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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 Rangi ki raro.
Rangi is heading down to the bottom.

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

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

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

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.

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.