arero | tongue |
| ihu | nose |
| māhunga | hair / head |
| upoko | head |
| manawa | heart |
| niho | teeth |
| puku | belly, stomach |
| hope | hips / waist |
| ringa | hand, arm |
| waewae | foot/feet, leg/legs |
| tūtae | poo |
| waiata | song / to sing |
| pukapuka | book |
| pōtae | hat |
| waka rererangi | airplane |
| aroha | love |
| taonga | treasured possession or cultural item, anything precious |
| kai | food |
| inu | drink |
| miraka | milk |
| āporo | apple |
| ārani | orange |
| kuri | dog |
| ngēru | cat |
| hipi | sheep |
| kau | cow |
| heihei | chicken |
| kiwi | endemic (native) flightless bird with a long beak (wikipedia) |
| tuatara | endemic (native) reptile with baggy green-grey skin and spines down the back (wikipedia) |
| tūī | endemic (native) bird with glossy-black plumage and two white tufts at the throat (wikipedia) |
| ika | fish |
| kākāpō | endemic (native) flightless, large, green parrot with an owl-like face (wikipedia) |
| manu | bird |
| pūngāwerewere | spider(s) |
| rāpeti | rabbit |
| tuna | eel |
| hōiho | horse |
| kororā | penguin |
Sources:
- MāoriDictionary.co.nz
- "100 Māori words every New Zealander" should know on nzhistory.govt.nz
- "Te reo Māori glossary" on tepapa.govt.nz
- "1000 frequent words of Māori- in frequency order" on tereomaori.tki.org.nz
- "Learning Te Reo Māori" on kidspot.co.nz
Notes:
- There can be multiple kupu for the same word in English, and not all will be in the table above. Provide your players with this list in case they learnt a different kupu.
- Some kupu may have different meanings to different iwi. I've done my best to double check using MāoriDictionary.co.nz. Any errors are my own.
- To add words or make corrections, please contribute via GitHub.
- Kupu should be relatively easy to draw and recognise.
- Avoid kupu that might encourage drawing harmful or inaccurate stereotypes.
Skribble and Sketchful both accept comma-separated lists for their custom rooms. Macrons have been removed.
Aotearoa, Te Waipounamu, Te Ika a Māui, wahine, tāne, kuīni, kīngi,
kāinga, whare, kura, waka, awa, maunga, wai, moana, roto, motu,
ngahere, rākau, ponga, putiputi, āniwaniwa, whetū, rā, marama,
rangi, pō, ahi, arero, ihu, māhunga, upoko, manawa, niho, puku,
hope, ringa, waewae, tūtae, waiata, pukapuka, pōtae,
waka rererangi, aroha, taonga, kai, inu, miraka, āporo, ārani,
kuri, ngēru, hipi, kau, heihei, kiwi, tuatara, tūī, ika, kākāpō,
manu, pūngāwerewere, rāpeti, tuna, hōiho, kororā