Te taetae ni Kiribati

The language of Kiribati

Objective: The goal of this lesson is to acquaint

you with the greetings in use in

Kiribati today, and when it is
appropriate to use them. By the end of
the lesson you should be able to greet
someone in a variety of situations, and
give appropriate responses.

dialogue for memorization

Te Kamauri

Greetings

Tim:

Ko na mauri !

Jim:

Hello!

Tiaon:

Mauri !

John:

Hello!

Tim:

Ko uara?

Jim:

How are you?

Tiaon:

Ko rab'a, I marurung. Ao
ngkoe, ko uara?

John:

Thank you, I'm fine. And you,

how are you?

Tim:

I marurungi naba, ko rab'a.

Jim:

I'm fine also, thank you.

Activities: Memorize both roles of the dialogue.

Practice initiating the sequence and

responding to someone else's offered
greetings, reversing roles periodically.

Nanon te taeka
ko na mauri!
uara
marurung
ko rab'a
naba

Meaning of the words

greetings, ('you will be
well')
be how? (interrogative
word)
good health
thank you
also

Note
Unlike the English greeting "hello," ko na mauri is generally
used only for a first meeting, or after some time has passed since the
greeters have last met. It is often abbreviated to a simple Mauri!
When meeting in passing, as on the road, the i-Kiribati will more
often use expressions like:
Ko na aera?
Where are you going?
Ko na nakea?
Where are you going?
Ko na toki iia?
Where will you stop?
Ko na boo nakea? Where are you going?
Or if the person is
known to be going in the direction of his home
Ko nako maiia? Where are you coming from?
Ko a oki?
You're returning?
Ko boo maiia? Where are you coming from?

Supplementary Activities:
1. Using the additional vocabulary items listed in the next
section, create new dialogues appropriate to different times of
day. Vary your role to be initiator and responder.
2. Change these dialogues into ones appropriate for situations
where it is not the first meeting of the day.

Suggestions for further use:

Take a walk through the community, trying out appropriate

greetings on the people you meet.

Make note of their responses, and report any new additions to

your greeting repertoire.

Supplementary Materials:
te b'akantaai
aei
te tairiki aei

this afternoon

this
evening/tonight
te ingaabong aei this morning

With the addition of the linking particle n, these phrases can be added
to (ko na) mauri or ko uara, providing more time specific greetings.
Similarly
te bong aei today
For example: Ko uara n te bong aei?
Modification of responses can include

rangi ni
bati ni
aki
teutana

very
much
not
not bad, a little

For example: I aki rangi ni marurung.

Or:
A: Ko uara? B: Teutana.

Additional Note
Ko is the singular form of the second person pronoun, in the
form used before a verb. When more than one person is being
addressed, the plural form kam is used: Kam na mauri!
Ngkoe is also a pronoun standing for "you", but is used in
places other than before a verb, such as for a one word answer to a
question.

2
Antai aram? - Reirei Uoua
What's your name? - Lesson Two
Objectives: This lesson provides a means for discovering people's

names, as well as an introduction to some common

grammatical features possessive pronouns and person
demonstratives. After mastering the material in this
lesson, you should be able to ask the name of someone
you meet, ask someone about others' names, and answer

these questions when addressed to you.

dialogue for memorization

Antai aram?

What's your name?

A: Taiaoka Nao, antai aram?

A: Please sir, what's your name?

B: Arau ______, ao ngkoe antai

aram?
A: Arau ______. Ao antai aran
teuaanne / neienne?
B: Arana ______.

B: My name is ______, and you, what's your

name?
A: My name is ______. And what's his / her
name, that man / woman?
B: His / Her name is ______.

A: Antai aran teuaarei / neierei?

A: What's the name of that man / woman there?

B: I aki ataia, ko konaa n

titirakinna.

B: I don't know, you can ask him / her.

Activities: 1. A list of Kiribati names with their English equivalents

follows. Select a name for yourself, and use your new

name and those of your fellow students in playing out the
dialogue.
2. Memorize the dialogue.

Taian ara ni mm'aane:

Arobati
Arekantara
Anterea
Antonio
B'arotorome
Beniamina
Tiaare
Kiritoba
Tawita
Etuati, Etuare, Etuete
Eria
Baraniko, Barantiti
Tioti
Eneri, Enere, Erene
Tiemti
laone, Tiaon, loane
loteba
luriuti
Rui
Mareko
Mataio
Maikare, Mikaere
Mote
Nikora
Bateriki, Baterika
Bauro
Betero, Bita
Biribo
Tebano
Taomati, Tooma, Tom,
Taom
Waoreta
Wiriam, Uriam

Some names of men:

Albert
Alexander
Andrew
Anthony
Bartholomew
Benjamin
Charles
Christopher
David
Edward
Elias
Francis
George
Henry
James
John
Joseph
Julius
Louis
Mark
Matthew
Michael
Moses
Nicolas
Patrick
Paul
Peter
Phillip
Stephen
Thomas

Taian ara n aiine:

Akineti
Ameria
Anna
Beatirike
Karorina
Torotea
Eritabeta
Emeri
Itabera
Tien

Some names of women:

Agnes
Amelia
Ann
Beatrix
Caroline
Dorothy
Elizabeth
Emily
Isabella
Jane

Walter
William

Taeka riki tabeua:

arau, aram, arana, aran
arara, aramii, araia
uaakai, uaakanne, uaakekei
teuaaei, teuaanne, teuaarei

Some additional words:

my name, your name, his name, name of
our names, your names, their names
these men, those men, those men there
this man, that man, that man there
these people, those people, those people
there
this woman, that woman, that woman
there
those people

naakai, naakanne, naakekei

neiei, neienne, neierei
aomata akekei

additional dialogues
Antai aramii?

What are your names?

Approaching a group

A:

Taioka naaka, antai aramii?

Excuse me folks, what are your names?

B:

Arau ngai ______.

My name is ______.

C:

Ao ngai ______.

And I'm ______.

D:

Arau ______.

My name is ______.

E:

Ao ngai arau ______.

And me, my name is ______.

One introduces the others

A:

Taioka naaka, antai aramii?

Excuse me folks, what are your names?

B:

Arau ngai ______.

Aran neiei ______, ao teuaaei
______.
Ao aran teuaarei / neierei
______.

My name is ______.
The name of this woman is ______, and this
man, ______.
And the name of that man / woman is
______.

Additional
Activities:

Using the additional vocabulary provided, as well as

these new model dialogues, create new dialogues for
different situations, using the Kiribati names you
have chosen. Act them out with various members of
your class.

Note
Nao (Sir), Neiko, Nei (Miss), and Naaka (You folks) are
generally used as terms of address for attracting attention, as when
someone isn't looking at you, and are not often used when you
already have someone's attention. Neiko seems to have a
connotation of familiarity when spoken by a man, especially a
stranger.
(On Nonouti (S.), Atae is used for Sir or Madam.)

3
Iraua am ririki? - Reirei Teniua
How old are you? - Lesson Three

Objectives: This lesson will familiarize you with some ways of

talking about age - asking how old someone is, finding

out who is older or younger than you, etc.

dialogue for study

Iraua am ririki?

How old are you?

Tiaon:

Nao, ante natina anne?

John:

Sir, whose son (child) is

that?

Mm'aane:

Bon natiu.

Man:

It is my son.

Tiaon:

Ai iraua ana ririki?

John:

How old is he?

Mm'aane:

I taku b'a tao ai nimaua ke

onoua ana ririki.
N na titirakina neiei b'a tao e
ataia.
Neiko ai iraua ana ririki
teuaaei?

Man:

I think he is about five or

six.
I'll ask this woman if she
knows.
'Woman', how old is this
boy?

Aiine:

I taku b'a e a kani koro onoua

n te ririki aei.
N na titirakina m'aanena aei.
Tebora ai iraua ngkai ana
ririki Te Karianako?

Woman:

I think he is about six

this year.
I'll ask his sister here.
Deborah, how old is
Karianako now?

Tebora:

I aki ataia. Au ririki ngai ai

ruaiua.

Deborah: I don't know. I'm nine

now.

Activities: 1. Study the dialogue carefully, going over each

sentence with your teacher so that you understand what

each of the expressions means. Once you have grasped
the meaning, assign the roles of the conversation and act
them out.
2. Once you have acted out the dialogue, try putting
similar questions to the members of your class. At this
point you will need some help with the numbers for your
responses, which you can get from your teacher and
from the grammar sections on numbers. (p. 103 in the
Grammar)

Note
Before the name Karianako in the dialogue is the article Te. Often when a name is
mentioned which has a meaning (karianako = in large quantity) a personal article will
be used. See the section in the grammar on articles for more information on the use of
this article. (Lesson 14, p. 87)

additional dialogue

Tebora:

A! I a tib'a uringga!
Ai itiua ana ririki.

Deborah: Oh! I just remembered it!

He is now seven years old.

Taion:

E ikawai riki Neiei uoua te

ririki nakon teuaaei.

John:

This girl is two years older

than this boy.

Mm'aane:

E eng, ana ririki teuaaei

ngkai ai itiua.

Man:

Yes, he's now seven years

old.

4
Kaain iia ngkoe? - Reirei Aua
Where are you from? - Lesson Four

Objectives: This lesson is set on a plane, a first meeting. It is

centered around the question of where you come from,

and what you are doing. Explaining where you come
from will probably come up often, and this lesson
should prepare you with some possible ways of
responding.

Activities:

Study the dialogue well. Afterwards you should be able

to ask and answer questions pertaining to the content,
such as who comes from where, where they are going,
what they will do, etc. (in Kiribati) Prepare a set of
these questions to direct to the rest of your class.

dialogue for study

Kaain iia ngkoe?

Where are you from?

Te kaaitiboo iaon te waanikiba

Meeting on the plane

Iai uoman mm'ane, temanna te tia reirei ae

boni kaaini Kiribati ao temanna te Peace
Corps Volunteer. A uaia ni bootaki n
tekateka. Ai tib'a te moan tai ae a kaaitiboo
iai iaon te waanikiba. E moana te marooroo
te Peace Corps Volunteer...

There are two men, one a teacher

who is I Kiribati and one a Peace
Corps Volunteer. They are sitting
together. They have just met on the
plane. The PCV begins the
conversation ...

Bita:

Nao ko na mauri. Antai aram?

Peter: Hello sir. What's your

name?

Baraniko:

Ko na mauri. Arau Baraniko ao

ngkoe antai aram?

Bara:

Bita:

Arau Bita. Kaain iia ngkoe?

Peter: My name is Peter. Where

are you from?

Baraniko:

Boni kaain Abemama ngai ma I

mm'akuri i Tarawa. Au
mm'akuri bon te tia reirei ma N
na nako ni motirawa irouia au
karo i Abemama.

Bara:

Bita:

Ngai N na nako naba Abemama

ni mm'akuri.

Peter: I'm going to Abemama too,

to work.

Baraniko:

Taninga, ao kaain iia ngkoe?

Bara:

Bita:

Ngai boni kaain Florida i

Amerika ao I roko b'a te Peace
Corps Volunteer n aroia VSO
mai Buritan.

Peter: I'm from Florida in

America, and I've come as
a PCV, like the VSO from
Britain.

Baraniko:

Taiaoka, ao teraa am mm'akuri i Bara:

Abemama?

Bita:

N na mm'akuri n te ununiki
ikekei.

Additional
Activities:

Hello. My name is
Baraniko, what's yours?

I'm from Abemama but I

work on Tarawa. I work as
a teacher and I'm taking my
vacation with my parents
on Abemama.

Wait, where are you from?

Excuse me, what's your

work on Abemama?

Peter: I'm going to work in

agriculture there.

Study this additional dialogue until you understand

it. Then rewrite it, using facts from your life for the
life for the new content. Present your new dialogue
to the class.

additional dialogue

Bita:

Boni kaain Abemama ngkoe?

Bara: E eng, boni kaain Abemama

ngai ma I bungiaki i Tarawa.
Bita:

Peter: And you, are you really from

Abemama?
Bara:

Yes, I'm Abemaman, but I was

born on Tarawa.

E ngaa te aba ae ko tangiria riki Peter: Which island do you like better,
Abemama ke Tarawa?
Abemama or Tarawa?

Bara: I tangira riki Abemama. E

rangi ni bati te aomata i
Tarawa. I kukurei riki ni
maeka i Abemama. Ao ngkoe,
boni kaain Florida?

Bara:

Bita:

Peter: No, I'm from Nevada, but I work

as a carpenter in Florida.

Tiaki, ngai boni kaain Nevada

ma I mm'akuri b'a te kaabenta
i Florida.

I like Abemama better. There are

too many people on Tarawa. I'm
happier living on Abemama. And
you, are you really from Florida?

Bara: E ngaa te tabo ae ko tangiria

riki Florida ke Nevada?

Bara:

Bita:

Peter: I like Nevada better because there

aren't so many people there either.

I tangira riki Nevada b'a e aki

bati naba te aomata iai.

Which place do you like better,

Florida or Nevada?

Bara: E raoiroi tao ti na boni manga

kaaitiboo iaon Abemama n
tabetai.

Bara:

Bita:

Peter: Yes, and thanks also.

E eng, ko rab'a naba.

Bara: Ao ngkoe ko rab'a naba. Ti a

manga kaaitiboo rimwii.

Bara:

That's good, maybe we'll meet

again sometimes on Abemama.

Thank you too. We'll meet again

later.

5
Te Katei n te M'aneaba - Reirei Nimua
Maneaba Speech - Lesson Five
Objectives: You may have occasion to be invited to a maneaba, the

village meeting house, and it would not be unlikely for

you to be asked to give a short talk, explaining who you
are and why you are there. This small monologue will

provide you with a basic idea of what you might say.

Activities:

The monologue is to be memorized. When you have

memorized it, present it to your class as if they were the
people of the maneaba.

monologue for memorization

Te Katei n te M'aneaba

Maneaba Speech

Kam na mauri ni kabane. Arau bon

__________. Ngai bon te Peace Corps
Volunteer mai Amerika. Te Peace Corps
bon te bootaki n ibuobuoki i Amerika n ai
aroia VSO mai Buritan.

Hello everyone. My name is

__________. I am a Peace Corps
volunteer from America. The Peace
Corps is an organization of voluntary
service in America, like the VSO
from Britain.

I rangi ni kukurei ngkai e konaa n reke au

tai n roko iaoni Kiribati ao ni mm'akuri
naba ma ngkamii. Au kaantaninga b'a
inanon au tai ibuakomii ae uoua te ririki, ao
N na kataia ni buokingkamii. N na boni
buokaki naba n reirei aron amii katei ao
katein abamii ae Kiribati.

I am very happy to have this chance

to come to Kiribati and to work with
you. I hope that in the two years that
I will stay here I will be of some help
to you, and that you will help me to
know more of your customs and
country.

Ti ngaia aanne ao kam rab'a.

That's all I have to say Thank you

very much.

Note
It is the custom when visiting a maneaba to bring a gift for the old men, the
patriarchs of the village. This is called te mweaka or te moan nei, and is usually
tobacco ten sticks being considered appropriate. It can be presented to one of the old
men, usually wrapped in paper, with the explanation that "this is for all of you".

supplementary dialogue

Titiraki mairouia te bootaki

Questions from the Group

mm'aane: Taiaoka, bukin teraa ngkai

kam nakomai Peace Corps
Volunteers nako Kiribati?

Man: Excuse me, why have you

Peace Corps Volunteers come
here to Kiribati.

PCV:

E koaua, a kanakoaki Peace

PCV: Truly, Peace Corps Volunteers
Corps Volunteers nakon aaba
are sent throughout the world.
nako n te aonnaaba aei. Iai
There are Peace Corps
Peace Corps Volunteers i Aatia,
Volunteers in Asia, Africa,
Aberika ao aaba aika a bati n
and many countries in the
te Betebeke.
Pacific.

mm'aane: Ao kaanga teraa aia mm'akuri

Peace Corps Volunteers?
PCV:

Man: And what is their work, the

Peace Corps Volunteers?

A bati aia mm'akuri ae a konaa PCV: They can do many jobs. There
ni karaoia. Iai aika a mm'akuri
are some who work as
b'a taan reirei, taani kateitei,
teachers, some in construction,
taan ununiki, taan akawa ao
some in agriculture, some in
mm'akuri riki tabeua.
fishing and other works.

mm'aane: Ko rab'a n am taeka. Ti rangi

ni kukurei ni bootaki ma
ngkoe.

Man: Thanks for your talk. We are

very happy to meet with you.

6
Maanra? - Reirei Onoua
How long? - Lesson Six
Objectives: This lesson will teach you something about time -

questions as to how long you've been somewhere,

names of the days of the week and months of the year,
and similar expressions. You will also get some
additional practice with the numbers.

Activities:

Study the dialogue, paying special attention to the way

of asking "how long". Using the calendar, create a new
set of questions to direct to your class, along the lines
of: 'I arrived here on Tuesday, April 3, and I'll be
leaving the 2nd of May. How long is my stay?', etc. (In
te taetae ni Kiribati, of course!)

dialogue for study

Eberi

Meei

Maanra?

How long?

Maria: Nao, ko na mauri. I taku b'a aio

ara moan tai ni kaaitiboo. Ai
maanra ngkoe ikai?

Maria: How do you do sir. I think

this is the first time we've
met. How long have you
been here?

Bauro: E koaua. I roko ikai n te

Kanimabong aei. Te bong aei bon
te Taabati are nanona b'a ai tib'a
tenibong au bong ikai.

Paul:

It's true. I just arrived here

last Friday. Today is
Sunday, so I've just been
here for three days.

Maria: Ao a na maanra ngkoe n tiku ikai? Maria: And how long are you going
to stay here?
Bauro: I aki maan. N na tiku ikai ni
Paul:
karokoa te nam'akaina ae Meei.
Tao N na kiitana ikai ni moan
wiikin Meei. Tao ai ti teniua riki te
wiiki.

Not long. I'll be here until

the month of May. Maybe
I'll leave in the first week of
May. Perhaps about three
more weeks.

Note
In English, when giving the date, we use the ordinal numbers the first of March,
the third of June, August fifth. In Kiribati, however, the cardinal series is used, March 4
= aua ni Maati (four of March), April 17 = tebwi ma itiua n Eberi (seventeen of
April), without the article.

supplementary voacbulary

ngkoananoa

yesterday

n te bong aei

today

ningaabong

tomorrow

ae e na roko

this coming

ae e nako

last

te bong

day

te wiiki

week

te nam'akaina

month

te ririki

year

Bongin te wiiki
Te Moanibong
Te Kauabong
Te Katenibong
Te Kaabong
Te Kanimabong
Te Kaonobong
Te Taabati
Te Nam'akaina
Tianuare
Beberuare
Maati
Eberi
Meei
Tuun
Tuurai
Aokati
Tebetemb'a
Okitob'a
Nobemb'a
Ritemb'a

Note
The days of the week and the months should need no translation. Notice the
construction of the names of the days. They are the ordinals before the word 'day': the
first day, the second day, etc. The word for Sunday is Taabati = Sabbath. (Be careful of
Tuesday, the second day it's Kauabong, not Kauouabong!) The names of the months
are taken from the English.

7
Ko maeka iaa? - Reirei Itiua
Where do you live? - Lesson Seven

Objectives: This lesson teaches you how to ask someone where

they live, and how to tell someone where you live. This
sort of situation should occur frequently in your stay in
Kiribati, as it is a common topic of conversation; so try
to learn it well!

dialogue for study

Ko maeka iaa?

Where do you live?

Toma: Ko na mauri Eneri! Ko mena

iaa n taai aika a nako?
Eneri:

Tom:

Hello Henry! Where have you

been?

I a kamani kiitana ikai. Ai bon Henry: I've been away quite a while.
tib'a okiu aei.
This is my first return visit.

Toma: E koaua! Ao ko maeka iaa?

Tom:

Eneri:

Henry: I'm living on Tarawa. I work for

the Ministry of Education. What
about you, do you still live in the
same village?

I maeka i Tarawa. I mm'akuri

n te Bootaki n Reirei. Ao
ngkoe, ko boni maeka naba n
am kaawa aarei?

Toma: I a aki ngkai. I a manga maeka Tom:

i Teaoraereke. I a tib'a katea
au auti iai. E a kani bane
rauna n toka. Karekea am tai
n nooria.
Eneri:

E eng, I rangi ni kan nooria

b'a e mena iaa?

Really! And where are you

living?

Not now. I live in Teaoraereke.

I'm just building my house there.
I've just about finished thatching
the roof. You should make time
to see it.

Henry: Yes, I'd like to see it. But where

is it located?

Toma: E kaan ma te m'aneaba i

Teaoraereke.

Tom:

Eneri:

Henry: Good. I'll make some time to see

it.

E raoiroi. N na karekea au tai

n nooria.

It's near the Maneaba at

Teaoraereke.

Toma: E tau, ti a manga boo.

Tom:

Eneri:

Henry: Yes, good-bye.

E eng, ti a boo.

Enough then, we'll meet again.

Activities: Study the dialogue well. When you understand it,

answer the questions below. See if you can think of

additional questions on the dialogue and ask them of
your class.

questions to answer

Titiraki

Questions

E maeka iaa Eneri ngkai?

Where does Henry live now?

E maeka ngkoa iaa?

Where did he live before?

Ao are raoraona, e mena iaa ngkai?

And his friend, where does he live now?

E a maan ni maeka ikekei?

Has he lived there long?

Antai ae e maeka i Teaoraereke?

Who lives in Teaoraereke?

Antai ae e maeka i Tarawa?

Who lives on Tarawa?

E a tia ni bane raun te auti?

Is the thatching of the house finished?

E kaan te m'aneaba nakon ana auti Toma? Is Tom's house near the maneaba?

Additional
Activities:

Ask the additional questions of your class, and take

turns answering them. Make up similar questions
about where people live and put them to your class.
Try changing the pronouns: "Where do I live"
"Where does he live?" Where do we live?" and so on.

additional questions

Taian titiraki riki

Ko maeka iaa?
N te kaawa ke n te marenaua?
E ngaa ae ko tangiria riki?
I maeka n te kaawa.
I maeka iaa?
E maeka n te marenaua.
E maeka iaa?
Iai ae ko kinaa ae e maeka ikai?
A maeka iaa am utuu?
Ao im'aain aanne?
[click on underlined words to jump to the glossary entry]

Translation of These questions should be becoming easier to

understand by now. Only one or two words are
additional
new. Get in the habit of referring to the glossary
questions:

and/or a dictionary if you have one. Keep a

notebook to collect a list of your new vocabulary.
Vocabulary is the key to the language!

Note
Names of places must be preceded by the locative particle i in sentences like "I live
in America" - "I maeka i Amerika." When you speak of coming from a place, use
mai: I roko mai Teaoraereke. = I come from Teaoraereke.

8
Te Karaaure - Reirei Waniua
The Farewell - Lesson Eight

Objectives: The topic of this lesson is 'farewell' - leaving

somewhere to go somewhere else. At the end of this

lesson you should have some things to say about
someone's leaving, and some things to say to someone
leaving as well. Try to pick out and memorize some of
the more appropriate expressions.

Activities: Study the dialogue well, then take a partner from your

classmates and rewrite the story as a narrative, changing

the names of the characters and islands. (Your teacher
can supply you with the names of the islands if you
haven't learned them by now.) Read your narrative to the
class, and see if they can follow your version. Make
corrections where necessary.

dialogue for study

Te Karaaure

The Farewell

E nang kiitana Tarawa Tiaare n nako

Nikunau n te bong aio. A tauraoi ana b'ai
ni kabane ao e a tataningaa raona irarikin
te kawai. E bon aki maan ao e a roko
raoraona temanna.

Charles is about to leave Tarawa from

Nikunau today. All of his things are
ready and he is waiting for his friend by
the side of the road. Soon one of his
friends comes along.

Rui:

Ko na mauri Tiaare. Ko na
nakea?

Louis:

Hello Charles. Where are

you going?

Tiaare:

N nangi nako Nikunau n te

bong aei.

Charles:

I'm going to Nikunau

today.

Rui:

Ko tuai ni maan ikai ao ko

nangi nako naba!

Louis:

You haven't been here

long and you're already
going!

Tiaare:

E koaua ma e na kangaa!

Charles:

That's true, but there's

nothing I can do about it!

Rui:

E tau ma au kaantaninga b'a ti Louis:

na manga kaaitiboo n te bong
teuana.

Well, I hope we'll meet

again someday.

Tiaare:

E eng tao n te bongi teuana.

Charles:

Yes, maybe someday.

Rui:

E tau ma ti a manga boo ao e

na kab'aia am m'ananga.

Louis:

Well then, good-bye

Have a good trip.

Tiaare:

Ko rab'a Rui. Ti a manga boo

naba.

Charles:

Thanks, Louis. Good-bye

again.

Rui:

Ti a boo.

Louis:

Good-bye.

continuation of dialogue

Imwiina ao e a manga kaaitiboo Rui ma

raoraona temanna irarikin naba te
kawai...

Later, Louis meets another of his

friends, also alongside the road...

Riira: Rui, ko a tia ni kaaitiboo ma

Tiaare?

Lila:

Rui:

Louis: Yes. I just met with him on the

road. He's going to Nikunau
again.

E eng, I a bon tib'a boo naba ma

ngaia irarikin te kawai. E nangi
manga nako Nikunau.

Louis, have you seen Charles?

Riira: Tao ai maanra n nako? I rangi ni

kani kaaitiboo ma ngaia im'aain
nakona.

Lila:

Rui:

Louis: Only about ten minutes ago. I

think he's still standing by the
side of the road.

Tao ai tib'a tebwina te miniti n

nako. I taku b'a are e bon teitei
naba irarikin te kawai.

About how long ago? I'd very

much like to see him before he
goes.

Riira: E raoiroi ma N na nako moa ni

kaboo ma ngaia im'aain nakona.

Lila:

Rui:

Louis: We'll meet again.

Ti a manga boo.

Riira: E eng, ti a boo.

Lila:

Good - First I'll go meet with

him before he leaves.

Good-bye.

9
Te tia kan taetae - Reirei Onoua
The Language Learner - Lesson Nine

Objectives: This lesson supplies you with a number of phrases you

will find useful in explaining your language learning
status, and thus in getting help with your language
learning program. After mastering this lesson, you
should be able to let someone know your level of
competence in Kiribati, as well as to request certain
kinds of assistance from them.
Activities: Memorize the monologue. To practice the sentences
write a dialogue based on these sentences. Choose a
partner to help you prepare and play it out for the class.

monologue for memorization

Te tia kan taetae

Taiaoka b'a I aki oota.

The Language Learner

Excuse me, I don't understand.

I tuai n rabakau raoi n te taetae ni Kiribati b'a I a I'm not yet good at speaking Kiribati,
because I'm just learning.
tib'a reirei.
Bon au kaantaninga b'a N na waetata n rabakau.

I hope to learn quickly.

Please speak slowly, and don't use

I a butiiko ma kawiiremweko riki n taetae ao tai
kaboonganai taeka aika a kaangaanga b'a I aonga difficult words, so that I can learn
more quickly.
ni waetata n rabakau.

Ko rab'a.

Thank you.

Supplementary
Activities:

Study the supplementary dialogue, which is a

possible continuation of your monologue. It
presents a not-too-uncommon situation of not
being understood and not understanding what
someone says. In this case it is a correction of the
improper use of a word. Try acting it out.

supplementary dialogue

A:

Ko rabakau n taetae ni Kiribati?

A:

Can you speak Kiribati?

B:

I tuai raoi b'a I a tib'a reirei.

B:

Not really because I'm just learning.

A:

Titeboo ma ae ko bon rabakau.

A:

You seem to be good at it.

B:

I tuai, I ti kinai taeka tabeua.

B:

Not yet, I only recognize some words.

A:

Ko atai taeka tabeua.

A:

You know some words.

B:

E kangaa? Tai kawiitatako.

B:

What's that? Don't speak so fast.

A:

I kaangai ko ti atai taeka tabeua, tiaki A:

kinai taeka tabeua.

I said you only know some words, not

recognize some words.

B:

I aki oota.

B:

I don't understand.

A:

I a tib'a ataia b'a ko nangi tib'a reirei

te taetae ni Kiribati.

A:

I just realized that you really don't

speak Kiribati yet.

B:

E kangaa?

B:

What's that again?

A:

E a tau ma ti a boo.

A:

That's enough, good-bye.

B:

Ti a kaboo.

B:

Good-bye.

Note
Pay attention to the italicized words in the supplementary dialogue. Kinai means
'know, recognize' when used with people, but isn't used with things. Atai means 'know'
when used with things. Don't confuse them like the speaker in the dialogue!

10
Teraa n te taetae ni Kiribati? - Reirei Tebwina
What's it in Kiribati? - Lesson Ten

Objectives: This lesson provides you with some additional tools for

learning the language from people you meet. You'll

learn how to say the letters of the alphabet, ask the
names of things and how to spell them, and how to say
something you only know the English for.
Activities: The dialogue in this lesson is full of blank spaces. Take
turns with your teacher filling in the blanks and
continuing the dialogue appropriately. Once you have the
idea you can try it with your classmates. Use the pictures
in this lesson, others around the room, and objects which
are handy, to provide the props for your questions.

fill-in dialogue

Teraa n te taetae ni Kiribati?

What's it in Kiribati?

A:

Teraa n te taetae ni Kiribati te taeka

ae __________?

A:

What's the word __________ in

Kiribati?

B:

Te taeka ae __________ n te taetae ni

Kiribati bon __________.

B:

The word __________ in Kiribati is

__________.

A:

Aia __________?

A:

It's __________?

B:

E eng, ngaia.

B:

Yes, that's it.

A:

Ko konaa ni kaboonganaa inanon te

kibu n taeka?

A:

Can you use it in a sentence?

B:

E eng,
______________________________.

B:

Yes,
______________________________.

A:

Ko rab'a.

A:

Thank you.

B:

Te raoi.

B:

You're welcome.

A:

Ao teraa aran te b'ai arei n te taetae ni A:

Kiribati?

And what's the name of that thing in

Kiribati?

B:

Te __________.

B:

A __________.

A:

Te __________?

A:

A __________?

B:

Tiaki, te __________.

B:

No, a __________.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

The Sounds of the Alphabet

The names of the vowel sounds: a = ah, e = eh, i = ee, o = oh, u = oo.
The names of the nasal sounds: m = mm, n = nn, ng = ngg.
The names of the nasal sounds: b = bee, k = kee, r = ree, t = see, w = wee.
A
ah

B
bee

E
eh

I
ee

K
kee

M
mm

N
nn

NG
ngg

O
oh

R
ree

T
see

U
oo

W
wee

Note
When the alphabet is recited, b' and m' are not included separately. When the
language was first written by Rev. Hiram Bingham* in the mid-19th Century he used
the alphabetical order: a e i o u m n ng b k r t w. If you find a copy of his dictionary,
this is the order in which the words appear. In modern times the order used is like the
English.
*Hiram Bingham 18311908, American Congregationalist missionary, b. Honolulu; son of Hiram
Bingham (17891869). In 1857 he founded a mission on Abaiang in the Gilbert Islands (now part of
Kiribati). Bingham adapted the language of the Gilbert Islands to writing. He translated the Bible and
produced, among his numerous works, a Gilbertese Bible dictionary, hymnbook, and commentary on the
Gospels, as well as a Gilbertese-English dictionary (1908).

continuation of fill-in dialogue

A:

Ko konaa n tibeeranna? A:

Can you spell it?

B:

E eng, __________.

B:

Yes, __________.

A:

__________?

A:

__________?

B:

E eng, boni ngaia anne.

B:

Yes, that's it.

A:

Ko bati n rab'a.

A:

Thanks very much.

B:

Te raoi.

B:

You're welcome.

11
Te Marooroo - Reirei Tebwi ma teuana
Conversation - Lesson Eleven

Objectives: This lesson will give you practice asking for the

meanings of words, and also give you some idea of the

importance of 'talking about talking' in Kiribati culture.
By the end of the lesson you should be able to ask for
the meaning of a word you don't know, and have
learned a number of new words about language.
Activities: Study the dialogues and the cultural note. An additional
list of words related to speech in Kiribati is provided at
the end of the lesson. Practice your new question by
asking your teacher for the meanings of some of these
words. Keep track of your new vocabulary, along with
the regular lesson vocabulary, in your language
notebook.

dialogue for study

Te Marooroo

Conversation

Aana:

Taiaoka Bauro, teraa nanon te taeka Anna:

ae 'marooroo'?

Please Paul, what's the meaning

of the word 'conversation'?

Bauro:

E kaboonganaaki te taeka anne

ngkana a bootaki uoman aomata ke
a m'aiti riki n taetae ni kawai
temanna nakon temanna.

Paul:

That word is used when a group

of people sit around talking to
each other.

Aana:

Iai riki taeka tabeua aika titeboo

nanoia ma te taeka ae 'marooroo'?

Anna:

Are there other words similar to

'conversation'?

Bauro:

E eng, iai 'kaboowi', 'karaki',

'kareke-nano'; A bati riki taeka n
aron akanne.

Paul:

Yes, there's 'conferring', 'storytelling' , 'sweet-talking' , and

many more words like that.

Aana:

Ao teraa nanon 'kaboowi'?

Anna:

And what's the meaning of

'conferring'?

Bauro:

Te taeka anne e kaboonganaaki

Paul:
ngkana a bootaki tabeman aomata ni
baairea taekan tao te mm'akuri ke te
karikirake ke b'aai riki tabeua.

That word is used when a group

of people gather together to
discuss employment,
promotion, or similar topics.

Taraia

Cultural Note

Te marooroo bon te moa ni b'ai ni

maiuia kaaini Kiribati. Ngkana ti
nooria ao a boni m'aiti taeka ake a
konaa ni kab'arab'araa kaanga aron te
taetae b'a e kangaa. Ngkana ti taraiia
aomata n te m'aneaba ao ti konaa n
ataia b'a naake a rangi n atatai n aron
te taetae ao naake a atongaki b'a taan
rabakau n otooto a konaa n anganaki
aia tabo ae kaanga a na rine riki iai
ibuakoia aomata.

Conversation is of great importance

in the life of Kiribati people. If we
look, we can find many words which
describe their ways of speaking. When
we see the people in the maneaba, we
realize that those who are skilled in
speaking, and those who are said to be
skillful composers, are given positions
of honor.

additional dialogue

Aana:

Anna: And 'story-telling'?

Ao 'karaki'?

Bauro: Anne boni kan titeboo ma marooroo Paul:

ma iai te karaki tao man te boki ke
te rongorongo ae e taekinna
temanna nakon temanna ke
temanna nakoia aika a m'aiti.
Aana:

E a oota anne, ao 'kareke-nano'?

That one's almost like

conversation, except that there's
the story, maybe from a book or
the news, told from one person to
another or to the group.

Anna: That's clear. How about 'sweettalking'?

That's used for a conversation

between a man and a woman,
especially when the man's in love
with her.

Bauro: Te taeka anne e kaboonganaaki

ibukin te mm'aane ao te aiine aika a
marooroo ngkana iai nanon te
mm'aane iroun te aiine.

Paul:

Aana:

Anna: Thanks very much. I've just

Ko bati n rab'a. E a bati riki

rabakauu n te taetae ni Kiribati. Ko
rangi n rabakau ni kab'arab'arai
nanon taeka.

Bauro: I aki bati n rabakau ti teutana.

Additional
Activities:

learned a lot about Kiribati.

You're very skilled at translating
the meanings of words.

Paul:

I'm really not very skilled just a

little.

Study the additional dialogue. You should now be

able to create similar dialogues using the new words
you have learned from your teacher and the
accompanying list. Write out a new dialogue, using
meanings for new words and present it to your class.

Additional Vocabulary:
b'anaa taekeeke
b'anaa buubura
b'anaa bangubangu
wiirikiriki
wiwitoka
wiitata
witokatoka
wiwitata
wiimatoa
wiikateke
wiirebwerebwe
taetae n aakoi
maningoongoo
b'aab'arantiko
kab'araria
manikangare

12
I aki oota - Reirei Tebwi ma uoua
I don't understand - Lesson Twelve

Objectives: This lesson gives you some practice with situations of

remembering, forgetting, and not understanding, all of

which come up fairly frequently in the course of daily
events. By the end of this lesson, you should remember
how to say these words, and be able to signal to
someone your particular problem be it not
remembering or not understanding, etc.
Activities: This dialogue is intended to be acted out in class. Once
you realize that it is a somewhat humorous and not too
impossible situation, you should find it a little easier to
act out the roles realistically. Find a partner, and make
sure you understand before going ahead!

dialogue for dramatization

I aki oota

I don't understand

A:

I aki oota.

A:

I don't understand.

B:

Ko aki oota n teraa?

B:

What don't you understand?

A:

I aki oota n te b'ai are ko taekinna.

A:

I don't understand what you said.

B:

Ko aki oota n te bai are I taekinna?

B:

You don't understand what I said?

A:

E eng, b'a teraa te b'ai are ko

taekinna?

A:

Right, what was it you said?

B:

Ae e ngaa iai?

B:

When?

A:

Are ko titirakinai.

A:

What you asked me.

B:

B'a e kangaa ngkoa au titiraki

nakoim?

B:

What was it I asked you?

A:

I a manga m'aninga.

A:

I've forgotten it.

B:

Ko a manga m'aninga?

B:

You forgot it?

A:

E eng, b'a teraa ngkoa? Ko aki uringa A:

am titiraki?

Yes, what was it? Don't you remember

your question?

B:

Ai ngkam I a aki uringa au titiraki

aarei.

B:

I don't know. I don't remember my

question.

A:

E tau akea boongana. M'aninga

taekana ao ko rab'a.

A:

That's enough, it's no use. Forget it

and thanks!

B:

E koaua. Ti a m'aninga taekana ao te

raoi naba.

B:

Okay. We'll forget it - you're welcome.

Additional
Activities:

Study the supplementary dialogue. Use it as a frame

into which you can put new words and phrases, and
act out some of these. The dialogue has two possible
endings one where you know the answer and one
where you don't.

additional dialogue

A:

Ko uringa b'a e kangaa te taeka ae

__________ n taetae ni Kiribati?

A:

Do you remember how to say

__________ in Gilbertese?

I
B:

E eng, I uringga.

B:

Yes, I remember.

A:

Ao e kangaa?

A:

So what is it?

B:

Bon(i) __________

B:

It's __________

II
B:

I aki, I a m'aninga.

B:

No, I forget.

A:

Bon(i) __________ ?

A:

Is it __________?

B:

E eng, boni ngaia!

B:

Yes! I think that's it.

Kiribati Grammar
Te taetae ni Kiribati
The language of Kiribati

Grammar Handbook

Table of Contents
1. Sounds and Spelling
a. The vowels
b. The nasals
c. The consonants
d. Nasals before other
consonants

2. Dialects
3. Intransitive Sentence
Order
a. Position of additional
material

4. Transitive Sentence
Order
5. Interrogatives - Part 1
a. yes - no questions
b. negative questions
c. tag questions
d. tiaki

6. Interrogatives Part 2 Who, Whose

a. antai - who
b. antena - whose

7. Interrogatives - Part 3 What, How Many

a. teraa - what
b. raa - what, which?
c. iraua - how many?
d. Notes on asking 'what'
e. Notes on asking 'the how

many-th'

8. Interrogatives - Part 4 When, Where, Why

a. nningai - when
b. iia - where
c. maiia - from where
d. bukin teraa - why
INTERROGATIVE REVIEW
EXERCISES

9. Interrogatives - Part 5 Question Verbs

a. ngaa - to be where
b. aera - to do what
c. uara - to be how
d. nakea - to go where
e. kangaa - to do how
f. rikea - to pass by where
g. iraanna - to do in what way

10. Imperatives - Part 1

a. basic imperative formation
b. negative imperatives
c. Imperatives with an(i)
d. lengthened vowels

11. Imperatives - Part 2

1. formed with na
a. first person plural
b. second person
c. negatives with na aki
2. with ke
3. taiaoka, butiiko
4. imperative verbs

12. Negatives
1. aki - not
2. tuai, tuai men - not yet,

never
3. negative response to
questions
a. aki
b. tiaki
c. akea

13. Nouns - Introductory

1. Nominalization
2. Possession
3. Plurality
4. Gender

14. The Article

1. te
2. taian(i)
3. te naa n
4. Person Articles

15. Pluralization
1. absence of te
2. presence of taian(i)
3. relative pronouns
4. demonstrative pronouns
5. Numbers
6. other quantity words
7. subject pronouns
8. objects
9. taan(i)

16. Numbers - Part 1 Introductory

1. -ua
2. 1-10
3. 10-100
4. 100-1,000
5. 1,000-1,000,000
6. over 1,000,000
7. years
8. how many?

17. Numbers - Part 2 Classifiers

1. -man
2. ira-man
3. position of numerals
a. teuana
4. tabe
a. tatabe
5. other classifiers
a. note on teni and wani

18. Numbers - Part 3

-Ordinals
1. ordinals
2. used verbally
3. distributive
4. fractions
5. approximation
6. mathematics

19. Pronouns Introductory

- Summary
1. emphatic
2. subject
3. object
4. possessive
5. poss. suffix
6. relative
7. demonstrative
a. relative time
b. relative place
c. demonstrative time
d. demonstrative place

20. Subject Pronouns

21. Emphatic/ Independent
Pronouns

22. Object Pronouns

a. reflexives

23. Possession - Part 1 Independent pronouns

24. Possession - Part 2 Suffixed pronouns
1. body parts
2. family relationships
3. intimate possessions
4. states of mind and feelings
5. positional relationships
6. nouns formed from verbs

25. Possession - Part 3 Genitive n

26. Demonstrative
Pronouns
27. Person Demonstratives
a. Neuter demonstratives

28. Relative Pronouns

a. adjectives
b. apposition
c. person demonstratives +
relatives

29. Adjectives
30. Adjectives - Part 2 Comparison
a. intensification
b. comparison
c. superlative
d. equality

e. summary

31. Verbs - General

1. Tense
2. Agreement
3. Interrogative, Adverbial &
Adjectival
4. Repeated Action
5. Passive
6. Transitive Formation
7. 'To be'
8. 'To have'

32. Agent Marking

33. Reduplication
1. Usually
2. Continuity
3. Adjectives

34. Time Expressions Adverbial

1. Demonstrative Time
Adverbs
2. Adverbial Expressions
3. Auxiliaries
4. Verbs

35. Locative Expressions

1. Locative Adverbs
2. Prepositions

36. Prepositions
1. i
2. irou
3. mai
4. man
5. n(i)
6. nako/nakon

37. Tense / Auxiliaries

1. present/past indeterminate
2. a - immediate indeterminate
3. tabe n - continued action
4. nang(i) - immediate future
5. na - general future
6. a tib'a - immediate past
7. a tia n - completed past
8. additional auxiliaries

38. Conjunctions
1. joining noun phrases
2. joining sentenial structures
a. two verbs or adjectives
b. second sentence as object
of verb
c. two simple sentences

39. Conditional Sentences

1. if
2. since, when
3. additional conjunctions

40. Compounding
Appendix 1. Higher
Numbers - Old System
Appendix 2. Numeral
classifiers

Lesson 1

SOUNDS AND SPELLING

Vowels
Nasals
Consonants
Nasals before other consonants
When studying a language, it is often useful to remember that the writing system is a
set of symbols which attempts to represent the sounds of the language which are
distinctive those sounds which indicate changes in meaning.
In practice it is not always easy to come up with a set of symbols which everyone
agrees on, and this has been the case with Kiribati, which was first written in the mid19th century by missionaries translating the Bible.
Since that time, various writing systems have been proposed and used, and while a
great deal of regularity has emerged, there is still no complete agreement on how certain
sounds should be written.
The spelling system used in this text does not deviate much from those in general use,
but it does attempt to make the differences in pronunciation as explicit as possible.
(Specifically, this means that you will find many doubled vowels and nasals in this text,
where in most other writing you would find only a single form e.g. marooroo / maroro).
On the following pages the sound and spelling system of Kiribati is described in some

detail. You are not expected to master all of the intricacies of pronouncing and spelling
Kiribati in his one lesson; please consider this lesson as an introduction only. You will
probably find yourself referring back to this lesson as you work through the language
program.
To examine the sounds of Kiribati, it is convenient to group them into vowels, nasals,
and consonants.

1. The Vowels
a aa

e ee

i ii

o oo

u uu

Kiribati vowels may appear as both

long and short sounds, and meanings of words will often be distinguished by this
difference. As this is not a characteristic of English, some difficulty may be expected in
this area.
It is in the representation of vowel length that many of the spelling systems differ.
Often, length is not indicated at all, or only in some words. In this text length will be
indicated by a doubled letter; it may be thought of as the sound followed by itself.
There is no restriction on vowel combinations; therefore long vowel strings may
occur, such as in the word ruoia, a kind of Kiribati national dance. These vowel
combinations may also be expected to provide some difficulty.
(Note: The following description of Kiribati sounds should be considered as a
reminder rather than as a guide. Actual pronunciation should be learned from a native
Kiribati speaker.)

a aa
This is pronounced like the a in father, or the vowel sound of hot, spot, not. While it
keeps this pronunciation after b' and m', after b and m it has a sound more like that in
cat, bat, or hat.

man
maan

from; animal
long time; animals

m'ata
mata

caterpillar
eye; color

baba board; fool

b'ab'a to drown

e ee

This is generally pronounced like the vowel in hate, cane, make.

ben coconut
been coconuts
tebe
enga
reke
uee

to jump, dart, bounce up

to be where?
gotten
flower
i

ii

This has the sound of the vowel in heap, meet, speak.

ika
iika

fish
fish (plural)

ingaabong
tiku
riki
aiine

morning
to stay
to become
women

o oo

This is like the vowel of hope, coat, smoke.

ota
oota

residue of scraped coconut

light

koro
roki
ongo
tooro

husking stick
curtain
to hear
slaves

u uu

This usually has the sound of the vowel in moon, soup, boot. When it appears

immediately before another vowel, it is difficult to distinguish from w.

taku
takuu

to say
curved

uee
bua
ruuruu
um'a

flower
lost
cleaning out a shell
house
2.

m mm

m' mm'

The Nasals

n nn

ng ngg

Like the vowels, the nasal

sounds may also occur lengthened, which may provide some difficulty for English
speakers. This is another area in which spelling systems do not agree, often failing to
indicate the additional length. For the most part these sounds are similar to those
occurring in English.

m mm
Except when lengthened, this is basically as in English. Unlike the other nasals, it
may occur directly before any nasal or consonant sound, providing some combinations
which are rare or non-existent in English. (A following a has the vowel sound of hat, cat,
rat.)
mate
mmanii
mka
m'baa
mronron
mte
nama
koom

death
thin
rotten
to kiss
round
small, fine
lagoon
comb
m'

mm'

This symbol is only used before a, in which case the vowel sound remains like that in
hot, top, or mock. (Some systems write ma for both sounds ma and m'a. In others, m'a
is written mwa. It never occurs before o or u.)

um'a
mm'aane
mm'akuri
kanimm'a
m'ai

house
male
work
adhere it
cooked n

nn

The n sound is basically that of English, except that it too can be lengthened. It can
also occur alone however, as in, the word N, (the pronoun "I").
nako
kana
nnewe
ntabena
man
N
nrairai

to go
to eat
lobster
kind of crab
from; animal
I (before future)
exhaustion
ng

ngg

Although written with two symbols, ng is also a single sound, quite similar to that
appearing in the English word singer (though not the sound in finger).
ngai
ngare
kangaa
ang
eng
ngka
ngenge
uringga

b'

I
to laugh
how
wind
yes
give me
a begging look
remember it 3.

The Consonants
w

The Kiribati consonants may only appear at the

beginning or middle of a word, never finally. They never occur adjacent to each other
(although b' is usually spelled bw before i and e).
The spelling symbols for the consonants are not always good indicators of
pronunciation, as quite a bit of variation occurs before different vowels, so some care
must be taken to memorize the correct sound/symbol correspondences.

b
This sound is somewhere between the English b and p, and was often spelled with a p

in some earlier systems. It is rather like the p in spit. (The sound of a following a is as in
cap, hat, back.)
bane
beebete
koobe
buoka
biri

finished
easy, light
coffee
to help
to run
b'

(bw)

Like m' this symbol only appears before a, where it has the effect of retaining the
'hot, stop, lock' sound of a. (Some writing systems don't use a separate symbol for b',
using b for both sounds. It is written bw before i and e. It never occurs before o or u.)
b'aka
rab'a
bwe
bwia
b'aa
mb'aa

to fall
thanks
oar, paddle
floor
rock, oil
to kiss
t

This sound is some where between the English t and d, rather like the t in stick. When
it occurs before i it is pronounced as an s (so that ti, 'only, we', is pronounced like see).
In the Northern dialect it has this s pronunciation before u as well. (see next chapter on
dialects. )
toka
tiku
matuu
tei
mata

to get on
to stay
to sleep
to stand
eye, color k

This is pronounced somewhere between the English g and k, but rather similar to the
k in skill.
karea
bike
kiika
tiku
korea

to throw
beach
octopus
to stay
to cut r

A somewhat difficult sound for English speakers, it is made with a tap of the tongue,

and sometimes sounds like a d or dr.

roko
rama
bure
ririki
reirei

come, arrive
outrigger boom
error
year
school
w

This is usually pronounced similarly to w in English, but is often between w and v.

Before e it is always pronounced as a v. (It never occurs before o or u.)
waa
wetea
kewe
wii
rawa

canoe
to call
to lie
tooth
passage

Exercises
In many cases these exercises illustrate contrasts in pronunciation as well as the
simple pronunciation of a symbol. Practice reading the lists both down and across,
getting the correct pronunciation from your teacher. After completing the pronunciation
drills, practice hearing the contrasts by taking dictation from your teacher with the text
closed.

a - aa

man
b'ab'a
baba
maama
b'a
kana
bana
bao
tan
m'ane

maan
b'aab'aa
baabaa
maamaa
b'aa
kanaa
baana
baao
taan
m'aane b

baba
baabaa
baa
bata
bai
raba
baka

b'ab'a
b'aab'aa
b'aa
b'ata
b'ai
rab'a
b'aka
m

mata
mane
rama
mai
maaka

m'ata
mane
ram'a
m'ai
m'aaka

mka
mb'aa
mronron
mnaao
mrara
taamnei
maninga

mwenga
mwi
m'ai
m'aane
moko
mm'akuri
kanimm'a e

ben been
beka beeka
bebe beebee i

- ii

- b'

- m'

- ee

ika iika
tiku tiiku
tibu tiibu o

- oo

ota
rota
bora
koro
toro

oota
roota
boora
kooro
tooro u

taku
ruru
bubu
bua
tua

takuu
ruuruu
buubuu
buua
tuua
t

toka
taka
tiku
tua
tei

- uu

katea
roota
toto
matuu
matie k

karea
ke
kiika
ko
kuuka
kunea

roko
ngkoe
bike
baka
toki
tiku r

rama
rere
riki
roko
rao
ruura

rawa
bure
taari
baro
Beru
uraura w

waa
wetea
wii
wati

rawa
kewe
Rewii
wene n

nako
nete
nii
noku
nuuka

konaa
wene
kani
bono
benu

na
n
karina
kana
nete

nna
nne
karinna
kanna
nnewe ng

ngare
ngea
ngio
ngongo
ngure

kangaa
kangeri
manging
ongo
ibengu

ben
kan
on
un
in n

- nn

bong
kiing
ung
tang
eng ngg

ngai
ngkai
ngkoe tiringga
riingga uringga vowel

- ngk

combinations

ae
mai
bai
aera
taetae
tuae
aea
bua

ai
m'ai
b'ai
aira
taitai
tuai
aia
burae

tou
routa
ao
mao
aoraki
tao
aon
aue

too
roota
au
m'au
auti
tau
karau
uee

uota
uaa
aua
tua
bue

ruoia
waa
aoa
tuae
bwe

uia
meang
keu
ia
tai
tia
bia

wii
aea
ruoia
ie
tia
tie
matie

tei
nei

ririu
ngkoe

Section 2 - Nasals before other consonants

Some nasals before other nasals or consonants require the insertion of i. Some

variation exists as to whether the inserted i is written, but in this text it will always be
shown.

m m'
This is the only nasal which does not require the insertion of i before other nasals or
consonants. (m' is not distinguished from m before nasals or consonants.)

ng
Ng requires the insertion of i when it appears before another nasal (m, m', n), or
before any consonant except k. This is the case both internally or at the end of the word
before a word starting with m, m', n, b, b', r, t, w.
nang
about to
N nang kiitana Betio. I'm about to leave Betio.
N nangi nako.
I'm about to go.
kang
kangkang

eat
delicious

tang
tangitang

cry
complaints, crying

N requires the insertion of i before the other nasals, and before all the consonants
except t and r. (Nor before itself: taian nati.)
Because of the frequency of occurrence of n as a linking particle or genitive marker, it
is often necessary to decide between n and ni, and so the environments for the change
should be carefully studied.
rang + n + bati + n + raoiroi
very+ n + much+ n + good
rangi ni bati n raoiroi = very very good
rang + n + bati + n + kukurei
very+ n + much+ n + happy
rangi ni bati ni kukurei = very very happy

rua ni mate
nati n uea
nuuka ni bong
baba n takataka

grave (pit of death)

prince (child of king)
midnight (middle of the night)
copra board (board of copra)

kaain Onotoa
kaaini Kiribati
kaain Taiti
kaaini Buritan
kaain Ruutia
kaaini Wereti
kaain Nauru
kaaini Maiana

person of Onotoa
person of Kiribati
person of Tahiti
person of Britain
person of Russia
person of Wales
person of Nauru
person of Maiana

I konaa n tiku
I can stay
i konaa ni karaoia I can do it
I kan tiku
I kani karaoia

I want to stay
I want to do it

Exercises
Insert the i into the following phrases where appropriate:

um'a n kuuka
tang n ataei
bong n kukurei
burae n moa
oti n tai
kaain Amerika
boki n te reirei
mane n kirabu
kaibuke n kamb'ana
tang n kitaa
bong n te namakaina
Aro n Katorika
tabo n mm'akuri
kona n tiku
kan mm'akuri taan reirei
taan mm'akuri
taian titooa
taian kiika
taian boom

Lesson 2
DIALECTS

(Note to teachers: This lesson is optional. See manual.)

Although little difficulty is encountered in understanding the speakers from all areas,
there are two main dialects, the Northern and Southern.
The Northern dialect extends from Butaritari/Makin south to Nonouti, and includes
Tarawa, the capital island. The southern dialect encompasses the remainder of the group,
extending from Tabiteuea south to Arorae.
The principal difference in pronunciation is in the sound of the t when it occurs
before u.
In the North, t is pronounced as an s before u, just as it is before i in both areas.
In the South, t is pronounced as a t before u, just as it is before all the vowels except
i.
Some differences may also be encountered in the pronunciation of some common
words or phrases, such as

North

South

gloss

ngke

ngkoe

you

itua

itiua

seven

wanua

waniua

eight

na

naba

also

kunuu

kuniu

my skin

There are also some dialect distinctions between the language as spoken in the
Butaritari/Makin area and the rest of the group:

"Standard"

Butaritari/Makin

gloss

antai

nanta

who?

naaka

taakam

you people

nakomai

kuriko/nakomaikoa

come here

teraa

teikara

what?

kawaetatako

kuria waem

hurry up

waekoa

waetoka

quickly

tebaei

telkaei

this thing

naakai

taakai

these people

naakekei

taakekea

those people

eng

aeng

yes

enga (e nga)

anga (a nga)

where is?

neiko

neingee

Miss

naewa

nangee

so-and-so

te atama

te nono

gravel

karea

kabakabaka (kabakaa) throw

te moimoto

te ni

drinking coconut

moi moimoto

kaatoa

drink moimoto

baabarantiko

tokoro

gossip

wirebwerebwe wi n tokoro

gossip

ngae

buu

satisfied

tekateka

takataka

to sit

Another characteristic
difference between the speech of Butaritari/Makin and the rest of the group is in the
pronunciation of the article te.
In Butaritari/Makin it is pronounced ta before nouns beginning with ka and nga:

"Standard"

Butaritari/Makin gloss

te kai

ta kai

the stick

te nga

ta nga

(the) fathom

te ngabingabi ta ngabingabi

kind of mat

te katam'a

the cat

ta katam'a

Exercises
Practice pronouncing the words in the following list, first with a Northern
pronunciation, then with a Southern:
matua
to sleep
tuai
not yet
itiua
seven
Tuun
June
tua
law
Turai
July
katuka
leave behind
katua
kind of game
butubutu to crowd
rotu
dull
tituaraoi generous
tu
needle
tuka
lower (as a sail)
In addition, if you will be spending time in Butaritari/Makin, it will be useful to study
the list of expressions shown in the lesson as special to that area.

Lesson 3

INTRANSITIVE SENTENCE ORDER

In most, if not all, of the world's languages, word order is one of the basic means for
expressing the relationship between the parts of a sentence. Intransitive sentences are
those in which there is no direct object of the verb. For example, this English sentence:
That man walks.
1
2
In this sentence, the subject phrase 'that man' comes first,
followed by a form of the verb 'to walk'. A Kiribati sentence expressing the same idea is:
E nakonako teuaarei.
1'
2
1
In Kiribati, the subject phrase teuaarei 'that man' comes at
the end of the sentence, after the verb nakonako 'to walk', but the verb is preceded by a
subject pronoun e 'he, she, it' which "agrees" with the subject. In this case it is the third
person singular form. Therefore, if you were to translate this sentence word for word into
English, using the same order, it would come out:
He walks that man.
1'
2
1
English shows "agreement" between the verb and most third
person singular subjects by adding an s to the end of the verb. (Many languages add
small forms to verbs to show agreement with subject person and number, but English
only does so for the third person singular.) Kiribati does a similar job by putting a subject
pronoun in front of the verb. A different pronoun is used for each person and number.
(see lesson on subject pronouns.)

I nakonako ngai.
I
walk
(me)
Ko nakonako ngkoe.
you
walk
(you)
In connected discourse, once the subject has been
mentioned it is no longer necessary to repeat it in following sentences:
E nakonako teuaarei. E turatura.
This is the same as in English, where the pronoun replaces the noun subject which has
already been mentioned:
That man is walking. He is limping.
You may notice that while the English uses a form of the verb "to be" (is), in Kiribati
there is no verb "to be".
E
she

kangare
neierei.
(be) funny
that woman
That woman is funny.
Position of additional material

When a sentence contains additional material, such as a phrase following a

preposition (to, at, by, with...), the usual position for the subject phrase is still at the end
of the sentence:
E
he

nakonako
nakon te titooa
teuaarei.
walk
to the store
that man
That man is walking to the store.
While there is some variation in
the position of these prepositional phrases in the speech of many i-Kiribati, you will not
go wrong in keeping the subject in this position.
However, when the additional material is a form of time adverb, (today, now,
sometimes, this morning...), it generally comes at the end of the sentence, after the
subject:
E
he

E
he

na
will

nakonako
nakon te titooa
teuaarei
ningaabong.
walk
to the store
that man
tomorrow
That man will walk to the store tomorrow.

turatura
teuaarei
n te bong aei.
limp
that man
today
That man is limping today.
As in the case of the prepositional
phrases, you will encounter some variation in the position of time adverbs in the normal

speech of most i-Kiribati. You will find however, that keeping the time adverb in final
position will virtually always be acceptable and understood.

Exercises
A. Rearrange the following groups of words into good Gilbertese
sentences
1. Baie
Baie
2. I
I
3. ataei
children
4. nako
go
5. matuu
sleep
6. aiine
women
7. neierei
that woman
8. a
they
9. roko
come
10. te unimm'aane
the old man
11. aoraki
sick
12. ngai
me
13. ataei
children
14. a
they
15. te karau
rain
16. neierei
woman
17. roko
come
18. Tiaon
John
19. ngaira
us
20. natiu
my child

matuu
sleep
ngai
me
a
they
n te titooa
to the store
ti
we
wareware
read
uaua
swim
tebotebo
wash
aomata
people
motirawa
rest
e
she
mm'akuri
work
reirei
study
am'arake
eat
e
it
e
she
a
they
e
he
koroboki
write
e
he

e
he
nakonako
walk
takaakaro
play
I
I
ngaira
us
a
they
e
she
naakekei
those men
a
they
e
he
tinau
my mother
I
I
a
they
unimm'aane
old men
b'aka
fall
tangitang
cry
mm'aane
men
am'arake
eat
ti
we
mooi
drink
B. Reform the above

sentences without the subject nouns, as if they had already been

Lesson 4
TRANSITIVE SENTENCE ORDER

object phrase
When the verb of a Kiribati sentence is transitive, that is, when there is a word
(object) which receives the action of the verb, the object phrase immediately follows
the verb:
E korea te reta teuaarei.
he write a letter that man
That man wrote a letter.
A na kabooi taiani kariki aomata.
they will buy some bread (the) people
The people will buy some bread.
prepositional phrase
As in intransitive sentences, when a prepositional phrase is included in a transitive
sentence, it may come after the object, directly before the subject phrase. Although
this position is somewhat optional, and you may hear the prepositional phrase at the end
of the sentence, you will always be safe in using it in the position above:

E korea te reta nakoni buuna teuaarei.

he write a letter to his wife that man
That man wrote a letter to his wife.
A na kabooi taiani kariki man te titooa aomata.
they will buy some bread from the store people
The people will buy some bread from the store. time adverb
When a time adverb is included in transitive sentences, its position is also flexible,
but it may always be placed at the end of the sentence as in the intransitive cases:
E korea te reta teuaarei n te bong aei.
he write a letter that man today
That man is writing a letter today.
A na kabooi taiani kariki aomata ningaabong.
they will buy some bread people tomorrow
The people will buy some bread tomorrow.
combined phrases
These positions will hold when there are both prepositional phrases and time adverbs
in the same sentence, as well as when the object phrase is replaced by a suffixed object
pronoun. (see lesson 22 on object pronouns)
E koreia teuaarei n te bong aei.
he write it that man today
That man wrote it today.
A na kabooi man te titooa aomata.
they will buy some from the store the people
The people will buy some from the store.
E koreia nakon buuna teuaarei n te bong aei.
he write it to his wife that man today
That man is writing it to his wife today.
Once again, in actual speech, the
position of these phrases is more flexible, and a great deal of variation may be
encountered. At this point however it will be useful to master a single correct position,
expanding the possibilities as you gain more experience.

Exercises
A. Put the following groups of words into correct Gilbertese sentences
1. korea teuaarei e te reta
write that man he a letter
2. kabooa kariki aomata a na
buy bread people they will
3. wareka te boki te aiine arei e
read the book the woman that she
4. e kana te mm'aane te ika
he eat the man the fish
5. nima te unimm'aane te biia e
drink the old man the beer he
6. te kaabenta e katea au auti
the carpenter he build my house
7. katanga te kitaa e neierei
play the guitar she that woman
8. te mataroa e kauka tamau
the door he open my father
9. noora te taamnei I
see the picture I
10. kana ataeinimm'aane te ben a
eat boys the coconut they
11. na te ika ngaira kuukana ti
will the fish us cook we
12. orea ngkoe na te booro ko
hit you will the ball you
13. nuutibeeba wareka ngai na N te
newspaper read me will I the
14. korea arau e neierei
write my name she that woman
15. anenea te teeinnaiine e anene te
sing the girl she song the
16. kabooa aomata a te tioka
buy people they the sugar
17. teuaarei kunea te boom e
man find the bomb he
18. tutikeeti e kauka neierei te
suitcase she open that woman the
19. te ukurere katanga e teuaarei
the ukulele play he that man
20. noora I te taamnei n te titooa ngai
see I the picture in the store me
B. Reform the above sentences,

omitting the explicit subject.

C. Add the prepositional phrases following each sentence in their proper

Lesson 5
INTERROGATIVES
Part 1

There are two basic types of questions in Kiribati, as in English. One, referred to as
the 'yes-no' type, simply asks for the listener's perception, understanding or opinion of a
given situation, and can basically be answered by 'yes' or 'no', although often other
answers are equally appropriate, such as 'maybe', 'I don't know', 'absolutely', 'heck no!',
etc.
The other type, called 'WH-questions' after the most common English question words,
requests the hearer to supply missing information the who, what, why, when or where
of a given situation.

a. Yes-No Questions
In Kiribati, yes-no questions are formed by merely changing the sentence intonation
from that of a statement, which ends generally in a falling pattern, to that of a question,
which ends on a rising note. Although English changes word order for yes-no question
formation, it employs a similar technique as well, so that a statement such as:
John's going to the store.

could be converted into a question by a simple

change of intonation:
John's going to the store?
E nakon te titooa Tiaon.
he go to the store John
John's going to the store.

Similarly in Kiribati:

becomes a question:

E nakon te titooa Tiaon?

Is John going to the store? b. Negative Questions
In response to a question phrased negatively, the English response is based on
whether the answer to the question would be positive or negative:
Isn't he going to the store?
(He isn't going to the store?)
No, he isn't.
Yes, he is.
In Kiribati however, the response to a negative
question is more of a comment on the truth of the question:
E aki nakon te titooa?
he not go to the store?
E eng. (E aki nako.)
it yes (he's not going to the store) = no
To respond positively to a negative question, it
would be restated as a positive declaration:
E aki nakon te titooa?
E aki. E nakon te titooa.
it not. he go to the store. = yes
Thus the Kiribati responses to negative questions are
often in effect the opposite of those expected by an English speaker. (Note: You will run
into variation in the use of these responses. Be careful.)

c. Tag Questions
English also employs a construction referred to as a 'tag question', a statement
followed by a little 'tag', asking for verification:
He's going to the store, isn't he
Kiribati sometimes employs a similar strategy by
adding ke, 'or', to the end of a statement:

E nakon te titooa ke?

he go to the store or? d. tiaki no, not
Tiaki ('no, not') at the front of a sentence has about the same effect as ke at the end,
meaning in effect, 'isn't it?', 'isn't it so?':
Tiaki te kaabenta ngkoe?
not a carpenter you
Aren't you a carpenter?
You're a carpenter, aren't you?
Tiaki e bon roko te kaibuke?
not it truly come the ship
The ship arrived, didn't it?

Exercises
A. Form yes-no questions from the following statements:
1. E tikiraoi te aiine aarei.
she pretty the woman that
2. Ko ataa te kawai.
you know the way
3. E rangi ni boobuaka te kunnikai.
it very expensive the clothes
4. A na nako Betio n te bong aei.
they will go to Betio today
5. Iai te waanikiba n te Moanibong.
there is a plane on Monday
6. Iai aia kai n tekateka.
there is their chair
7. E raroa mai ikai.
it far from here
8. Ti matuu n te auti.
we sleep in the house
9. E a tia n roko te tia mm'akuri.
he already come the worker
10. E tangira te koobe.
he wants coffee
11. N na tuangga.
I will tell him
12. A uota te boki nakoina.
they bring the book to him
B. Answer the following questions

negatively:
1. E aki nakon te auti?
he not go to the house
2. A aki tiku ikai?
they not stay here
3. Ti na aki toka n te b'ati?
we will not take the bus
4. Ko aki roko mai Betio?
you not come from Betio
5. Kam aki karaoia?
you already not do it
6. E aki kabooa te raiti?
he not buy the rice
7. Ko na aki nako Bairiki?
you will not go to Bairiki C. Now give positive responses to the above

questions.

Lesson 6
INTERROGATIVES
Part 2 - Who, Whose

WH-Questions
Like English, Kiribati uses a set of question words to get information about a missing
element in a sentence. Functionally, some of these act as pronouns, being replaceable by
a noun which answers the question. Some function as adjectives, asking for descriptive
information about a specific noun in a sentence. Others are like adverbs, requesting
information about the verb of the sentence, or an entire clause. Still another group acts as
complete interrogative verbs, needing only a subject pronoun to form a complete
question.

a. antai? who?
Antai, 'who', is used directly before nouns and person demonstratives when asking

for identification:
Antai teuaaei?
who this person (masc. sing.)

Who is this man?

Antai te tia mm'akuri aanne?
who the worker that

Who is that workman?

directly:

It is used similarly when asking someone's name

Antai aram?
who your name

What's your name?

Antai aran tamam?
who his name your father?

What's your father's name? When asking who did some action, when there is a
verb involved, antai must be followed by an appropriate relative pronoun, such as ae.
(see the lesson on relative pronouns.):
Antai ae e na nako Tarawa?
who that will go-to Tarawa?

Who (is it [sg.] that) will go to Tarawa?

Antai aika a tia ni karaoia?
who that already do-it

Who (is it [pl.] that) did it?

in place of Antai.

Dialect Note: In Butaritari/Makin, Nanta is used

b. antena? whose?
Antena, 'whose', can be seen as a contraction of:
antai ana = antena.
Antai ana b'ai? = Antena b'ai?
who his thing = whose thing

Whose thing (is this)?

Before nouns which must take the possessive
suffixes, ante is used. (see lesson on possessive suffixes). Compare:
Ante waa-na?
Whose canoe (is this)?

Antena matau?
Whose fishhook (is this)?
Notes: 1) Before certain sounds, anto may be heard in place of ante:
anto um'ana? = ante um'ana?
whose house?
2) Antai will sometimes be heard before non-animate nouns (this is rather
colloquial):
Antai te auti aanne?
who the house that

Whose house is that?

Exercises
A. Form questions from the following sentences, assuming the underlined
word to be missing information.
example: Teuaarei boni Bauro.
that manboni

Paul

Antai teuaarei?

(Note that bon(i) 'truly', is omitted when forming the

question.)

1. Neierei boni Maria.

that woman

2. Bon Iaone te tia reirei aarei.

Bon Iaone te teacher
3. Te unimm'aane aei bon tamau.
Te old manaei bon tamamy father
4. Bon tinau te aiine aarei.
Bon my mother
5. Kaain au auti bon tamau ao tinau.
people of

6. Aran au kaawa bon Teaoraereke.

Aran au village
7. Au tia reirei Titi.
8. Bon Roniti te minita aarei.
Bon Roniti te minister
9. Te tama aarei bon Ioteba.
Tefather
10. Aran te teei aarei boni Karianako.
Aran te child
B. Use Antai ae (singular) or Antai

aika (plural), to form questions from the following statements, assuming

the underlined word to be missing information, as above:
example: E na nako Tiaon.
Antai ae e na nako?
1. E na nakon te titooa Kaitara.
2. A katea au auti taani mm'akuri.
A buildkatea au auti workmen
3. A taua te bure bureitiman aikai.
A holdte criminal policemen these
4. E na roko ningaabong Tiaon.
5. E na kawarai tamau ningaabong.
E na visit me

Lesson 7
INTERROGATIVES
Part 3 - What, How Many

a. teraa? what?
Teraa, 'what', may be used directly before inanimate nouns that is, nouns which are
things, but not people:
Teraa te b'ai aanne?
what the thing that?

What is that thing?

Teraa te rongorongo?
what the news

What's the news?

a relative pronoun:

When questioning an action, before a verb, teraa is used with

Teraa ae e karaoia nakoim?

what that he do-it to-you

What did he do to you?

(This is preferable to a similar construction without the

relative pronoun:
*E karaoa teraa nakoim?
he do what to-you)

b. raa? what, which?

Raa, 'what, which', is always used following a noun (unless followed by a possessive
suffix, below), and can be used with people as well as with things:
Ko tangira to boki raa?
you want the book which

Which book do you want?

Te aomata raa?
the person which

Which person?
When used with the possessive suffixes, raa questions 'what
relationship' (The hyphen is used here only for illustration.):
Raa-m teuaanne?
your-what that-man

What relation is that man to you?

Raa-n te auti?
its-what the house

What (which) part of the house?

It can also be translated by 'how':

maan
long (time), duration

Maanra?
How long?

When questioning 'what kind of things', baikara is used:

Baikara aika ko tangiri?

what-things that you want

What sort of things do you want?

(In the singular, this would be te b'ai teraa or te

b'ai raa.)

c. iraua? how many?

This will be dealt with in more detail in the section on numeral classifiers, for ira-ua
takes different numeral classifiers according to the things questioned. The most common
use is with the general classifier, -ua:

Iraua am ririki?
how-many your years

How old are you?

Ira-man tarim?
how-many your-same sex siblings

How many brothers (sisters) have you? d. Notes on asking 'What?'

Like English and many languages, Kiribati has a number of expressions to use when
something wasn't heard, all translating roughly as 'What?':
Teraa?
Teraa ae ko taku?
Teraana?
Teraa am taeka?

(what?)
(what which you said?)
(its what?)
(what your words?)

(it how?)
E kangaa?
(it done-how?)
E aera?
You may hear variations on these as well.
They are all more or less interchangeable.

e. Notes on asking 'the how many-th?'

While iraua asks the question 'how many?', sometimes it is necessary to ask for 'the
how many-th?'. English uses a variety of ways to achieve this. After a race we might ask
a runner 'what number did you come in?'. For days of the week, we ask 'what day is
today?'. For selecting from a row of objects we might merely ask 'which one?'. Kiribati
uses one construction for all of these cases, the question word ira- plus its appropriate
classifier, and the ordinal prefix, ka-, meaning roughly '-th'. (Hyphens are for clarification
only, not used in normal writing.):
Te ka-ira-man ngkoe?
the how-many-th you

What number are you?

Te ka-ira-bong aei?
the how-many-th-day this?

What day is today?

Te ka-ira-ua to bai aanne?
the how-many-th that thing

Which one (of the series) is that? (see the lessons on ordinals and classifiers for further
information)

Exercises
A. Form questions from the following sentences using teraa, assuming the
underlined words to be the missing information:
1. N na teboka te aroka.
N na water

the plant

2. Aran to bai aei bon te buriki.

Aran to bai aei bon te brick
3. Te kaibuke aarei bon Teraaka.
Te ship
4. Te man aei bon te kirii.
Boanimal aei bon te dog
5. Bon te been te b'ai aarei.
Bon tepen
6. Te b'ai are iaon te kaa bon te kie.
Te b'ai are iaon te carbon te kie mat
7. N na kam'aa te am'arake.
N na kcookte amarfood
8. A na kabooi taiani kariki man te titooa.
A na kbuytainisome bread
9. Bon te am'arake ae e kam'aia tinau.
Bon te am'arake ae e kcook it my mother
10. Bon waan tamau te waa aarei.
Bonmy father's canoe
B. Form questions from the

following sentences in a similar fashion using raa:

1. I noora te taamnei are n te m'aneaba.
I noora te tapicture
2. A na toka n te ranti aarei.
A natake (ride)telaunch
3. E tangira te kanre ae e uraura.
E wantte kanrecandy
4. Ti maeka n te auti ae e buubura.
Ti mliven te auti ae e buburabig
5. E kabooi kariki ake a kangkang.
E a buykarbreadake a kangdelicious
6. N na toka ni waanikiban Nauru.
N na toka ni Nairplane of
7. Ti reirei n te reirei are teuana.
Ti study
school the one
8. Kam na kaea te meeri are te aoa itiua.
Kam na chase
ferryare te aoaseven o'clock
9. E iein ma te aiine ae e unuun.
E marryma te aiine ae e unquarrelsome
10. I kaboonganaa te biti ae e kakang.

C. Use raa plus the possessive

Lesson 8
INTERROGATIVES
Part 4 - When, Where, Why

a. nningai? when?
Nningai, 'when' is variable as to its position in the question:
E na roko nningai?
he will come when

When will he come?

Nningai am tai n nako?
when your time of going?

When are you going?

It is sometimes found as nningai raa.

b. iia? where?
Sometimes found as iaa or iaa raa, its use is fairly straight-forward:

E maeka iia Meeri?

she live where Mary

Where does Mary live?

c. maiia? from where? whence?

This can he seen as a contraction of mai + iia, from + where:
A roko maiia?
they come from-where?

Where do they come from?

d. bukin teraa? why, what for?

This is usually followed by ngke for the past, and ngkai for the non-past (ngke =
when, past; ngkai = now):
Bukin teraa ngkai ko na nako Tarawa?
for what now you will go-to Tarawa

Why are you going to Tarawa?

Sometimes the form is 'inverted'

Other forms are found for 'why' as well.

Teraa bukin nakom nako Tarawa?

what for your-going to Tarawa

What are you going to Tarawa for? As a one-word interjection, Ao? (and) is often
used for 'why?', and also ao teraa?, 'so, what?', 'well?', 'what more?'

Exercises
(click for glossary)

A. Form 'when' questions from the following sentences using nningai:

1. A na roko ningaabong au ataei.
2. E roko ngkoananoa te kaibuke.
3. N na nako Maiana n te wiiki ae e na roko.
4. I korea au reta ngke e tairiki.
5. E na kiba n te ingaabong te waanikiba.
6. Ti katea te auti aei n te ririki ae e nako.
7. E a tib'a tia te kootiueei aei.
8. E mate tibuu ngkoananoa.
9. I wareka te boki aei ngke I uareereke.
10. Ti nako Bikenibeu ngke e ingaabong.

B. Use iia is to form 'where'

questions from the following sentences:
1. E akawa Tiaon n te nama.
2. A tebotebo ataei inanon te rawa.
3. I katuka au kawaerake iaan te baoki.
4. Ti maeka ma au karo n au auti.
5. E mm'akuri Beia n te kaibuke n akawa.
6. E bungiaki natina are Karianako n te oonaoraki.
7. Ti kabooi taiani kariki n ana titooa Baong.
8. E kunea te boom Tatin inanon te nono.
9. Ti tiku i Bikenibeu.

C. Form 'from where'

INTERROGATIVES
Review Exercise
titiraki ma kaekaana
questions and answers

Replace the blank with the appropriate question word for each pair of
questions and answers:
(click for glossary)

1. __________ aran tinam?

Aran tinau bon Nei Teretia.
2. __________ aran am kamea?
Aran au kamea bon Tatin.
3. __________ nanon te taeka ni Kiribati ae kariki?
Nanon te taeka ni Kiribati ae kariki boni 'bread'.
4. __________ ngkoe ni maeka i Maiana?
Uoua au ririki ni maeka i Maiana.
5. Ko na nako Betio __________ ?
N na nako Betio ningaabong.
6. __________ Baraniko te aine aarei?
M'aanen Baraniko te aiine aarei.
7. E roko __________ te mm'aane aarei?
E roko te mm'aane aarei mai Beru.
8. E kabooaki __________ te bentira?
E kabooaki n ana titooa Bauro.
9. E reke __________ am boki?
E reke au boki mai Tarawa.
10. Te boki __________ ae ko kakaaea?
I kakaaea te boki ae e uraura.
11. __________ kabooa am b'aatika?
E kabooa au b'aatika tamau.
12. __________ kunea te boom?
E kunea te boom Tatin.
13. Ko kabooi kariki __________ ?
I kabooi kariki aika a buubura.
14. __________ am ririki?
Tenibwi au ririki.
15. __________ ngkoe n reirei i Biti?
Nimaua au ririki n reirei i Biti.
16. Ko na kabooa __________ am b'aatika?
N ra kabooa au b'aatika n te nam'akaina ae e na roko.
17. __________ e nakon te titooa?
E nakon te titooa bukina b'a e na kabooa te kariki.
18. E oti taai __________ ?
E oti taai mai mainiku.
19. E na roko __________ te kaibuke?
E na roko n te Kaabong te kaibuke.
20. __________ aiine akekei Ten Tiaon?
Boni m'aaneia Ten Tiaon aiine akekei.
21. __________ booti aei?
Bon au booti aei.
22. __________ auti te auti aarei?
Bon ana auti Baie.
23. __________ te teei aarei?
Bon natiu te teei aarei.

Lesson 9
INTERROGATIVES
Part 5 - Question Verbs

Gilbertese uses seven verbs which have interrogative force. Otherwise they act just as
any other verbs, being preceded by a subject pronoun to form a complete sentence:

a. Ngaa - to be where
E ngaa to kai-ni-b'ati?
it be-where the bus stop

Where is the bus stop? Ngaa is generally used only with the third person pronouns.
In other cases, a construction with iia is preferred. (see preceding lesson.):
Ko meake iia?
you live where?

It can also be used in the sense of 'when', 'where in time':

E ngaa to bong ae ko aki tabe iai?

it where the day that you not busy there

What day aren't you busy?

When used with this meaning, iai, meaning
'there, at that time' must be incorporated into both the question and answer:
Te-Moanibong te bong ae I aki tabe iai.
Monday the day that I not busy then

I'm not busy on Monday.

b. Aera - to do what
Kam na aera?
you (pl) will do-what?

What are you going to do? Aera is also commonly used equivalent to "what did you
say", when the last remark was misheard:
E aera?
What? How's that again?
are you going"':

It is often used as a greeting as well, in the sense "where

Ko na aera?
Where are you going?
What are you up to?
Sometimes it also means 'why', in which case it is used with
ngkai, ngke, and ngkana, like bukin teraa. (See preceding lesson.) With ngke in the
past, and ngkai in the non-past. Ngkana has the implication of the questioner's
disapproval, disbelief, or challenge:
E aera ngkai ko nako Betio?
why now you go-to Betio

Why are you going to Betio?

E aera ngkana ko nako Betio?
What are you going to Betio for?
(negative intonation)

c. Uara - to be how
Kouara?
you be-how

How are you?

E uara am mm'akuri?
it be-how your work

How's your job?

d. Nakea - go where
Ko na nakea?
you will go where

Where are you going?

a greeting.

Like ko (na) aera, ko (na) nakea is often used in passing as

e. Kangaa - to do how, in what way

Ko kangaa ni karaoia?
you in what way of do it

How did you do it?

In some cases, like e aera, it can have the sense of 'what', as
when asking someone what someone else said:
E kangaa ana taeka?
it be how his words

What did he say?

f. Rikea - to pass by where

Ko na rikea?
you will pass by where

Which route will you take?

g. Iraanna - to do in what way

Ko iraanna ni kateia
you in what way of build it

How did you build it? Iraanna is more commonly used in the passive form Iraanaki, 'done in what way'. (See lesson on passives):
E iraanaki te am'arake?
it done in what way the food

How was that food made?

NOTE
There is a word similar in sound to iraanna: iraana. It means roughly 'where'
and is a composition of i, the locative prefix, plus raa, 'what' (lesson 7), plus
the possessive suffix na, 'its', which gives raa the meaning of 'what
relationship?'. Altogether it has the sense 'at what relationship to it; where?'.
Similarly, iraab'ai, 'on which side of the thing?', can be seen as a contraction
of i + raa + (n + te) b'ai.

Exercises
(click for glossary)

A. Use ngaa to form questions to which the following sentences are

answers:
1. Aarei te um'a ni kuuka.
2. E mena i Betio tinau.
3. Are i Bonriki te marae ni waanikiba.
4. Are irarikin te auti te kaa.
5. Aarei aobitin te reirei.
6. Te Katenibong te bong ae I aki tabe iai.
7. Te Kanimabong ae e na roko ae N na nako iai nako Betio.
8. Boni Maati te nam'akaina ae N na oki iai.
9. Are i Maiana tamau.
10. Bon Ritemba te nam'akaina ae e bati iai te kukurei.

B. Use aera to
form questions to which the following sentences could be answers. Use
the variety of forms you have studied:
1. Ti nangi mm'akuri ngkai.
2. N na toka n te b'ati.
3. I tabe n reirei.
4. E a mate te unimm'aane.
5. E na roko ningaabong te kaibuke.
6. I a tia n karaoia.
7. I nako Betio b'a N na noora tamau.
8. Bukina b'a I tabetabe.

C. Use uara to form questions to

Kiribati Glossary
Kiribati - English Glossary
for the

Communication and Culture Handbook

(1523 entries)

Note on the alphabetization: Double letters (aa, nn, etc.), the apostrophe (in m',
b'), and spaces, have been ignored to simplify look-up. For example,
ab'aab'aki is alphabetized as if it were spelled ababaki.

A B E I K M N NG O R T U W

A
a (aux) indicating immediate past.
a (pron) they.
aaba (n) lands.
aba (n) land.
ab'aab'aki (adj) big, large.

abaia (n) their land; land of.

Abaiang (pn) island in the Gilberts
between Tarawa and Marakei.
ab'akin (n) size of.
abam (n) your land; your country.
abam'akoro (n) island.
abam'akoron (n) islands of.
abamii (n) your (pl.) islands; your
(pl.) countries.
abau (n) my island, my country.
abea (n) bait.
abeana (n) its/his/her bait.
abeana (v) to use as bait.

Abemama (pn) island in the Gilberts,

east of Kuria and Aranuka.
Aberika (pn) Africa.
abong (n) four days.
ae (rel pron) which (near).
aei (rel pron) this (and: aio).
aeka (n) sort; kind.
aekan (n) sort of, kind of.
aekia (v) take from (as food from
fire).
ae e nako (adv) last (year, week,
month...).
ae e na roko (adv) next (week,
month, year...).
aera (v) what ... doing?
ai (excl) truly!
ai (n) fire.
ai (pron) such, like (n ai aron).
aia (n) firewood.
aia (pron) their.
aika (pron) who; which.
aikai (pron) these.
ai m'aneu (n) my cousin, opposite
sex.
ai natiu (n) my nephew or niece.
aiine (n) female, woman.
aio (pron) this (and: aei).
ai tariu (n) my cousin, same sex.
akanne (pron) those.
akawa (n) fishing.
akawa (v) to fish.
akawam (n) your fishing.
ake (pron) which were; that are.
akea (neg) none.
akekei (pron) those (far).
aki (neg) not.
akuun (prep) behind, at the back of.
am (pron) your.
aama (n) hammer.
am'arake (n) a food.
am'arake (v) to eat.
am'arake n te tairiki (n) dinner.
Amerika (pn) America.
amii (pron) your (pl.).
amori (n) kind of fish.
aan (prep) under.
anaa (n) fish.
ana (pron) his/her/its.
anaa (v) take.
ana Ekaretia te Atua (pn) Church of

God.
aane (pron) that.
aneang (n) mast.
anene (n) a singing or song.
anene (v) to sing.
anenei (v) to sing them.
ang (n) the wind.
anga (n) a shoulder.
anga (v) to give.
anganaki (v pass) be given.
angaatai (n) right hand.
angaataiu (n) my right hand side.
ao (conj) and.
aobiti (n) office.
Aokati (n) August.
aono (n) group (especially for
islands), district.
aono ni Kiribati (n) Gilbert Group.
aontano (n) earth, ground.
aontari (n) surface of sea.
aonga (adv) in order that, so that.
aoraki (n) sick, sick person, illness.
aoranti (n) orange.
Aotiteeria (pn) Australia.
ara (n) name.
ara (pron) our.
araia (n) their names.
aram (n) your (sing.) name.
aramii (n) your (pl.) names.
aran (n) name of.
arana (n) his/her/its name.
aranaki (v) named, called.
araniia (v) name or call them.
Aranuka (pn) island in the Gilberts
between Kuria and Abemama.
arara (n) our names.
arau (n) my name.
are (pron) who, which; that (yonder).
aarei (pron) that yonder.
ari (n) spathe (coconut).
ari (n) eyebrow.
Aaro (n) religions.
aro (n) way, manner.
Aro (n) religion.
aroia (n) their way, their manner.
aroka (n) plant.
aroka (v) to smell.
aron (n) way/manner of; like (n ai
aron).
aroni (n) way/manner of.

Aro ni Momon (n) Mormon Church.

Arorae (pn) the last island in the
south of Kiribati.
aroro (n) four generations.
arou (n) my way/manner of.
ata (adj) wide or broad.
ata (n) rope tied from mast to
outrigger (canoe).
ataa (v) know.
ataei (n) children.
ataein (n) children of.
ataeinimm'aane (n) boy.
atai (v pl) know.
ataia (v) know him/her/it.
atama (n) gravel (small stones).
atatai (v,a) skilled.
Aatia (pn) Asia.
atiibu (n) stone.
atim'akoro (n) islet.
atongaki (a) famous, renowned.
atuu (n) head.
Atua (pn) God.
Atuaia (n) their God.
atuun (n) head of.
atuun te tautaeka (n) Government
Headquarters.
au (pron) my.
au (v) caulk.
aua (num) four.
auee (excl) exclamation of intensive
feeling.
auti (n) house.
auti n iruwa (n) house for guest;
guest-house, hotel.

A B E I K M N NG O R T U W

B
be bi bo bu
b'a (conj) because, for, that, as.
baa (n) midrib of coconut leaf; leaf of
plants.
b'ab'ai (n) taro-like food plant.
b'aab'aiaa (n) pawpaw; papaya.

babooboo (adj) yellow.

b'aene (n) basket.
b'aai (n) things.
bai (n) hand.
b'ai (n) thing.
baiia (n) their hands.
Baibara (n) Bible.
b'aibi (n) pipe.
baika (n) these things.
baikara (interrog) what things?
baim (n) your hand.
b'aim (n) your dress (clothing).
b'ain (n) thing of; clothing.
b'aina (v) to wear (sing. form).
b'ainaki (v pass) worn, used.
b'ai n am'arake (n) eating utensils.
b'ai n aoraki (n) thing for sickness,
medicine.
b'aini (n) nose.
b'aini (v pl form) to wear.
b'ai ni kao'ara tikuru (n) thing for
unscrewing, screwdriver.
b'ai ni katena (n) thing for holding
tight, pliers.
b'aai ni mm'akuri (n) things for
working, tools.
b'aai n taetae (n) things for talking,
telephone, speaker.
b'ai n tangira (n) thing for love, gift,
present.
baaire (n) measurement;
arrangement.
baairea (v) to measure; to make
arrangement.
Bairiki (n) Capital town on Tarawa
where Government Headquarters are.
b'aiu (n) my dress.
baiu (n) my hand.
b'aka (v) fall.
b'akantaai (n) afternoon.
bakatibu (n) ancestor.
baakee (n) tobacco.
baakeena (n) its tobacco.
baan (n) leaf of (see: baa).
baana (n) its leaf (see: baa).
Banaba (n) name of an island (Ocean
Island).
b'anaaia (n) their voice.
b'aanaki (v pass) filled with (oil,
kerosene, benzine, etc. ).

b'anaam (n) your voice.

b'anaan (n) voice of.
b'anaanaa (n) banana.
bane (adj) finished.
baannii (n) coconut leaf.
baanikaina (n) pandanus leaf.
b'anga (n) mosquito net.
b'anga (v) to hide in a hole.
b'ange (n) chin.
bangke (n) bank.
baoki (n) box.
b'aoua (v) bend.
b'ara (n) hat.
b'ara (v) undone.
b'arakarabe (n) paragraph.
b'aranako (adj) dispersed (see:
b'ara).
baareka (adj) dirty.
b'ata (adj) black, blue.
b'ata (n) pot.
bati (adj) many.
b'ati (n) bus.
b'aatika (n) bicycle.
b'aukin (n) pumpkin.
beeba (n) paper.
Beberuare (n) February.
beebete (adj) easy, light.
beeki (n) pig.
bekobeko (n) cough.
bekobeko (v) cough.
beem (n) your lavalava.
been (n) lavalava of.
been (n) coconuts.
been (n) pen.
been (n) paint.
ben (n) coconut.
beeniaki (v pass) painted.
bentira (n) pencil.
beretitenti (n) president.
beero (n) bell.
Beru (n) island west of Nikunau.
Betebeke (n) Pacific.
beetin (n) basin.
Betio (n) port town on Tarawa.
bia (excl) denoting a wish.
bia (n) fish ovaries.
biia (n) beer.
biibi (n) throat.
bike (n) beach.
Bikenibeu (n) town on Tarawa where

Central Hospital is located.

bikoukou (adj) pregnant.
bina (n) last born child.
bina (v) come last.
bino (n) sitting dancing.
bino (v) to do sitting dance.
bira (v) plait.
biri (v) run.
biriari (n) full stop (period).
birim'aaka (v) run fast.
biri mwere (v) run slowly.
biroto (n) stomach.
birotou (n) my stomach.
bitaki (v pass) changed.
biti (n) knife.
Biti (n) Fiji.
biiua (n) fever.
biwa (n) fever.
boo (n) hit, cost.
boo (v) strike, meet (especially for
time).
boob'ai (n) shopping.
boob'ai (v) do shopping.
boobete (adj) cheap.
bobootaki (v) use to gather together.
Bobooti (n) Cooperative.
booia (v) strike it; ring it (the bell).
boitin (n) poison.
boki (n) book.
booki (n) books.
boki n anene (n) song book, hymn
book.
boki n tataro (n) prayer book.
boom (n) bomb.
bon (affirmative) truly.
boona (n) price, cost of.
boni (excl) truly.
bonota (v) close, shut.
bonotaki (v pass) closed, shut.
bong (n) day; night.
boongana (adj) useful.
boonganan (n) use of.
boonganana (n) his/her/ its use.
bongin (n) day of.
boora (n) bowl.
borau (v) sail.
booro (n) ball.
bootaki (n) assembly.
bootaki (v) meet, assemble.
boti (n) marked places in the

m'aneaba, etc.
booti (n) boat.
botu (n) weariness, fatigue.
botura (n) our weariness.
boou (adj) new.
boou (n) my salary.
bouan (n) post of.
buu (n) wife or husband.
bua (adj) lost.
buaka (adj) rough, not calm.
buaakaka (adj) bad.
Buariki (n) a name of a village on
Tarawa.
bubu (n) smoke (as from fire, etc.).
bubu (v) smoke (as a fire, etc.).
bubuaka (adj) bad.
bubuaka (v) use to battle.
bubua ni bai (n) elbow.
bubua ni wae (n) knee.
bubuia (v) to rub it.
buubura (adj) big, large.
buki (n) back.
bukin (n) back of.
bukin (prep) for.
bukina (prep) because.
bun (n) shell fish.
buun (n) wife of or husband of.
bung (v) set (sun).
bungiaki (v pass) born.
bungintaai (n) sunset.
buoka (v) help.
buokai (v) help me.
buokaki (v pass) helped.
buoki (v pl form) help.
buokiko (v) help you.
burae (n) hair; feather.
burae ni man (n) feather.
burakibooti (n) blackboard.
Buranti (n) France.
burati (n) brush.
burati (v) brush.
buraaun (adj) brown.
buraawa (n) flour.
bure (n) wrong; a mistake; a sin.
bureitiman (n) policeman.
bureen (n) plane (tool).
buriki (n) brick.
Buritan (n) Britain.
buroo (n) hearts.
buro (v) boiling.

buroburo (n) bubble.

buuta (v) to call out (as to fight); to
withdraw.
Butaritari (n) second island in north
of Gilberts.
buteeta (n) potato.
buti (v) run, as for vehicles and boats.
butibooro (n) football.
butibooro (v) play football.
butiiko (v) request you.
butim'aai (v) welcome.
butu (n) foot (measurement).
butu (v) to push.
bwee (n) a paddle; a rudder.
bwee (v) to paddle, steer.
bweenaki (v pass) driven by means of
paddle or rudder.
bweennarina (n) a paddle.
bweennarina (v) to paddle.
bwenauaaki (v pass) divided, cut
into.
bwereeti (n) press.
bwereeti (v) press (print).
bweeuru (n) steering paddle.

A B E I K M N NG O R T U W

E
e (pron) he, she, it.
eea (n) air.
Eberi (n) April.
Eita (p n) village on Tarawa.
Ekaretia (n) Church.
ekueetoa (n) equator.
embaea (n) empire.
eng (excl) yes.
engaa (interrog) where?
Engiran (p n) England.
Ereti (p n) Ellice (Tuvalu).
eta (prep) up.
eti (adj) right, correct, straight.
ewanin (n) coconut husk.

A B E I K M N NG O R T U W

I
I (pron) I.
iaa (interrog) where?
ia (n) blood vessel.
ia (n) tide.
ia (n) hair.
iabuti (n) high tide.
iai (affirmative) thereby, there is,
there are.
iaan (adv) below, under.
ianimaama (adj) moonlit.
iangoa (v) think of.
iaon (prep) on/over.
iaona (prep) on/over it.
iaati (n) yard.
ibu (n) shell of coconut.
ibuakoia (prep) among them.
ibukiia (prep) for them.
ibukin (prep) for.
ibukina (prep) for him/her/it,
because; at the back of him/her/it.
ibun (n) shell of.
ibuna (n) its shell.
ibuobuoki (adj) helpful.
ibuobuoki (n) helping.
ie (n) sail.
iein (n) marriage.
iein (v) marry.
ieka (n) flood.
ieka (v) to flood.
iena (n) its sail.
ika (n) fish.
iika (n pl) fish.
ikai (adv) here.
ikan (n) fish of.
ikanne (adv) right there.
ikaraaba (n) hide and seek.
ikaraaba (v) hide and seek.
ikarii (n) bony fish.
ikawai (n) grown-up.
ikawaina (n) his/her/its age; growing
up.

ikekei (adv) over there.

I Kiribati (n) Gilbertese.
ikoaki (n) wounded person.
ikoaki (v pass) injured.
ikotaki (n) gathering.
ikotaki (v) add to; included.
im'aaim (prep) before you.
im'aain (prep) before.
im'aaiu (prep) before me.
imanaki (v pass) scaled.
I Matang (n) white people;
Europeans.
imwiim (prep) after you.
imwiin (prep) after.
imwiina (prep) after him/her/it.
in (adj) closed, shut.
inaai (n) mat (coconut leaf).
inanon (prep) in.
inaaomata (n) independence.
inti (n) inch.
ingaabong (n) morning.
irakea (v) to hoist.
iraman (interrog) how many? (for
animals).
iran (n) strands of.
iranna (v) how to do (a thing).
iraanaki (v pass) how (something) is
done.
iraorao (adj) friendly.
irarikin (prep) beside.
iraua (interrog) how many?
irewii (n) tooth brushing.
irewii (v) to brush teeth.
iri (v) go with, follow, attend.
iriko (n) meat.
iriko (v) go with you;.
irikona (n) its flesh.
irouia (prep) by them.
iroum (prep) by you.
iroun (prep) by, of.
irouna (prep) by him/her.
iroura (prep) by us.
irua/iriwa (n) guest, stranger.
iruwa (n) stranger, foreigner.
itauu (n) boxing.
itera (n) half.
iteran (n) half of.
iterana (n) half of it.
iteran to kawai (n) side of the road.
iti (n) lightning.

itiia (v) scoop it up.

itibong (n) half moon.
itibwi (num) seventy.
itiua (num) seven.
itoi (n) star.

A B E I K M N NG O R T U W

K
ke ki ko ku
kaa (n pl) car.
kaab'a (n) corrugated iron, copper.
kabae (n) knot; bandage.
kabaeaki (v pass) tied, bandaged.
kabaeanatu (n) hair scarf.
kabaei (v pl) tie (pl of kabaea).
kab'aia (adj) lucky, fortunate.
kab'akaa (v) to drop.
kab'akaaki (v pass) fallen.
kabane (adj) all, altogether.
kabanea (v) to finish.
kabanei (v) to finish them all.
kab'angab'angaa (v) to make a hole;
to bore a hole.
kab'araa (v) undo, untie.
kab'arab'ara (v) to preach.
kab'arab'araa (vt) to describe.
kab'arab'arai (v) to describe.
kabaraaki (v pass) undone, untied.
kab'aroa (v) pour out (water).
kab'aroi (v pl form) pour out.
kaabentaa (n) carpenter.
kabeta (v) put on water to float.
kabetan (n) floater of.
kabi (n) keel.
kaboo (n) farewell.
kaboo (v) to complete.
kabooa (v) buy.
kabooaki (v pass) bought.
kabooaki (v pass) to get to meet at
the ends, points.
kabooanako (v) sell.
kabooi (v pl form) buy.
Kaabong (n) Thursday.

kaboonganaa (vt) to use it.

kaboonganai (v pl form) use.
kaboonganaaki (v pass) used.
kaboonganaan (n) use of.
kaboowi (n) a conference.
kaboowi (v) to have a conference;.
kabuanib'ai (n) accident.
kabubu (adj) blunt.
kabubu (n) a powdered food made
from pandanus fruit.
kabuubuta (v) to run a thing several
times.
kabuebue (adj) hot.
kaburoa (vt) boil.
kaburoaki (v pass) boiled.
kabururu (v) wash one's face.
kabuta (v) to drive; to cause to move
something.
kabutikai (n) a kind of game played
with playing cards.
kaea (v) go for; to chase.
kaei (v pl form) chase; go for.
kaeta (v) straighten; correct.
kaetai (v) correct me; straighten me.
kaetia (v) correct him/her/it;
straighten him/her/it.
kaetiko (v) correct you; put you right.
kai (n) stick.
kaai (n pl) timber; woods; sticks;
trees.
kaaiia (n) their people.
kaiia (n) their sticks; stick for them.
kaiia (n) points lost in game.
kaaibibiti (v) to exchange.
kaibuke (n) ship.
kaika (v) pail water out of.
kaikan (n) pail of or for.
kaimatoa (n) stiff action, kind of
Kiribati dancing movement.
kaimoa (n) crews of the ship.
kaain (n) person of, people of; owner
of; occupier of.
kain (n) stick of; wood of.
kaaina (n) its people; owner;
occupier.
kaina (n) its stick, its wood;.
kaina (n) pandanus tree.
kaainabana (n) his wife/her husband.

kaainabau (n) wife or husband.

kainnakotinaniku (n) latrine.
kainikawaawaa (n) gutter.
kainiwene (n) bed.
kaintekateka (n) chair.
kairabong (interrog) what day?
kairai (v) lead me, guide me, direct
me.
kairiko (v) lead you; guide you;
direct you.
kaairua (n) mistake.
kaaitara (prep) face to face.
kaaitarai (v) give opposites.
kaaitaraan (n) opposite of.
kaitiakan (n) cleaning of.
kaitiaki (v pass) cleaned.
kaitiakia (v) clean it.
kaaitiboo (v) meet.
Kaitibong (n) Seventh day.
kakaaea (v) look for; find out.
kakaaei (v pl form) look for; find out.
kakaaki botu (n) pass time.
kaakanaki (v pass) edible.
kakanoa (adj) having something
inside.
kaakang (adj) keen to eat.
kakang (adj) sharp.
kakangia (v) sharpen.
kaaki (v) take away, to put.
kakibaa (v) to cause to fly, jump,
leap.
kakooa (v) to fasten tightly.
kakoauaa (v) believe; to say
something or someone is true ; to prove.
kakua (adj) tiresome.
kakukurei (adj) pleasant, pleasing.
kam (pron pl) you.
kam'aa (v) cook.
kam'aim'ai (n) molasses (cooked
toddy).
kam'aitoro (adj) cold.
kamaiu (adj) pleasant.
kamaiu (n) supper.
kamaiu (v) life giving.
kamaiuaki (v pass) saved, rescued,
healed.
kamaamana (n) its window.
kamaanaki (v pass) kept longer.
kam'anea (v) to trick; betray.

kamani (adv) previously, before.

kam'anuui (v pl form) to fold.
kamariri (adj) chilly.
kamatea (v) kill.
kamateb'ai (v) study.
kamatoai (v) make them strong.
Kamatuu (n) Protestant Church.
kamea (n) dog.
kam rab'a (v) thank you (pl.).
kaan (prep) almost, close to.
kan (v) want, wish.
kana (v) eat.
kanaia (n) their food.
kanaia (v) put more fire-wood on the
fire.
kanaki (v pass) eaten.
kanakoaki (v pass) sent away.
kanakoi (v pl form) take away; send
away.
kanana (n) his/her/its food.
kani (v) want; wish.
kaaniia (v) to go closer.
kanikina (n) the mark or sign;.
kanikinaea (v) to mark or sign.
Kanimabong (n) Friday.
kaniiman (num) fifth; come fifth.
kanoaia (v) fill it.
kanoaaki (v pass) filled.
kanoan (n) content of.
kanoana (n) its content.
kaantaninga (n) hope; expectation.
kaantaninga (v) to hope for; expect.
kantoka (n) the fare or freight.
kang (v pl form) eat.
kangaa (interrog) how?
kaanga (v) seem.
kaangai (adv) thus.
kaangai (v) say thus, say as follows.
kaangaanga (adj) difficult hard.
kangkang (adj) delicious.
kangkangin (n) deliciousness of.
kaoaki (n) orders.
kaoaki (v pass) invited.
kaoi (pl v) order (things).
kaokoro (n) different or difference.
kaona (v) fill up.
Kaonobong (n) Saturday.
kaongoraeai (v) inform me.
kaotii (v) show them (things).
karab'arab'a (v) to say thankful

words.
karaki (v) to tell a story; to talk.
karaanga (n) river.
karanga (n) Kiribati stick dancing.
karaanga (v) to flatter.
karaoa (v) do, make.
karaoaki (v pass) made.
karaoan (n) the doing or making of.
karaoi (v) do; make them (things).
karaoia (v) do it or make it.
karatiin (n) kerosene.
karau (n) rain.
karaun (n) fishing net.
karaaure (n) farewell.
karau tanginako (n) shower of rain.
karawa (n) sky, heaven.
kare (v) blow; throw.
karekea (v) get; catch.
karekeaki (v pass) caught.
karekean (n) catching of.
kareke nano (n) sweet talking.
karewe (n) a toddy; sweet.
kariki (n) bread.
kariki (n) descendant.
kariki (v) to become pregnant.
karikirake (n) business; promotion.
karimoa (n) first born child.
karimwiina (n) second child to
him/her.
karin (v) put them on; divide; put
them in.
karina (v) put it on; divide; put it in.
karinaki (v pass) put on; divided; put
in.
karinrin (n) admitting.
karo (n) father, parent.
karokoa (v) to wait until the coming
of; the time of.
karongoaa (n) noise.
karongoaa (v) to make noise.
karuoa (v) to put down; to get
something/somebody down.
katabea (v) to make someone busy.
katabetabe (v) to be bothering.
kataeki (v pass) built, established.
kataia (v) try it.
katairiki (n) meal taken in the
evening.
katake (n) kind of Kiribati song
mostly sung in a talking manner; chant.

kataaki (v pass) tried; tempted.

katam'a (n) cat.
katangitang (n) instrument.
katangitang (v) play music on any
musical instrument;.
katararakea (v) to put someone or
something face up.
katarinaki (v pass) being extracted
from coconut (kernel).
katati (n) knife for cutting toddy.
kataua (v) to try on as dress, etc.;
permit.
katauraoi (n) preparation.
katautau (n) an approximate
calculation.
katawanou (n) meal taken at noon.
katea (v) to build; to establish.
katebe (v) spear fishing.
katei (n) custom.
kateitei (n) construction.
kateitei (v) construct.
katenaa (v) make it crowded; tied;
joined.
Katenibong (n) Wednesday.
katerea (v) to show.
kaati (n) playing card.
katoaa (v) to make a pair.
katoobibia (v) surround.
katoobibiaki (v pass) surrounded.
katoka (v) to stop, halt; cure.
katokaa (v) put something on
something or somebody.
katoki (v pl) stop; cure.
Katorika (n) Catholic Church.
katorobubua (v) to kneel.
katuka (v) put, leave behind.
kauu (n) pair of shoes.
Kauabong (n) Tuesday.
kauaaki (n) trawl fishing;.
kauaaki (v) to trawl a fishing line.
kauarinan (adj) secondary.
kauarinan (n) second line/class.
kaunai (v) make me angry.
kauniko (v) make you angry.
kauniwae (n) shoe.
kaunrab'ata (n) wrestling.
kaunrab'ata (v) wrestle.
kautuaa (v) to grate (as coconut).
kaawa (n) village.
kaawa (n) poor, sad condition.

kawaekoa (n) haste.

kawaekoa (v) to hurry.
kawaerake (n) pants.
kawai (n) path, lane, road, street.
kawakiniia (v) keep them, look after
them.
kawanaai (v) make me feel light,
comfortable after eating too much.
kawara (v) to visit.
kawiiremweko (v) to eat/drink; talk
slowly.
kawiitatako (v) to eat/drink; talk fast.
ke (v) dig.
kena (v) dig.
kewe (n) lie.
kewe (v) tell a lie.
kiaro (n) outrigger of a canoe.
kiba (v) jump, fly.
kibee (n) torch fishing.
kibee (v) torch fishing.
kibu (n) verse of a song or poetry.
kibuntaeka (n) sentence.
kie (n) mat made of pandanus leaves.
kiie (n) mats made of pandanus
leaves.
kiika (n) octopus.
kimoa (n) a rat.
kimoa (v) to steal.
kimototo (adj) short; not long.
kinaa (v) recognize.
kinai (v pl) recognize them.
kinaka (n) sore.
kiriaria (adv) later on.
Kiribati (n) Gilberts.
kirikiti (n) cricket (game).
kirikiti (v) play cricket.
kiriin (adj) green.
kiromiita (n) kilometer.
kiitani (v pl) to leave; to abandon; to
go from.
koo (adj) tight.
ko (pron) you.
koaua (adj) true, real.
koaua (n) truth.
koobe (n) coffee.
koikoi (n) kind of shellfish.
koikoi (v) to grate using shell.
kokookoo (v) to be jealous.
konaa (v) can, to be able to.

konana (n) his/her/its catch.

kora (n) string, cord.
ko rab'a (v) thank you (sing.).
koraki (n) class (in school).
koraki (n) relative.
korakora (adj) strong; big.
koran (n) string of.
koran (n) colon (grammar).
korea (v) cut, write.
koreaki (v pass) been cut.
koreia (v) cut it.
koro (n) husking stick.
koro (v) cut.
koroboki (v) write.
koroi (v pl) cut them; write them (see:
korea).
koroia (v) cut it.
korokarewe (n) cutting toddy.
korokarewe (v) cut toddy.
korone (n) colony.
koronen (n) colony of.
kooti (n) coat (animal or clothing).
kootiueei (n) causeway.
koumara (n) small shell fish.
koowana (n) governor.
kua (adj) tired.
kua (n) a whale.
kuata (n) quarter.
kuuka (n) a cook; a cooker.
kukurei (adj) happy glad.
kun (n) skin.
kunan (n) song of.
kunea (vt) find.
kuneaki (v pass) found.
kunnikai (n) cloth.
kunnikaim (n) your cloth.
kunnikaiu (n) my cloth.
kuo(ta) (v) to skin.
kuotaki (v pass) skinned.
kuoti (v pl) skin them.
kuri (adv) almost;.
kuri (v) to get something hastily or
greedily.
Kuria (n) island in the central
Gilberts.

A B E I K M N NG O R T U W

M
me mi mo mu
ma (conj) and, with.
maa (n) fish trap.
m'ae (n) necklace.
maeao (n) west.
maeaoia (adv) west of them.
maeaon (adv) west of.
maeka (n) the home.
maeka (v) live, stay.
maekia (v) to cut it tenderly.
m'aenroroa (n) necklace.
maii (adj) pale white.
mai (n) breadfruit.
mai (prep) from.
maiaki (n) south.
maiakin (adv) south of.
maiakina (adv) south of it.
Maiana (p n) island south of Tarawa.
maibiibi (adj) broken into tiny pieces.
maibiibi (n) tiny pieces.
m'aiee (n) Gilbertese dancing.
m'aim'ai (adj) wet.
m'aain (prep) before.
mainaina (prep) white.
mainiku (n) east.
mainikun (adv) east of.
maingim (n) your left-hand side.
maire (n) mile.
mairoun (prep) from.
m'aiti (adj) many.
m'aitiia (n) their number.
m'aitoro (adj) cold.
maiu (n) life; alive.
maiuia (n) their life.
maium (n) your life.
m'aaka (adj) fast; powerful.
m'aaka (n) power.
maaka (n) scar; decay; sore.
m'akeiia (n) their thorns (on a
pandanus leaf).
Makin (n) the very last island in the
north of the Gilberts.
m'akoron (n) part of.

m'akorona (n) its part.

mm'akuri (n) work.
mm'akuri (v) work.
m'am'ananga (n) the traveling.
m'am'ananga (v) traveling, used to
traveling.
mamaraki (v) keep aching, used to
aching.
mamara (adj) weak, feeble.
maan (adj) long.
maan (n) animals.
man (n) animal.
man (prep) from.
m'anai (n) land crab.
mm'anako (v) fall away, fall out.
m'ananga (v) travel.
m'ane (n) money.
mm'aane (n) man; old.
m'aane (n pl) money.
m'aneaba (n) assembly building,
public meeting house.
m'aneka (n) footstep.
m'aanem (n) your sister/brother (opp.
sex sibling).
manena (adj) useful.
manena (n) use of it, its use.
m'aaneu (n) my sister/brother (opp.
sex sibling).
mmanii (adj) thin.
mani (prep) from.
m'anib'a (n) well.
mannikiba (n) bird.
manin (n) animal/birds of.
maninnara (n) mosquito.
m'aninga (v) forget.
maanra (interrog) how long?
manga (adv) again.
m'aangan (n) branch of.
manging (adj) sour; drunk.
manging (n) intoxicating drink.
m'angko (n) mug, cup.
mao (adj) bitter; healed.
mao (n) a bush.
m'aoto (n) break, fracture.
m'aoto (v) break (as stick, pencil,
etc.), fracture.
mara (adj) soft (after soaking); wet.
mara (adj) bald.
marae (n) field.
marai (n) the kernel of a green

coconut.
m'arairai (adj) long (esp. when
something is hanging down).
Marakei (n) island between Abaiang
and Butaritari.
maraki (n) pain, ache.
maraki n atuu (n) headache.
maraki ni biroto (n) stomachache.
maraki ni wil (n) toothache.
marau (adj) somewhat soft.
maraurau (adj) quite soft.
marawa (n) ocean.
mare (n) marriage.
mare (v) to wed, to marry.
marenaia (prep) between them.
marenan (prep) between.
marenaua (n) countryside.
marooroo (n) conversation.
marooroo (v) engage in conversation.
marurung (adj) healthy.
mata (n) eye.
mataia (n) their eyes.
matan (n) the eyes of.
matana (n) his/her/its eyes.
mataniwi (n) border, edge.
mataniwi (n) boss, director, chief.
mataniwi (v) be boss, director, chief.
mataniwiina (n) its border.
matau (n) my eyes.
matauninga (n) not courtesy, offense.
mate (n) die.
matenten (adj) thick.
Maati (n) March.
maatiati (n) matches.
maatimtim (v) dripping.
matoa (adj) stiff; hard, strong.
matuu (n) sleep.
matuu (v) sleep.
m'auu (adj) dry.
m'au, m'auu (adj) dry.
maungatabu (n) general assembly.
maungatabu (v) hold a general
assembly.
mauri (n) good health.
mawaawa (adj) blue.
meang (n) north.
meangin (adv) north of.
Meei (n) May.

mena (v) stay, to be at a certain place.

meeri (n) mail; ferry.
minita (n) minister.
miniti (n) minutes.
mino (n) file (tool).
mino (v) go round, spin.
miriki (n) milk.
miita (n) meter.
mitinare (n) missionary, pastor.
moa (adj) first.
moa (n) front.
moa (n) chicken.
moaa (v) call at.
moan (adj) very.
moan (adj) first.
moan (n) front part of.
moana (v) call at; start.
moanaki (v pass) called at; started;
hit by.
moani (adj) first.
Moanibong (n) Monday.
moaningaabong (n) early morning.
moanrinan (n) first class/line/row;
primary.
moantaai (adj) early.
moantaai (n) early.
moantairiki (n) evening.
mooi (v) drink.
moimoto (n) green coconut.
moko (n) smoke (of a pipe, cigar,
etc.).
moko (v) smoke (pipe, cigar, etc.).
mokon (n) smoke of.
moko to rauara (n) smoke made of
chipped tobacco and pandanus leaf.
Moomon (n) Mormon religion,
church.
moone (n) hell (no article).
morikoi (n) name of a fish.
motirawa (n) a holiday.
motirawa (v) to leave, rest.
mtakoro (n) part.
mumuta (n) vomit.
mumuta (v) vomit.
mweengau (n) my home.
mweere (adj) slow, late.
mwiin (prep) after, result of.

A B E I K M N NG O R T U W

N
ne ni no nu
n (prep) of (and: ni).
N (pron) I (before na, nang(i)).
na (aux) will (future).
naa (n) group of stones on the reef.
naa (n) collection of.
naba (adv) too, also; again.
naaibi (n) knife.
naaka (excl) word for calling the
attention of more than one person.
naakai (pron) these people.
naakanne (pron) those people.
naake (pron) those people.
nakea (interrog) where to?
naakekei (pron) those people there.
nako (v) to go to.
nakoiia (prep) to them.
nakoim (prep) to you.
nakoina (prep) to him/her/it.
nakomai (v) come here.
nakon (prep) to.
nakona (n) his/her/its departure.
nakonako (v) walk.
Nam (excl) person. article for males;
names starting with B or M.
nama (n) lagoon.
nam'akaina (n) moon (no article);
month.
Nan (excl) person. article for males
(N. Gilb.).
naano (adv) down.
nano (n) heart or mind.
nano (v) keep.
nanoia (n) their minds/heart/thought.
nanokaawaki (adj) sad, unhappy.
nanon (n) mind of; depth of; meaning
of.
nanona (n) his/her mind; its meaning.
nanonna (v) to mean something.
nanou (n) my mind.
nang (aux) will, about to (future).

Nang (excl) person. article for males.

nango (n) fly.
naango (n pl) flies (insect).
Nao (excl) word to call a man's or
boy's attention.
nao (n) wave.
naao (n pl) waves.
naon (n) waves of.
nati (n) a child.
natiia (n) their child.
natina (n) his/her child.
natira (n) our child.
natiu (n) my child.
Nauru (n) name of a nearby
Micronesian country (island).
Nei (excl) person article for females.
neie (pron) this woman/girl (usually
followed by name).
neiei (pron) this woman/girl.
neienne (pron) that woman/girl.
neierei (pron) that woman/girl there.
Neiko (excl) word used to call a
female's attention.
neinei (adj) having water inside;
swampy.
neera (n) nail.
neeti (n) nurse.
newe (adj) lodged up in a tree, etc.
newe (n) lodged up in a tree, etc.
nii (adj) bitter.
nii (n) coconut tree.
ni (prep) of (and: n).
nikira (n) remainder.
nikira (v) deliver.
Nikunau (n) third island from the
south.
nim (adj) stuck.
nim (v pl) to drink.
nimaia (n) their drink.
nimaki (v pass) drunk.
niiman (num) five persons/animals/
small fish, etc.
niman (num) five (animate).
nimaua (num) five (general).
ningaabong (n) tomorrow.
nningai (interrog) when?
niiraki (v pass) rolled up.
niirakina (n) its rolling.
niirana (n) its rolling cord (coconut
spathe rolling string).

niiri (v pl) to roll them up.

niiria (v) to roll it up.
Nobemba (n) November.
nono (n) bunker, battlement.
Nonouti (n) island in the Gilberts
between Tabiteuea and Abemama.
noora (v) see.
nooraki (v pass) seen.
noori (v pl) see.
nooria (v) see him/her/it.
nooriko (v) see you.
nuuka (n) middle; center; back.
nuukaia (n) middle of them.
nuukan (n) back/center/middle of.
nuukanibong (n) midnight.
nutibeeba (n) newspaper.

A B E I K M N NG O R T U W

NG
ngaa (interrog) where?
ngaa (num) thousand.
ngae (adj) enough, satisfied.
ngai (pron) me, I.
ngaia (pron) him/her/it; he, she, it.
ngaina (n) daylight.
ngkai (adv) now.
ngkam (excl) I don't know.
ngkamii (pron) you (pl.).
ngkana (conj) when, if.
ngkanne (conj) then.
ngke (conj) when.
ngke e ingaabong (adv) this morning.
ngke e tairiki (adv) last night.
ngkoa (adv) long ago.
ngkoananoa (adv) yesterday.
ngkoe (pron) you (sing).
ngongo (v) itching.

A B E I K M N NG O R T U W

O
oo (n) wall, enclosure, pen.
oi (n) torch light made by rolling dry
coconut leaves.
oi ni kibee (n) torch for torch-fishing
(on reef).
oi n tatae (n) torch for torch-fishing
(for flying fish).
oki (n) return.
oki (v) come back.
okira (v) return to; come back to.
Okitoba (n) October.
okiu (n) my return.
okoro (adj) different.
okoro (n) difference; aside; apart.
okoro (v) aside; apart.
on (adj) full up.
on (n) turtle.
oon (n) wall of.
oonaoraki (n) hospital.
onauti (n) flying fish.
onean (n) replacement of.
onobwi (num) sixty.
onoman (num) six (animate).
Onotoa (p n) island in the Gilberts
between Tabiteuea and Tamana.
onoua (num) six (general).
ongo (v) hear.
ongoraa (v) listen to.
ora (n) low tide.
oreaki (v pass) hit.
orean (n) beat of.
oreano (n) ball bat (kind of game
where one group bats the ball and the
other group tries to catch).
oota (adj) bright, clear.
oota (n) light.
oota (v) see clearly, understand.
otabaniniaki (v pass) surrounded.
oti (v) rise; show; appear.
otintaai (n) sunrise.
otooto (n) composing, composition.

A B E I K M N NG O R T U W

R
re ri ro ru
rab'a (n) thanks.
rab'a (n) car or motor bike tire.
raababa (adj) wide, broad.
rabakau (adj) clever, skillful.
rabakauu (n) my skill, my
knowledge.
rab'ata (n) body.
rab'ata (v) to hold to one's body.
rab'atau (n) my body.
rabono (n) eel.
raeuaia (v) tear it; break it (as a
glass).
rai (adj) withered.
rai (n) layers of canoe planks.
rairaki (v) turn.
rairan (n) translation of.
raiti (n) rice.
rake (adj) lucky.
rake (adv) up, upward.
raama (n) outrigger side of a canoe.
rama (n) canoe float (outrigger).
ram'a (n) forehead.
ram'a (n) gable of house.
raami (n) playing card game.
ran (n) water.
ranna (n) its water.
ranniben (n) coconut milk.
rannimoimoto (n) green coconut
water.
raanti (n) launch.
ranga (v) capsize, overturn.
rangi (adv) very.
raoi (adj) calm (as calm sea); fine,
peaceful.
raoi (adv) exactly, properly.
raoi (n) peace.
raoiroi (adj) good, nice.
raonna (v) be friends with.
raonna (v) to accompany.
raoraona (v) be friends with.
raou (n) my friend.

raraa (adj) rusty.

raraa (n) bleeding; blood;.
raranga (n) weaving.
raranga (v) weave.
rarangaaki (v pass) woven.
rarangaan (n) the weaving of.
rarikin (adv) beside, near.
rarikin (n) side of.
rarikin (n) pauper.
raroa (adv) far, distant.
raroaia (n) their distances.
raroara (interrog) how far?
rauara (n) cigarette paper made from
pandanus leaf.
rauarana (n) its cigarette paper
(rauara).
rauia (n) their thatch (house).
rauna (n) its thatch.
raurau (n) plate; record (for record
player).
raurau ni wae (n) top part of the foot.
raure (v) separate.
raure nako (adj) separate, apart.
rawa (n) channel, passage to a
lagoon.
rawa (v) refuse.
rawa (v) dislike.
rawaawata (adj) heavy.
rawaawata (adj) sad.
rebwerebwe (n) motorbike.
rebwerebwe (n) successive crashing
around sounding like thunder.
reirei (n) school.
reirei (v) study.
reirei ibukini mm'akuri (n) technical
institute.
reirei n neeti (n) school of nursing.
reirei ni kaimoa (n) marine training
school.
reirei n tia reirei (n) teachers'
college.
reireiti (v) join together (as short
pieces of string).
reke (v pp) gotten.
rereaki (v pass) mixed (drink/food).
reerio (n) radio.
reta (n) letter.
ri (v) pass.
ria (v) appear.

riai (adj) proper, better;.

riai (aux) must.
ribana (v) cultivate.
riki (adv) else; more.
riki (v) happen, become;.
riki (v) start to grow.
rikitemanna (n) only child.
rimoa (adj) past.
rimoa (v) go before or go ahead of.
rimwi (adj) late.
rimwi (v) come late, come after.
rin (v) get in, enter.
rinan (n) row.
rine (v) excel, be superior.
rineaki (v pass) chosen, elected.
rinerine (n) election.
riniia (n) their entrance, their
admittance.
ririki (n) year.
Ritemba (n) December.
roo (n) anchor.
roo (n) rope.
roo (n) dark, darkness.
roaroa (n) rodfishing.
roobu (n) rope.
roka (n) a lock.
roka (n) a game played with playing
cards.
roki (n) blind (as window blind),
curtain.
rooki (n) curtains.
roko (v) come, arrive, be present.
rokoia (n) their arrival, their presence.
rokona (n) his/her presence or arrival.
rongorongo (n) news.
rongorongoni (n) news of.
roroo (adj) black.
rooro (n) ages.
roro (n) age, generation.
rooroo (v) be at anchor.
roroa (n) neck.
rooroko (v) visit at regular times.
rootongitong (adj) very dark.
ruu (n) room.
ruabwi (num) ninety.
ruaiua (num) nine.
ruoia (n) Kiribati dancing.
rurungaa (n) rumbling.

A B E I K M N NG O R T U W

T
te ti to tu
taaba (n) a long and broad knife.
taba (n) cheek.
Taabati (n) Sunday.
tabe (adj) busy.
tabeai (adj) some (sticks, etc.).
tabeka (v) lift.
tabekia (v) lift it.
tabeman (n) somebody.
taberan (n) top of (tree, plants and
mast).
tabetabe (adj) busy.
tabetai (adv) sometimes.
tabeua (n) some (things).
taabia (n) earring.
Tabiteuea (n) the biggest island in the
Gilberts.
taabo (n) places.
tabo (n) place; point or end.
taboia (n) their ends or points.
tabon (n) end of; point of.
tabona (n) its end, point.
tabonibai (n) finger.
tabu (adj) holy; forbidden; sacred.
taeka (n) word.
taekan (n) word of; news of.
taekana (n) words or news about
him//her/it.
taekin (v) speak about (pl. of
taekina).
taekinna (v) speak about it.
taetae (n) language.
taetae (v) speak.
taetae ni kawai (n) old language;
conversation.
taetae ni kawai (v) to speak, have a
conversation.
taai (n) times.
taai (n) sun (no article).

tai (n) time; clock or watch.

tai (neg) don't.
taian (pron) those (things, people,
etc.).
taiani (pron) those (things, people,
etc.).
taiaoka (aux) please.
taibora (n) table.
tain (n) time of; season.
taai nako (adv) all the time,
everytime.
tairiki (n) evening.
tairikin (n) evening of.
taka (v) thirsty.
takaakaro (n) a game.
takaakaro (v) to play.
takaakaroia (n) their play.
takataka (n) copra.
taakinaki (v pass) spread out as mat.
taku (v) say.
tama (n) father.
tam'akan (n) climbing of.
Tamana (n) the second island from
the south of the Gilberts.
tam'arakea (v) climb up, ascend.
tamau (n) my father.
taamnei (n) picture.
taamnein (n) picture of.
taan (n) -ers, those who do.
tanai (n) axe (small).
taan akawa (n) fishermen.
taani (n) those who, -ers (pl. of tia).
taani kateitei (n) construction
workers.
tanimaeaontaai (n) afternoon.
tanimainiku (n) eastern side;.
taninga (n) ear.
taninga (v) wait.
taningaia (n) their ears.
taningaia (v) wait for him/her/it.
tanoni (n) soil of; sand of; earth of.
tanrake (n) ocean side or eastern side
or shore.
tanraken (n) ocean side of, eastern
side of.
taan reirei (n) teachers.
tanrion (n) lagoon side of; western
side of.
taan ununiki (n) agricultural workers,
farmers.

taanga (n) couples.

taanga (n) army.
tangi (v) cry.
tangim (n) your cry.
tanginako (n) shower of rain.
tanginako (v) move away (as sound).
tanginako (v) ignored, embarrassed.
tangira (v) want; like; love.
tangirai (v) want me; like me; love
me.
tangiria (v) like him/her/it; love
him/her/it.
tangiriko (v) like you; love you.
tao (aux) about; perhaps.
taoo (n) saw (tool).
taoo (v) saw (wood, etc.).
taobongiia (adv) every other day,
leaving off days.
taokita (n) doctor.
taonna (v) press down; stand or sit
on.
taonna (v) postpone.
taorooro (n) taro.
taotaona (v) pressing down.
taotaona (v) to be patient.
taara (n) towel.
taaraa (n) dollar.
taraia (vt) look at it.
taraiia (vt) look at them.
taraan (n) the look of something/
someone.
Tarawa (n) capital island of the
Gilberts.
taari (n) sea; seawater.
taariaki (adj) salted.
tarim (n) your sibling of same sex.
taarin (n) salt of.
taarin (n) sea of.
tarin (n) his/her/its sibling of same
sex.
tariu (n) my sibling of same sex.
taromauri (v) pray, worship.
tatae (n) torch fishing for flying fish.
tataneiai (v) used to, accustom.
tataninga (vi) wait; keep waiting.
tataningaa (vt) wait for (someone).
taatang (v) cry at regular time; that
can cry; make sound or rings.
taatangira (v) fond of.
tataro (v) to pray or a prayer.

tau (adj) enough; fit.

tauu (v) hold, plural verb form of
taua.
taua (v) hold.
tauaki (v pass) held.
tauakin (n) hold of.
tau manin taninga (n) singing with
hand covering the ear.
tauni mate (n) funnel.
tau on (n) turtle chase.
taura (n) lamp; something that gives
out light at night.
tauraoi (adj) ready.
tautaeka (n) government.
tautaeka (v) rule, govern.
tawanou (n) noon.
te (art) the, a.
teaina (n) one stick.
Teaoraereke (n) village on Tarawa.
Tebetemba (n) September.
te boo (n) same.
tebotebo (n) bath.
tebotebo (v) bathe.
tebubua (num) one hundred.
tebwi (num) ten followed by unit.
tebwi ma itiua (num) seventeen.
tebwi ma nimaua (num) fifteen.
tebwi ma aua (num) fourteen.
tebwina (num) ten.
teei (n) baby, child, kid.
teei (v) keep standing.
tei (v) stand.
teinnaiine (n) girl.
teirake (v) to stand up.
teitei (v) standing.
tekateka (v) sit.
teke (v) pricked; beaten, (as in a
competition).
tekena (v) to beat (as in a
competition).
temanna (num) one
(person/animal/small fish/insect).
tena (v) bite.
tenaiko (v) bite you.
tenamoko (n) smoke, e.g. from
tobacco.
tenibwi ma nimaua (num) thirty five.
teniman (num) three
(persons/animals, etc.).

teniua (num) three (things).

tengaun (num) ten (people, animals,
etc.).
teraa (interrog) what?
teuaae (pron) this man who (followed
by name or description).
teuaaei (pron) this man.
teuana (num) one (article).
teuaane (pron) that man.
teuaare (pron) that man who
(followed by name or description).
teuaarei (pron) that man there.
teutana (adj) some.
tewaana (num) one (canoe/ship/boat).
ti (adv) only.
ti (pron) we.
tii (v) shoot out, gush out.
tia (aux) have/has/had; finished.
ti a boo (interj) good-bye.
tiaabora (n) shovel.
tiaki (neg) not.
tianaki (n) something like food, etc.
prepared for a journey.
tianti (n) cent (money).
Tianuare (n) January.
tiaoka (n) chalk (blackboard pencil).
tia reirei (n) teacher.
tib'a (aux) just.
tib'aake (n) lighter (= spark).
tiib'aati (n) teapot.
tibeeranna (v) spell it.
tibu (n) grandpa or grandma.
tibuu (n) my grandparent.
tibu (v) swell.
tiibuta (n) mini dress for women, like
blouse.
tibu to mm'aane (n) grandfather.
tientemiita (n) centimeter.
tikareti (n) cigarette.
tikiraoi (adj) beautiful, pretty, nice
looking.
tiku (v) stay, stay away.
tikuni (v) stay away of.
tikuru (n) screw.
tina (n) mother.
tinaia (n) their mother.
tinan (n) mother of.
tinaniku (n) outside.
tinanikun (n) outside of.

tinau (n) my mother.

tiireeree (n) Gilbertese kind of
dancing using short skirts.
tiriwae (n) panty.
titaokin (n) stockings.
titeboo (n) same (tiiteboo).
titiraki (n) a question.
titiraki (v) to ask, to question.
titirakinna (v) to ask him/her, to
question him/her.
titirakinai (v) to ask me, to question
me.
titooa (n) a store.
toa (adj) even.
toa (n) a giant.
toa (n) church feast.
toabuaka (adj) odd, not even.
toabuaka (v) disabled.
toaraoi (adj) equal in number.
toobu (n) soap.
toobu ni irewi (n) toothpaste.
toka (v) ride.
tokatoka (v) riding on as in surfing.
toki (v) stop, halt, pause.
tomai (v) join.
tonotonon to bai (n) soft part of palm
of hand.
Toromon (n) Solomon.
totooa (adj) very big in size.
toua (v) hit with a foot; step on.
tuae (n) pandanus dried pulp.
tuai (adv) not yet.
tuangai (v) tell me.
Tuun (n) June.
Tuurai (n) July.
tuta ni kawai (n) junction.
Tutia (n) Mass.
Tuvalu (n) group of islands formerly
named Ellice Islands.

A B E I K M N NG O R T U W

U
uu (n) eel trap.
uaa (n) fruit.

uaa (v) bearing fruit.

uabaa (num) two (leaves).
uabwi (num) twenty.
uaia (adj) both.
uaaia (n) their fruits.
uaia (n) racing.
uaakai (pron) these men.
uaakanne (pron) those men.
uaakekei (pron) those men there.
uaana (n) its fruit.
uaanikai (n) fruit.
uangaun (num) twenty.
uara (interrog) how is it?
uareereke (adj) small, tiny.
uatai (num) two times; twice.
uaati (v) wash.
ukeuke (n) examination.
ukeuke (v) to examine, to test.
uki ni bai (n) fingernail.
uki ni baim (n) your fingernail.
um'a (n) house.
um'an reirei (n) house of schooling,
classroom.
um'an tabu (n) house of holiness;
church.
um'an tebotebo (n) house of bath;
bathroom.
umunaki (adj) baked.
unika (n) plant.
unika (v) plant.
unikaki (v pass) planted.
uniki (v) plant (pl. form of unika).
unimm'aane (n) old man.
unuuniki (n) agriculture.
unuuniki (v) to plant.
uoman (num) two (people/animals or
birds).
uotaki (v pass) brought.
uoti (v) to carry (plural of uota).
uoua (num) two (general).
uraura (adj) red.
uringa (v) remember.
uringga (v) remember it.
uruakaki (v pass) broken.
uruaki (v pass) broken.
uto (n) young coconut tree.
utuu (n) family, relative.

A B E I K M N NG O R T U W

W
waa (n) canoe.
wae (n) leg, foot.
waebua (n) thumb.
waekoa (adj) fast.
waekoa (v) walk fast.
waeremwe (adj) slow.
waeremwe (v) walk slowly.
waetata (adj) fast.
waaia (n) their canoe.
waaki (v) go on; progress.
waan (n) canoe of.
waanibanga (n) Kiribati dance (for
men).

wanibwi (num) eighty.

waanikiba (n) airplane.
waniman (num) eight (men, women,
etc.) (animate).
waniua (num) eight (stone, books,
etc.) (inanimate).
wareka (v) read; count.
warekia (v) read it; count it.
warem'ane (n) counting money.
warem'ane (v) count money.
wareware (n) reading.
wareware (v) read.
wene (v) lie down.
wetea (v) call.
wii (n) tooth; mouth.
wiib'ara (n) wheel barrow.
wiiki (n) week.
wiikin (n) week of.
wiin (n) mouth of; peak of; blade
(razor, knife, axe, etc.).