FijiAh, Fiji ... one of our favorite spots. Since the population of Fiji is split (nearly 50-50) between native Fijians and Indian Fijians, you will find two main languages spoken in Fiji; Fijian and Fiji Hindi. In addition, most of the locals also speak English.
Fijian's also practice the unofficial language of clucking (the sound made when you click your tongue to the roof of your mouth). The majority of the time clucking seems to be a reprimand, for example, if a child is making too much noise during a gathering his/her parent will cluck at the child. (And amazingly, it works!)
We didn't get a chance to learn much Fiji Hindi, so our page will focus on the Fijian words we learned. The words below are words we learned and tried to use, they are not words just picked from a book ... we thought by putting the words we learned/used you would get a feel for some of the common topics discussed during our stay! (Note: words with pronunciation but no Fijian text are words we used but never learned the proper Fijian spelling.)
Pronunciation ...
| | a | as in father | | b | mb as in member |
| | e | as in set | | c | th as in they |
| | i | as in machine | | d | nd as in candy |
| | o | as in for | | g | ng as in ring |
| | u | as in boo | | j | ch |
| | | | | q | ngg as in angry |
| | | | | r | rolled |
| | | | | t | often ch before i |
| | | | | v | between a v and a b |
Words ...
Greetings / Basics:
| English | Fijian | Pronunciation |
| Hello | Bula | boo-lah |
| Good Morning | Yadra | yan-dra (rool the r) |
| Good bye / Later | Moce | moe-they |
| See you again | Sota tale | so-tuh tal-lay |
| Excuse Me | Tulou | chew-low or too-low
(depending on village) |
| Thank you | Vinaka | vee-na-ka |
| Thank you Very Much | Vinaka vaka levu | vee-na-ka vah-ka lay-vu |
| Please | Yalo vinaka | yalo vee-na-ka |
| No Worries | Sega Na Lega | senga na lenga |
Actions / Verbs:
| English | Fijian | Pronunciation |
| Hurry | Totolo | toe-toe-low |
| Slow Down | Bera | bear-ah (roll the r) |
| Run | Cici | thee-thee |
| Wait | Wawa | wah-wah |
| Smile | Dredre | dren-dre (roll the r's) |
| Clap | | thumbo |
| Play | Qito | gee-to |
| Go / Walk | Lako | la-ko |
| Come Here | Lako Mai | la-ko my |
| Bathe | Sili | see-lee |
| Sleep | Moce | mo-they |
| Share | Wasea | wa-say-uh |
| I'm Going | Sa Lako | sa lah-ko |
| See | Raica | rai-tha |
| Wish / Hope | Na Numa | |
| Work | Cakacaka | thaka-thaka |
| Talk | Bosa | bo-sah |
Feelings & Adjectives / Descriptions:
| English | Fijian | Pronunciation |
| Tired | | o-tha |
| Pretty | Rai Rai Vinaka | rye-rye vee-na-ka |
| Happy | Marau | ma-rau-u (roll r) |
| Love / Like | Aukera | ah-care-uh (roll r) |
| Pain | Mosi | mo-see |
| Empty | Maca | ma-tha |
| Full | Sinai | see-nye |
| Hot | Katakata | ka-ta-ka-ta |
| Cold | Batabata | ba-ta-ba-ta |
| Naked | Bobe | bo-bee |
| Black | Loaloa | |
| White | Vulavula | |
| Brown | Gelegele | |
| Red | Damudamu | |
Big / More
(add to another word;
ie marau levu = big/Very happy) | Levu | lay-vu |
| I Miss You | Calatiko | thala-tee-ko |
Nouns / Other:
| English | Fijian | Pronunciation |
| Gift | Loloma | lo-loma |
| one | Dua | do-uh |
| Wind | Vacai | va-thai |
| Tomorrow | Mataka | ma-ta-ka |
| Today | Nikua | nee-ku-uh |
| No | Senga | senga |
| Yes | Io | ee-yo |
| Dog | Koli | koh-lee |
| Food | Kakana | ka-ka-na |
| Color | Roka | ro-ka (roll r) |
| Laundry | Savasava | saw-va-saw-va |
| Water | Wai | why |
| Boat | Na Wanga | nah wah-n-ga |
| Later | Wawa Vaka Lailai | wa-wa va-ka lie-lie |
| Finished | Oti | o-tee |
| Again | Tale | tal-lay |
| Toilet | Vale Lailai | va-ley lie-lie |
| Kava Bowl | Tanoa | tah-no-uh |
| Broom | Sasa | saw-saw |
| Lei (AS IN FLOWER) | Salusalu | |
Questions / Possesive:
| English | Fijian | Pronunciation |
| What? | Na Cava | na thava |
| Where? | I Vei | e vay-e |
| Who? | O Cei | o thei |
| Mine | Noqu | no-qi |
| Yours | Nomu | no-mu |
| Me | O Au | |
| Here | | ah-ree (roll r) |
| What Is Your Name? | O Cei Na Ya Camu | |
| | | |
Common Dialogue/Sentences:
| English | Fijian |
| Go Bathe | Lako Sili |
| Go Sleep | Lako Moce |
| Tell Stories | Bosa Talanoa |
| Just One | Dua Dua |
| Thank You Very Much For The Food | Vinaka Vaka Levu na Kakana |
One More
(used a lot when taking photographs) | Dua Tale |
| Play Tomorrow | Qito Mataka |
