Editor’s Note: Vinaka to the late Dr. Albert Schutz for offering visitors this primer on useful Fijian words and phrases. Schutz is the author of the best selling Say it in Fijian and Fijian Reference Grammar.
Fijian-English Vocabulary:
a, na noun marker past tense cei who?
cici run
cina lamp, torch
an I ciwa nine
aua hour cudru angry
ba fence curu enter
balavu long, tall dabe sit
balebale, i- meaning daidai today
baleta because daku back
baravi coast, shore daliga car
basi bus dalo taro
batabata cold, cool danisi dance
ball tooth dam we (2, inclusive)
beka perhaps, please daioit (ton) we (3, inclusive)
bera slow, late dan leitei farmer
bilo cup de lest
bogi night dede long (time)
bu drinking coconut dela above, top
dina true, genuine
bula live, hello
bulumakau cattle dodonu correct, straight
butobuto dark
ca bad dola-va open
cabe up, ashore doit you (3)
cagi wind dovii sugarcane
cakacaka work draiva drive, driver
cakau reef draki weather
caka-va do, make drau hundred
cake up, more drau you (2)
cala, err drau leaf
cauravou youth drau ni ulu hair
cava what? dredre laugh
cega rest dredre difficult
drokadrok a dua green, blue one kdkua (kua) don’t (command)
duadua only, alone kalokalo star
duatani different Kaloko clock
did each kalou spirit, god
diddid different kanukamica sweet
duka dirty kana eat
e (1) verbal marker karakarawa, blue, green
(2) katakata, hot
katalau breakfast, basket, box
e muri in, at behind, later kato kan wood, stick
e ra underneath kaukaua strong
era they (pl.) ke if
fid feet (measure)
kea (key a) here there
go only, just kece all
glide stroll kei with, and
gauna time kerekere request
gaunisala road, path keri there
gone child kete stomach
gone vuli student kevaka if
gunu drink ki to
gusu mouth ki muri to the rear
ia but kila know
ika fish koli dog
iko you (1) koro village
io yes koro ni vuli school
ira they (pl.) koto lie (recline)
isa exclamation: regret, yearning koya (oya) he, she that
Jaina banana kuli skin, bark kune-a find
ka thing kuro pot
kaba-ta climb laga sere sing
kai inhabitant of lai lai lako small go
kai mua sailor lai a empty
kakana food lavo money
lawa net, law matai smart,
lekaleka short carpenter
leqa trouble matanitu government lesu return mataqali type
levu big ma tau, i- right side
uga hand, forearm mate die
malua mature, ripe
lima five mawi, left side
lorn a centre, inside me in order to minid minute
lomana care for moce sleep, goodbye
lultilu handshake
maca empty, dry mocemoce, bed
macai a clear i~
macawa week, sky moku siga waste time
mada please mod citrus
madrai bread motoka car
madua! ashamed, bashful muri, e behind
na future tense
mai at, from, hither na the
naica when
made mile nanoa yesterday
makawa old nanuma think
makete market nei of
malua slow ni when, that
mamau full (sated) ni of
mana supernatural power ni, orii you (plural)
ni mataka tomorrow
manumanu animal, bird nikua today
maqo mango niu coconut
marama lady niusiveva newspaper
marau happy mataka hope
masese matches nuku sand
masi tapa o, ko proper noun marker
mala face, eye
mafa ni vamia herald o cloud
oca tired
matai, i- first onl, konl you (plural)
ono six san, i- cost,
oqo here, this payment
oqori there, that savata wash, clean
ose horse se whether, or
osooso busy, full sede cent
ole la hotel sega no
oti done, after sele, i~ knife
peni pen, penny siga day
posit ovesi post office si galev it, noon
qalo swim sisili bathe
qase old person sitoa store
qase ni vuli teacher siwa fish (with line)
qele earth, soil
qito play so bo (exclamation: surprise)
qoli fish (with nets)
ra, era they (plural) sogo close
ra down, under soko sail
raica see solia give
raraba wide sole shirt
rarawa sad sava soap
ratou they, them (3) suasua wet
rauta about, enough saka sugar
rawa able sulu, i- clothes
rawarawa easy tabu sacred, forbidden tabua whale’s tooth
rogoca hear
rourou cooked taro leaf tagane male
rua two tagica cry
sivia too much Talanoa, i- story
tale again
rumu room tama father
sa verbal particle, exclamation tamata person
saka sir, madam tanoa kava bowl
taralala dance
sala road, path tarausese trousers
sara very taroga ask
seuta run away, scamper off
tau fall (rain) uto breadfruit
tau, i– friend uvi yam
taubale walk va four
taucoko all vaka-bauta believe
taudua only, alone vaka-cava how
taura hold vaka-cegu rest, retire
tail tan vat a same, equal vaka-evei how about
tauvi mate ill vaka-lailai little
tavako tobacco, cigarette vaka-levu greatly, much
tavioka tapioca. manioc vaka-lolo prepared in coconut milk
vaka-malua slowly
ti tea. tea plant vaka-matea kill
teitei, i– farm, vaka-mau marriage
tekivu garden vaka-raitaka show. begin
vaka-rau ready
teveli table vaka-sasaqa cook, boil
tikina administrattive division vaka-siga-levu lunch
tiko sit, stay, vaka-tavako smoke
continuative vaka-totolo fast
tina mother vaka~valagi English
tini ten vaka-viti Fijian
tolu three vaka-yakavi dinner
totoka handsome vale house
totolo fast vale lailai toilet
tovolea try vale ni kana restaurant
tu stand, stay vale ni kuro kitchen
tuba outside vale ni lotu church
tukuna tel! vale ni office
tukutuku, i- news volavola
tulou pardon me vale ni kava-yaqona drinking house
turaga chief
uca rain
uciwai river vanua land, place
ucu nose vatu stone
udolu thousand vava, i- shoe, sandal
ulu head
vavalagi, valagi Caucasian
vuli learn
run away
vuniwai doctor
vei veikau where forest
vei mama middle, half vuqa many
wa ni siwa fishing line wai water
veivuke ask for help waka root
walesi radio
vica how many wati spouse
Vinaka thank you walu eight
vinakata want, like
viritaka throw
viniva dress waqa boat
vitu seven
waqavuka airplane
wasa, wasawasa ocean
waraka wait for
vodo to board, mount weleti papaya
vodovodo, i– to pay a fare wili count, read
vola vola, write letter, book voleka near, almost
yabaki year
yaca name
vu ni niu coconut tree
vuna source yani away
yali absent, away, missing, lost
yalo spirit, mind, emotion or temperament
yalo Vinaka please yaqona kava
vita fruit, seed yasana province
vuaka pig
vuka fly
vulagi visitor yava na foot, leg
yunayanu island
vula month
vulavula white yawa distant
English- Fijian vocabulary:
a, an e dua able sa rawa
about above after believe vakabauta
again tale adequate, enough sa rauta
all kece, taucoko almost near, nearby, voleka
alone taudua and ka, ia
angry cudru ashamed, bashful madua
arrive yaco ask taroga
ascend cabe awake yadra
airplane waqavuka blue karakarawa
bad ca
behind e muri beer bia
best, exceptional, duadua, box kato
big levu boat waqa
bird manumanu bowl tanoa
book ivola board vodo
bread madrai breadfruit uto
breakfast ikatalau, food busy osooso
but ia cattle bulumakau back daku
done, finished sa oti green drokadroka
Caucasian vavalagi car motoka
cook, boil vaka–sasaqa carpenter matai
coast baravi
come mai
clothes i-sulu
at away e, mai yadra yani, tani daku, ki cent center sede loma
bad banana bar muri chief turaga
ca Jaina vale ni child
church gone vale ni lotu, vale tabu
bark bashful basket bathe because bed yaqona cigarettes tavako
kuli madua kato citrus clean clear moli savata macala
sisili, ni i-mocemoce climb clock kaba-ta kaloko
close sogo-ta
beer bia
begin tekivu cloud 0
coast baravi
Top photo of Mr. Roko Nubutautau courtesy of Rob Rickman
and taudua kei, ka, ia
angry animal cudru manumanu breakfast busy i-katalau osooso
arrive ascend ashamed ask yaco cabe madua bits but car bast ia motoka
at awake away back e, mai yadra yani, tani daku, ki cattle Caucasian cent center bulumakau vavalagi sede loma
bad banana bar muri chief turaga
ca jaina vale ni child
church gone vale ni lotu, vale tabu
bark bashful basket bathe because bed yaqona cigarettes tavako
kuli madua kato citrus clean clear moli savata macala
sisili baleta, ni i-moce moce climb clock kaba-ta kaloko
close sogo-ta
clothes i-sulu
begin tekivu cloud 0
behind e muri
Top illustration is a painting by Karen Bower of Savusavu