The top 20 words and their meanings
| No. | Word or phrase | Meaning | What to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mauri | Hello; a greeting. | A welcoming first word. |
| 2 | Ko rabwa | Thank you, addressed to one person. | Notice whom you are addressing. |
| 3 | Taiaoka | Please. | Useful courtesy vocabulary. |
| 4 | Ti a bo | Goodbye. | A farewell to practise. |
| 5 | Ko uara? | How are you? | Addressed to one person. |
| 6 | Kabwara te bure | Sorry. | A phrase of apology. |
| 7 | Ko matauninga | Excuse me. | Useful in a polite exchange. |
| 8 | Kam na bane ni mauri | Greetings to everyone. | A greeting for a group. |
| 9 | I-Kiribati | The people of Kiribati; an identity term. | Use it when referring to people. |
| 10 | Maneaba | A community meeting house. | A significant shared space. |
| 11 | Buia | A traditional raised dwelling or shelter. | An architecture word. |
| 12 | Te mwaie | Dance; traditional dance in cultural contexts. | Ask about the particular form. |
| 13 | Te tirere | A traditional stick dance. | A performance name. |
| 14 | Te bino | A traditional sitting dance. | A distinct dance form. |
| 15 | Atoll | A coral island formation around a lagoon. | A useful geography term. |
| 16 | Lagoon | Water enclosed or partly enclosed by a reef. | Distinguish it from the open ocean. |
| 17 | Pandanus | A tropical plant used for food and materials. | A plant with several uses. |
| 18 | Copra | Dried coconut kernel. | An economic vocabulary word. |
| 19 | Te waa | A canoe. | A word linked to sea travel. |
| 20 | Kamaimai | Sweet syrup made by boiling coconut sap. | A local food word. |
A visit to Kiribati becomes easier to describe when you know a few words for greetings, shared spaces and island life. This list brings together Kiribati-language expressions and useful English geography terms. Learn the courtesies first, then use the cultural vocabulary to ask better questions about the buildings, performances, plants and foods you encounter.
Choose your reading route
Return to the meanings table · Learn a greeting and a farewell · Make courtesy part of the conversation · Recognise people and meeting spaces · Watch dance with its name in mind · Connect the landscape, plants and food
Learn a greeting and a farewell
Mauri is a greeting, Ko rabwa thanks one person, and Ti a bo is a farewell. New Zealand’s Ministry for Pacific Peoples provides these and other expressions in its Kiribati language card. Kam na bane ni mauri greets a group; the number of people you address matters.
Choose two phrases to learn properly before adding another pair. Read them, cover the page and say them again from memory. The Kiribati language week resources can support listening practice. Hearing a phrase gives you a useful companion to the printed spelling and helps you approach your first exchange with confidence.
Make courtesy part of the conversation
Taiaoka, Kabwara te bure and Ko matauninga give you please, sorry and excuse me. Ko uara? asks one person how they are. Keep each phrase attached to its purpose instead of memorising an isolated English word. That makes it easier to choose the right expression at the right moment.
Practise a small scene with a companion: greet someone, ask a question, make a polite request and say goodbye. Then switch roles. You may discover that the phrase you thought you knew disappears when you need it; that is a useful cue to rehearse it again. A little preparation lets you pay more attention to the person replying.
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Recognise people and meeting spaces
I-Kiribati names the people of Kiribati. A Maneaba is a community meeting house, and Buia refers to a raised dwelling or shelter. The tourism authority’s culture introduction explains the importance of community spaces. These names help you move from noticing a building to asking what happens there.
Let the person welcoming you explain how to enter and where to sit. In your notebook, separate the building’s appearance from its purpose: one line for what you observed, another for what your host explained. This simple habit produces clearer travel memories. A roof or platform becomes more meaningful when you can recall the conversation that took place beneath it.
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Watch dance with its name in mind
Te mwaie introduces dance vocabulary. Te tirere is a stick dance and Te bino a sitting dance. The official people and heritage guide distinguishes these forms. If you attend a public presentation, ask which dance is being performed so that your notes identify the actual form.
Try describing one movement without immediately assigning a meaning to it. Then compare your observation with the explanation offered by the performers or guide. This gives you two valuable things: a clear picture of what you saw and a better understanding of its context. Saying the dance’s name while recalling that movement can help you remember the vocabulary later.
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Connect the landscape, plants and food
Atoll and Lagoon help describe the island environment. Te waa means canoe; Pandanus provides food and materials; Copra is dried coconut kernel; and Kamaimai is boiled coconut-sap syrup. The tourism heritage guide connects these objects and ingredients with everyday life.
End your day by selecting three words that match something you encountered. Write a sentence about each, then add one question you still want to ask. You might know the name of a plant without understanding how it is prepared, or recognise a canoe without knowing its construction. That unfinished question is an excellent starting point for tomorrow’s conversation.