Māori Grammar

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Five golden rings

counting people and things

People are counted using the prefix toko- with the numbers two to nine. (Objects and animals are counted with e.)

kotahi - one person
tokorua - two people
tokotoru - three people
tokowhā - four people
tokorima - five people
tokoono - six people
tokowhitu - seven people
tokowaru - eight people
tokoiwa - nine people
tekau - ten people

Note that tokoono is pronounced toko-ono and not tokōno.

In addition, the following are also used:

tokoiti - few people, not many people
tokomaha - many people
tokohia?  - how many people?11

 

See also:

• Ordinal numbers (First, second, third...) - tuatahi, tuarua...

Kāore e tokowaru ngā pirihimana.
There are not eight police officers.

Kāore e tokorua ngā tamariki.
There are not two children.

Kei raro nei he kōrero mō ētahi tamariki tokotoru.
The following is a simple story about three children.

Tokorua aku tēina, tokotoru aku tuahine.
I've got two younger brothers (and) I have three sisters.

Ā, tekau mātou, tokowaru ngā tamariki.
Ah, there are ten of us, eight kids.

Tokohia ngā tamariki a ō kaumātua?
How many children do your grandparents have?

Kāore e tokowhitu ngā kaiako.
There are not seven teachers.

Tokoiwa pea.
About nine (people).

Kia ora Amaru, tokohia kei tō whānau?
Hey Amaru, how many in your family?

Tokohia kē mai nei ngā tāngata e tae mai ana mō te kai!
What a lot of people are arriving for the food!

Tokohia ngā tāngata i tae atu ki reira?
How many people arrived there?

Āe, tokorua ōku tungāne, tokorima ōku tēina.
Yes, I have two brothers and five younger sisters.

E āhei ana au ki te kawe i ētehi tamariki tokorima i tōku waka.
I can transport five kids on my car.

Tokotorua āu tamariki?
Have you got three children?

Tokoiti ngā manuhiri.
There are a few guests.

Tokorima. Ko aku mātua, mātou ko taku tuakana, ko taku tungane.
Five. My parents, (me) and my older sister and my brother.

Ka whakatika aua wāhine nei, ka whai atu i taua tokotoru.
Those women stood up and followed those three.

Tokowaru ngā pēpi kei tēnei kōhanga.
There are eight babies at this creche.

Tokoono mātou, ko ōku mātua, me ōku tuākana.
There are six of us, my parents and my older sisters.

Kāore e tokoono ngā tauira.
There are not six students.

Tekau tonu ngā mokopuna a Aria.
Aria has exactly ten grandchildren.

Tokotoru aku irāmutu.
I have 3 neices.

Kua tae atu te tokorua nei ki te wharekai.
The pair have arrived at the restaurant.

Tokorua ngā tamariki.
There are two children.

Tokoono ngā kōtiro kua haere.
The six girls have gone.

Kotahi te kuia, tokotoru ngā tamariki.
One grandmother, three children.

Tokohia ngā tangata e haere mai?
How many people are coming?

Tokoono ngā tāngata e noho ana kei tōku whare.
There are six people living at my house.

Kāore e tokotoru ngā tangata kaumātua.
There are not three elders.

Tokotoru ngā tama kei te papa tākaro.
There are three boys at the playground.

Kāore e tokoiti ngā manuhiri.
There are not a few guests.

Nō te tataunga o Taranga i ana tamariki, tokorima kē rātou.
When Taranga counted her children, there were five instead.

Tokotoru ngā tangata kaumātua.
There are three elders.

Kāore e tokorima ngā tāngata.
There are not five people.

Nāu, ka tokowaru koutou.
With you, that makes eight.

Tokorima ngā tauira e katakata ana ki a ia.
There are five students laughing at him.

Tokoono ngā tāngata kei tōku whare e noho ana.
There are six people living at my house.

Tokorua ā māua tamariki.
We have two children.

Tokoono ngā tauira.
There are six students.

Tokoiwa rātou i tū ki te kōrero.
Nine of them stood to talk.

Tekau mā rua ngā tamariki.
There are twelve children.

Tokorua ngā hoa.
There are two friends.

He kotahi te kūmera i roto i te rourou mā ngā tāngata tokorua.
There was one small round basket containing one kūmera belonging to two men.

Tokohia kē mai nei...
What a lot of people...

Tokohia ngā tāmgata?
How many people are there?

Tokowhā ngā tāne kaha kei kōnei.
There are four strong men here.

Ka hia koutou?
How many of you were there?

Tokorua ngā wāhine kei tēnei rūma.
There are two women in this room.

E hia ngā pene? Kia hia ngā huka? Tokohia ngā tangata?
How many pens? How many sugars would you like? How many people?

Tokohia kei roto i tō whānau?
How many in your family?

Tokowaru ngā pirihimana.
There are eight police officers.

Ka tika hoki! Tokohia kei tō whānau?
That's right! How many in your family?

Kāore aku tamariki, engari he tokomaha āku irāmutu, tekau mā rima rātou.
I don't have any kids, but I have many nieces and nephews, there are fifteen of them.

Tokorima ngā tāngata.
There are five people.

Tokowhitu ngā kaiako.
There are seven teachers.

Tokohia i tae mai ki te whakarongo ki te pirimia?
How many people are coming to hear the Prime Minister?

Kāore e tokorua ngā hoa.
There are not two friends.

Tokohia ngā tāngata i tō whānau?
How many people in your family?