Some resources to start learning:

There is only 5 vowels and 10 consonnants in Te Reo Māori. Start by learning how they are pronounced, with the help of this pronunciation guide by the University of Waikato.

You can also watch the following YouTube tutorials:

Just ask…

When in doubt about how to say someone’s name, it is always best to ask them to teach you rather than taking a chance and getting it wrong.

The AROHA system was developed to help professionals learn how to pronounce their clients’ name while making them feel valued, cared for and safe.

“To ask a question is a shame of a moment. Not to ask the question is a shame that lasts for your whole life…”

(Japanese proverb)

Practice with these flash cards

Are you too embarrassed to even try? Learning words in a new language is like sports : you need to practice over and over to get better. This deck of flashcards that you will find on Brainscape will help you do that to learn the correct pronunciation of 48 common Maori names.

On the front side of each flashcard, you’ll see a Maori name. Say it out loud, trying your best to pronounce it correctly. Then flip the card to hear the name pronounced by a fluent Te Reo Maori speaker. How close was your pronunciation to the correct one? Rate it on a scale from one to five (click on the number in the colourful scale provided under the flash card). The higher your score for a particular name, the least often Brainscape will present you with it again. You can spread your practice session over many days, to get the most of them. Keep on going until you have mastered 100% of the cards. 

The back side of each card also displays the gender usually associated with the name, as well as its meaning. Once you’ve mastered the pronunciation of each name, why not go through the card deck again to memorize this information too?

Here is a link to the card deck . Once your have opened the webpage, click on the green “Study These Flashcards” button in the top right corner. You will need to register as a new user, otherwise, Brainscape will not save your progress. But signing up is free and it will also give you access to many other card decks on a wide variety of subjects, including more Maori vocabulary.

All sound clips and definitions come from Te Aka Maori-English Online Dictionary.

Spaced repetition is a learning technique that takes advantage of the psychological spacing effect, meaning that we learn more efficiently when the interaction with content is repeated over many shorter episodes rather than trying to cram it all into one single, long study session. Also, it has been found that a piece of information has more chances to stick into your long-term memory if you wait a bit after being exposed to it and then, just as you are about to forget it, make an active effort to recall it. 

With just 5 minutes of practice per day, you can progress very quickly!

Assess your own progress

The best way to assess your own progress is to practice the AROHA system and ask your students, patients or clients for their feedback.

You can also test your pronunciation of Māori names by making and listening to your own recordings, and comparing them to the pronunciation of a fluent speaker.