Numbers in Māori

In Brief

The basic Māori numbers are tahi, rua, toru, whā, rima, ono, whitu, waru, iwa, tekau. To state a quantity of two to nine things, a common pattern is e + number + ngā + noun: E rua ngā kurī means “There are two dogs.” Larger numbers are built regularly: tekau mā tahi is eleven, and e rua tekau is twenty.

Overview

Numbers are an A1 foundation in te reo Māori. You meet them when talking about people, objects, age, time, dates, money, and measurements. The words themselves are manageable: learn one to ten, then combine them in recurring patterns for tens, hundreds, and thousands.

This article teaches cardinal numbers (numbers that give a quantity, such as one, two, and three). Māori is different from English in the way a number fits into a sentence. English normally places a bare number directly before a noun: “two dogs.” Māori commonly uses a number phrase with e and a noun phrase with ngā: E rua ngā kurī. The noun itself does not change form; kurī can mean either “dog” or “dogs,” while words around it show number.

Two distinctions deserve special attention. First, tahi is the form heard in the counting sequence, while kotahi commonly expresses a quantity of one. Second, people have special counting forms beginning with toko-, such as tokorua “two people.” Learn the simple pattern for things first, then add the people forms.

How It Works

The numbers from one to ten

Macrons are part of correct spelling. In particular, write whā, not wha, for “four.” A macron marks a long vowel, so it also matters in pronunciation.

Number	Māori	Typical use
1	tahi / kotahi	tahi in the sequence; kotahi for a quantity of one
2	rua	two
3	toru	three
4	whā	four
5	rima	five
6	ono	six
7	whitu	seven
8	waru	eight
9	iwa	nine
10	tekau	ten

Say the sequence in a steady rhythm: tahi, rua, toru, whā, rima, ono, whitu, waru, iwa, tekau. Do not let English spelling habits alter the vowels: Māori vowels are pronounced consistently, and wh is commonly pronounced much like English f, though pronunciation varies among speakers and regions.

One: tahi and kotahi

A useful beginner distinction is:

• Use tahi while counting aloud: tahi, rua, toru.
• Use kotahi to say that there is one item: Kotahi te pukapuka — “There is one book.”
• Use tahi as the final unit in a compound number: tekau mā tahi — “eleven.”

Notice the article (a small word such as “the”) after the number. With one, the noun phrase is singular and takes te: Kotahi te kurī. With two or more definite items, it takes plural ngā: E rua ngā kurī.

Counting things: e + number + ngā + noun

For a basic statement about two to nine things, use:

E + number + ngā + noun

Structure	Example	Meaning
E + rua + ngā + kurī	E rua ngā kurī.	There are two dogs.
E + toru + ngā + pukapuka	E toru ngā pukapuka.	There are three books.
E + whā + ngā + rā	E whā ngā rā.	There are four days.

Here e is a particle (a short grammatical word that helps mark the construction); it does not mean “there are” by itself. Ngā marks the following noun phrase as plural. Māori nouns do not normally add an ending equivalent to English -s: the same form pukapuka appears in te pukapuka “the book” and ngā pukapuka “the books.”

These sentences can often be translated naturally either as “There are two dogs” or simply “two dogs,” depending on context. Do not force a word-for-word English analysis onto them.

Eleven to nineteen

Use tekau mā + unit:

Number	Māori	Literal build
11	tekau mā tahi	ten plus one
12	tekau mā rua	ten plus two
13	tekau mā toru	ten plus three
14	tekau mā whā	ten plus four
15	tekau mā rima	ten plus five
16	tekau mā ono	ten plus six
17	tekau mā whitu	ten plus seven
18	tekau mā waru	ten plus eight
19	tekau mā iwa	ten plus nine

The connector mā links the ten to the added unit. Its macron matters. English changes ten to the irregular stem -teen; Māori keeps the transparent “ten plus unit” structure.

Multiples of ten and mixed tens

For twenty, thirty, and so on, place the multiplier before tekau. In a counting expression, the multiplier is introduced by e:

Number	Māori
20	e rua tekau
30	e toru tekau
40	e whā tekau
50	e rima tekau
90	e iwa tekau

Add mā and the final unit for a number between the tens:

• e rua tekau mā tahi — twenty-one
• e toru tekau mā whā — thirty-four
• e iwa tekau mā iwa — ninety-nine

Think in blocks: e rua tekau (two tens), then mā tahi (plus one). This is more regular than English twenty-one, whose word for two changes shape.

Counting people: toko-

When the counted noun refers to people, Māori uses special forms with toko-. These are not used for books, animals, days, or other things.

People	Māori form
1	tokotahi
2	tokorua
3	tokotoru
4	tokowhā
5	tokorima
6	tokoono
7	tokowhitu
8	tokowaru
9	tokoiwa
10	tekau

Thus Tokorima ngā tamariki means “There are five children.” Compare E rima ngā pukapuka “There are five books.” The choice between toko- and e + number tells the listener whether you are counting people or non-people.

Hundreds and thousands

You do not need large numbers immediately at A1, but their structure is useful to recognise:

Number	Māori
100	kotahi rau
200	e rua rau
1,000	kotahi mano
2,000	e rua mano

Rau means “hundred” and mano means “thousand.” Longer numbers join the remaining part with mā: kotahi rau mā rua is 102. In careful real-world use, listen to how fluent speakers group long numbers, especially in dates, phone numbers, and formal announcements.

Examples in Context

Māori	English	Note
Tahi, rua, toru, whā, rima.	One, two, three, four, five.	Counting sequence
Kotahi te ngeru.	There is one cat.	kotahi with singular te
E rua ngā kurī.	There are two dogs.	Basic non-person pattern
E toru ngā pukapuka.	There are three books.	The noun has no plural ending
E whā ngā rā.	There are four days.	Quantity with e
E rima ngā rīwai.	There are five potatoes.	Everyday object
Tekau ngā ākonga.	There are ten students.	Ten as a quantity
Tekau mā tahi.	Eleven.	Ten plus one
Tekau mā waru ōku tau.	I am eighteen years old.	Literally, “My years are eighteen”
E rua tekau.	Twenty.	Two tens
E rua tekau mā rima.	Twenty-five.	Two tens plus five
Tokorua ngā kaiako.	There are two teachers.	Special person-counting form
Tokorima ngā tamariki.	There are five children.	toko- for people
Kotahi rau ngā whārangi.	There are one hundred pages.	rau “hundred”

Common Mistakes

Using tahi for every meaning of “one”

• Wrong: Tahi te pukapuka.
• Right: Kotahi te pukapuka.
• Why: Tahi belongs in the basic sequence and in compounds such as tekau mā tahi. For a stand-alone quantity of one, kotahi is the usual beginner form.

Dropping e from basic quantities

• Wrong: Rua ngā kurī.
• Right: E rua ngā kurī.
• Why: In the basic two-to-nine quantity pattern, e introduces the number. English has no matching word, so English speakers easily omit it.

Using te with a plural quantity

• Wrong: E toru te pukapuka.
• Right: E toru ngā pukapuka.
• Why: Te marks a singular definite noun phrase; ngā marks a plural one. The noun pukapuka itself stays unchanged.

Counting people like objects

• Less appropriate: E rima ngā tamariki.
• Preferred: Tokorima ngā tamariki.
• Why: Use the toko- forms when counting people. Use e rima for things and animals.

Leaving out mā in a compound number

• Wrong: tekau tahi
• Right: tekau mā tahi
• Why: Mā links the tens block to the added unit. Keep its macron in writing.

Omitting the macron in whā

• Wrong: wha
• Right: whā
• Why: Macron use is not decorative. It represents vowel length and belongs in standard spelling.

Usage Notes

In isolation, speakers may simply say a number: E hia? — E toru. “How many? — Three.” The surrounding conversation supplies the missing noun. This is similar to English, but the answer retains e with numbers such as toru.

Traditional number patterns remain fundamental, while modern contexts can vary in how long strings are read. Telephone numbers, codes, sports scores, years, and decimal figures may be spoken digit by digit or grouped according to context. Rather than assuming that every written string is read like a mathematical whole number, imitate the usage you hear in that setting.

Dialect and speaker preference can also affect pronunciation and the handling of complex expressions. The core forms in this article are widely understood standard forms. Keep listening to fluent speakers, and treat macrons as part of the word even when a device or an older text fails to display them.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master every large-number expression yet, but number grammar reaches beyond arithmetic. Different constructions appear with dates, clock time, prices, measurements, age, and ordering. For example, Tekau mā waru ōku tau expresses age through possessed “years,” rather than by copying English “I am eighteen.” This is a reminder that knowing the number word does not automatically give you the whole sentence pattern.

Māori also distinguishes cardinal numbers from ordinal numbers. Ordinals commonly use tua-: tuatahi “first,” tuarua “second,” and tuatoru “third.” Do not use these when merely stating how many things there are. Conversely, use an ordinal when identifying a position in a sequence: te rā tuatahi “the first day.”

Questions add another important distinction. E hia? asks “how many?” for things, while tokohia? asks how many people. Their answers mirror the question: E whā ngā pukapuka but Tokowhā ngā ākonga. Learning these as matched question-and-answer pairs is more effective than memorising isolated words.

Finally, older texts and formal language may contain additional ways of organising or expressing numbers. For everyday learning, use the productive decimal patterns taught here and let attested usage guide you when a historical, mathematical, or ceremonial context requires something more specialised.

Practice Tips

1. Build numbers in layers. Recite one to ten, then make eleven to nineteen with tekau mā, then practise multiples of ten with e + number + tekau. Say a random number such as 47 by assembling it: e whā tekau mā whitu.
2. Count what you can see. Use Kotahi te... for one and E rua ngā... for two or more: books, chairs, cups, or windows. This trains the articles te/ngā together with the numbers.
3. Separate people from things. Make two small flashcard sets: e rua, e toru, e whā for things and tokorua, tokotoru, tokowhā for people. Answer E hia? and Tokohia? aloud so the correct pattern becomes automatic.

Related Concepts

• Next step: Time Expressions — use numbers when telling time and discussing days and dates.
• Next step: Ordinal Numbers and Sequencing — learn tuatahi, tuarua, and other sequence words.
• Next step: How Many and How Much — ask E hia? for things and Tokohia? for people.