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...

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

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

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

Tokoiwa pea.
About nine (people).

Tokohia ā koutou ākonga?
How many students do you have?

Tokohia ngā tāmgata?
How many people are there?

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

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

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

Tokorima ngā tāngata.
There are five people.

Tokotoru aku irāmutu.
I have 3 neices.

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

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.

Tokotoru ngā tangata kaumātua.
There are three elders.

Tokorua ngā tamariki.
There are two children.

Tokoiti ngā manuhiri.
There are a few guests.

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

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

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

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

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.

Tokowhitu ngā kaiako.
There are seven teachers.

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

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

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

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

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

Tokohia ngā tāngata i tō whānau?
How many people 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!

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

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.

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

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

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

Tekau mā rua ngā tamariki.
There are twelve children.

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

Tokohia ngā tangata i reira?
How many people were there?

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

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

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

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

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

Tokorua ā māua tamariki.
We have two children.

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

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

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

Tokowaru ngā pirihimana.
There are eight police officers.

Tokoono ngā tauira.
There are six students.

Kotahi tōku tungāne.
I have one brother.

Ka hia koutou?
How many of you were there?

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

Tokorua ōku tuākana.
I have two older siblings (of the same gender as me).

Tokotorua āu tamariki?
Have you got three children?

Tokorima ngā tākuta o konei.
There are five doctors from here.

Tokorua ngā hoa.
There are two friends.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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