| Previous | Back | Next |
There are four directional markers in te reo Māori:
mai - towards me
atu - away from me
ake - up
iho - down
Iho can mean "down" literally or figuratively.
Peke iho!
Jump down!
He taonga tuku iho.
An heirloom handed down.
Iho is also used with adjectives to mean "less":
raro iho
lower
iti iho
less
Whātuia iho a runga o te kākahu kotahi e mau rā i a ia.
The top of the garment she wore was folded down.Kua here iho te utu.
The price has come down.Ka heke iho ko ngā roimata.
The tears fall down (representing the rain).Kua tau iho te kōtuku.
The white heron has landed.Kei te heke iho a Ataahua ki raro.
Ataahua is heading down to the bottom.Te rangonga o te iwi o te pā i te haruru, ka oma iho ki te mātakitaki haka.
When the people of the pā heard the noise, they ran down to hear the haka.Ātaahua hoki te tiaho iho o ngā whetū!
How lovely the stars are shining down!Kei te heke iho a Hēmi i te rākau.
Hēmi is descending down from the tree.Ka titiro iho te marama ki a Rona.
The moon looked down at Rona.Kei te heke iho mai nei te ua.
The rain is coming down.Kei te heke iho ngā tāngata i te ara piki.
People are coming down the path.