Learn Tahitian Online with the Vocabo Chrome Extension
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Master Tahitian vocabulary while browsing the web. Free Chrome extension for language learners. Tahitian is spoken by around 70,000 native people. Tahitian is the everyday language of French Polynesia's outer islands and gives visitors and residents a way to engage with Polynesian culture beyond the French spoken in Papeete.
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About Tahitian
Tahitian has no /k/ or /s/ sound at all, historical sound changes replaced them with the glottal stop, so words that look almost identical to their Hawaiian or Maori cognates (which kept /k/) can sound quite different, for example Tahitian 'ʻavaʻe' and Hawaiian 'mahina' both mean moon but come from different roots, while Tahitian 'pape' and Hawaiian 'wai' both mean water from an older common form.
Also known as: Reo Tahiti, Reo Mā'ohi
Speakers
around 70,000 native
Language Family
Austronesian (Eastern Polynesian, Tahitic)
Writing System
Latin alphabet with the ʻeta (glottal stop) and macrons for long vowels
Difficulty
Hard
Spoken in
Why Learn Tahitian?
Tahitian is the everyday language of French Polynesia's outer islands and gives visitors and residents a way to engage with Polynesian culture beyond the French spoken in Papeete.
Common Tahitian Words
Start your Tahitian journey with these essential words and phrases.
'Ia ora na
Hello
ee-ah OH-rah-nah
Māuruuru
Thank you
mah-oo-ROO-oo-roo
E
Yes
EH
'Aita
No
EYE-tah
pape
Water
PAH-peh
fare
House
FAH-reh
hoa
Friend
HOH-ah
here
Love
HEH-reh
mahana
Sun, day
mah-HAH-nah
reo Tahiti
The Tahitian language
REH-oh tah-HEE-tee
History of Tahitian
The first sustained European contact came with British and French expeditions in the late 1760s, followed by London Missionary Society missionaries from 1797 who devised the first Latin-script writing system for Tahitian, based partly on the local pronunciation of the Society Islands' paramount chiefdom. France declared a protectorate over Tahiti in 1842 and made it a full colony in 1880. Tahitian remained largely excluded from schools under French administration for much of the 20th century, and it was only officially recognized as a language of instruction and given co-official status in French Polynesia from the 1980s onward.
Is Tahitian Hard to Learn?
Tahitian has a very small sound inventory, it has no /k/, /s/, or /ŋ/ at all, and every syllable ends in a vowel, which makes pronunciation approachable once you know the rules. What is genuinely hard for English speakers is the possessive system, which forces a choice between two categories of 'belonging to' (roughly, things you control versus things that just happen to you or are inherent to you) with no equivalent distinction in English. The glottal stop (ʻeta) and vowel length are also phonemic, meaning they change a word's meaning, but are very often left out in casual writing, so learners cannot always rely on spelling alone.
Learning Tahitian Online: FAQ
Can I learn Tahitian online for free?
Yes — Vocabo is a free Chrome extension that teaches you Tahitian vocabulary while you browse the web. It replaces words and short phrases on pages you already read with their Tahitian equivalents, so you pick up vocabulary passively — no sign-up, no ads, and no daily lesson grind.
Is Tahitian on Duolingo?
No — Duolingo doesn't currently offer a Tahitian course for English speakers. You can still learn Tahitian online for free: Vocabo supports Tahitian and builds your vocabulary naturally while you browse.
Similar Languages to Tahitian
If you're interested in Tahitian, you might also want to explore these related languages:
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