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Māori Grammar

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Down - iho

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

Kei te heke iho a Manu i te rākau.
Manu is descending down from the tree.

Kei te heke iho a Tawa ki raro.
Tawa is heading down to the bottom.

Kei te heke iho ngā tāngata i te ara piki.
People are coming down the path.

Kua here iho te utu.
The price has come down.

Kei te heke iho mai nei te ua.
The rain is coming down.

Whātuia iho a runga o te kākahu kotahi e mau rā i a ia.
The top of the garment she wore was folded down.

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.