Category Archives: K

Cook Islands Maori words beginning with ‘k’

kakai

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kakai, v.i. intens. kai1. Eat heavily, consume a great deal; Heavy eating or consumption.

‘E ‘apinga tika ai te kakai i tērā tamaiti.
It’s amazing how much that boy can stow away;

I aere mai te Tamaiti a te tangata ma te kaikai e te inu, e te karanga nei ratou, I na, e tangata kakai e te inu wina.
The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a wine-bibber (Matt. 11.19);

e ai kakai oki toou Atua ko Iehova,
for the Lord thy God is a consuming fire (Deut. 4.24). [kai1 rR.]

kakati1

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kakati1, (-‘ia, kātia).

1. Bite, nip.

Kua kakati te puakāoa i te tamaiti.
The dog bit the child;

Kua kakati te namu iāku.
The mosquitoes bit me;

‘Ē ‘ākara koe i te kakati a te puakāoa i runga i taku rima.
Look at this dog bite on my hand;

Kia matakite, ‘e ‘oro‘enua kakati tēia.
Watch out, this horse bites;

‘Auraka e kai, ‘e varaoa kātia tēnā e te kioretoka.
Don’t eat it, the rats have been nibbling that loaf;

i tōna kakati‘ia‘anga e te veri,
when he got bitten by a centipede;

te ngā‘i e kakati ei te pereiki ki runga i te uira,
the place where the brakes grip on the wheel.

2. v.i. (Have) a gnawing pain.

Kua kakati tōku kōpū.
I’ve a gnawing pain in my stomach;

‘E ‘apinga tika ai te kakati i tōku kōpū.
There is an awful gnawing pain in my stomach. [-kati2 rR.]

kākā1

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kākā1, n. Name given to a number of lianas.

‘ī toru āku kākā i ‘apai mai ei ‘ei rere nā tātou.
I’ve brought three (lengths of) lianas for us to skip with;

Kua ‘apai mai ‘a Mere i te ruru kākā ki te ‘āpi‘i.
Mere has brought a coil of liana to school;

Kua ‘u‘uti kākā mātou.
We’ve pulled up some lianas. Some varieties:

Kākā mura,
which has a reddish stem;

Kākā tea,
found on the coast, with a pale-greenish stem;

Kākā uri,
dark-green stemmed;

Kākā vai,
whose large stem holds potable water.

kakara

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kakara, v.i. (Give off) an attractive scent, smell sweet; sweet smell.

Kua kakara te kai a kōtou.
Your food smells good;

‘E tiare kakara te tī pani.
The frangipani is a scented flower;

I te kakara‘anga o te manongi, kua kite au ē ‘e tangata tei va‘o i te ‘are.
I could tell there was someone outside the house from the scent of coconut-oil;

‘E ‘apinga tika ai te kakara i te tī pani.
The scent from frangipani is terrific. [Pn. *kakala.]

kākā2

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kākā2, n. Said to be a large heron-like bird living in the hills but visiting the river banks at certain seasons, but the ornithologists know of no such bird.

Kua rere te kākā nō tei arumaki‘ia e te puakāoa. The kākā
flew off because the dog was after it;

‘E punua kākā ‘ua.
It’s only a young

kākā.

kakā

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kakā.

1. v.i. Shine brightly, vividly, radiantly, gloriously; brightness, glory.

‘E kakā tika ai te mārama o te ‘ētū a‘ia‘i.
The evening star is shining brightly;

‘E mārama tika ai te kakā o te marama.
The moonlight is very bright;

Kua kakā mai te rā ki raro.
The sun shone down;

‘e karapa‘anga uira kakā,
a vivid flash of lightning;

Kua kakā te ariki va‘ine i tōna no‘o‘anga ki runga i te terōno ariki.
The queen was radiant (or resplendent) seated on the royal throne;

Nō‘ou te pātireia, te mana, ē te kakā,
Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory;

Te tuatua nei te au rangi i te kakā o te Atua.
The heavens declare the glory of God (Ps. 19.1).

2. v.t. (-‘ia). In the phrase kakā i te mata, open the eyes wide, keep a sharp lookout;

Kua kakā ‘aia i tōna mata nō tōna pō‘itirere.
He opened his eyes wide in astonishment;

Kakā‘ia tō‘ou mata kia kite koe i te pa‘ī rere.
Keep your eyes skinned for the plane. Mata kakā, sharp eyes.

‘E mata kakā tōna.
He’s got sharp eyes. [kā2, rR.]

kakau

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kakau, n. Stem, stalk, handle.

E ‘aki‘aki kōtou i te kakau o te tōmāti.
Nip off the stalks of the tomatoes;

te kakau o te rau rākau.
The stalk of the leaf;

Kua ‘ati te kakau o te toki.
The handle of the axe is broken;

Kua mingi te kakau o te pē.
The handle of the spade is bent. [Pn. *kakau2.]

kako

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kako, v.i. Fully occupied (of ground or floor-space), covered, pervaded.

Nō te roa i te ‘akaruke‘anga i tō mātou kāinga, kua kako i te tī tā kino.
We were away from home for so long that it became overgrown with weeds;

Kua kako tēia ngā‘i i te tangata.
The place is crowded out;

I te kako‘anga o te ‘are i te tangata, kua tōpiri-‘ia te pā kia kore ‘e tangata e tomo ‘aka‘ou mai.
When the hall was full, the doors were closed to prevent anyone else getting in;

Kua ‘aere tōna rongo ē kako roa ake te ‘enua.
His fame spread throughout the land;

Kua kako matou i te mate.
We are troubled on every side (2 Cor. 4.8.);

Kako rava akera taua enua ra i te poiri.
There was darkness over the whole land (Mark 15.33);

kia kako ana iaku Makedonia,
when I shall pass through (when I am travelling around in) Macedonia (1 Cor. 16.5). (See tākako.)

kākāia

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kākāia, n. The white tern (Gygis alba).

Mē ‘e manu ‘uru teatea, ‘e kākāia.
If the bird has white feathers, it‘ll be a fairy tern;

‘Auraka e vā‘i i te ‘ua kākāia.
Don’t break the fairy tern’s eggs;

I pupu‘i kākāia ana koe?
Had you shot a fairy tern?

kamupani

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kamupani, n.

1. Trading company.

Kua tere ma‘ata tā mātou kamupani i teia mata‘iti.
Our company made a big profit this year;

‘E pātikara Kamupani tōku.
Mine is a Company bicycle.

2. Regimental company.

Te au ‘ōpita o te kamupani,
the officers of the company.

3. In ‘anga-‘anga kamupani, group work.

‘E ‘anga-‘anga kamupani tā mātou.
We‘re doing group work (communal work around the island, house-building, planting, etc.). [Eng. company.]

kākō

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kākō, n. Cargo.

Kua tari‘ia te kākō nā runga i te pere‘ō ki te ‘are ‘a‘ao‘anga ‘ua rākau.
The cargo was taken by wagons to the packing-shed.

‘E ‘are kākō ma‘ata tō Tānara i Avarua.
Tānara has a big cargo-shed in Avarua;

Kua tari kākō mātou i tēia rā ē pō ‘ua ake.
We’ve been carting cargo all day long. [Eng. cargo.]

kaku

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kaku, v.t.

1. Beg, entreat for something.

Kāre ‘aia i roa i te no‘o‘anga ki Peritāne, kua kaku kia ‘aka‘oki vave‘ia ki Rarotonga.
She hadn’t been in Britain long before she begged to be taken back quickly to Rarotonga;

Kua kaku ‘aia kia ‘akakore‘ia tāna ‘ara.
He begged that his sins might be forgiven;

I mua ake ka tāmate‘ia ai ‘aia, kua kaku ‘aia i te tātauro.
Before she was put to death, she begged for a cross.

2. Long for (nostalgically).

Kia kite te tamaiti kaimoumou ‘apinga i tōna ngere, kua auē ‘aia ē kua kaku i tōna metua.
When the prodigal son found himself destitute, he wept and yearned for his father;

Kua kaku ‘aia i tōna ‘enua ‘ānau.
He longed for his native land.

kake

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kake,

1. (-a, -‘ia, -na). (a) Climb (i) something, climb up or get on (ki runga i) something. I tōna kake‘anga i te maunga, kua patere ‘aia ē kua ‘ati tōna vaevae. When he was climbing the mountain, he slipped and broke his leg; ‘Auraka e kake ki runga i te tumu nū teitei. Don’t go climbing up high coconut trees; Kua kake ‘aia ki runga i tōna pātikara. He got on his bicycle; ‘Ē kake ki runga i tō ‘oro‘enua. Get on your horse; ‘E maunga kake‘ia tēia e te tangata. This mountain is often climbed; ‘E maunga kake ngatā ‘a Te ‘Atukura. Te ‘Atukura is a difficult mountain to climb. Kake ki uta, go ashore. Kāre te pātete e ‘akatika‘ia kia kake ki uta. The passengers were not permitted to go ashore. Kake ki runga i te tā‘onga, accede to a title. Kua ‘aka-tupu ‘aia i te ‘au ki rotopū i tōna kōpū tangata i tōna kake‘anga ki runga i te tā‘onga. He reconciled the (quarrelling branches of the) family when he acceded to the title. Tangata kake maunga, a mountaineer. (b) Mount, serve (i a female animal). Kua tu‘etu‘e te tī nana i tōna kake‘anga‘ia e te toa ‘oro‘enua. The mare kicked when the stallion mounted her; NĀ tā‘au toa puaka i kake i tāku tī nana. Your boar served my sow

2. v.i. Rise (of sun, moon, barometer, bread, prices, terrain).

Kua kake te rā.
The sun is up;

Ka ‘aere ki te ora rua e kake mai ei te marama.
It‘ll be two o‘clock before the moon rises;

Kua kake mai te mārama ao i te ‘itinga.
Daylight came up in the east;

Kua kake te ‘oko o te ‘apinga ki runga.
The price of things has gone up;

Kua kake te vāito ‘uri‘ia.
The barometer has risen;

Kua kake te varaoa.
The bread has risen;

Kua kake tū te maunga.
The mountain rose vertically;

te au mato kake tū,
the sheer cliffs;

Kua kake te ‘ature.
The mackerel have come inshore into the shallows. (See kakake, kākakake, kākenga, kakekake, tākake-(kake).) [Pn. *kake.]