"Kia ora" is a Māori phrase commonly used in New Zealand as an informal greeting meaning "hello," "hi," or "goodbye". It literally translates to "have life" or "be healthy," derived from kia (a particle) and ora (well, alive, healthy). It is also used to express thanks, agreement, or "cheers".
Kia ora (Māori pronunciation: [k i ˈ a ɔ ɾ a], approximated in English as /ˌkiː ˈɔːrə/ kee OR-ə or /ˈkjɔːrə/ KYOR-ə) is a Māori-language greeting which has entered New Zealand English. It translates literally as "have life" or "be healthy", wishing the essence of life upon someone, from one speaker to the other.
Kia ora can be used to say hello, express gratitude, send love and make a connection. Kia ora is a warm and welcoming greeting you'll hear throughout New Zealand.
Kiwis are exceptionally agreeable, so even when they want to disagree with you, they'll throw in a "yeah" as well. Basically, "yeah, nah" is a non-committal way of saying no. As in: "Do you want to go for a hike this weekend?" "Yeah, nah, I'll think about it ay."
In most English-speaking countries, including Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom, the letter's name is zed /zɛd/, reflecting its derivation from the Greek letter zeta (this dates to Latin, which borrowed Y and Z from Greek), but in American English its name is zee /ziː/, ...
pokotiwha. 1. (interjection) a very strong curse, an insulting swear word, an expression of anger or a curse expressing a lack of desire to do something. The strength of the word depends on the ferocity of the delivery by the speaker. Pokotiwha ana ngā poaka a te kai hamuti rā.
At the beginning of any hui, following the pōwhiri (formal welcome) or the mihi whakatau (a welcome, as practised off marae across the Ngāi Tahu tribal region), a round of introductions and speeches – or mihimihi – usually occurs.
It's nearly as common as 'hi' or 'Gidday' throughout the country. Haere rā – nearly as common as 'Kia ora', Haere rā means goodbye, farewell or bye-bye and is said to someone leaving.
For example, in greeting someone new, we ask “Ko wai koe?” which queries “Who are you?” but more literally translates as “Who are your waters?” The answer will depend on which tribal nation that person belongs to.
A hīkoi is a walk or march, and especially a protest march, in New Zealand. The word comes from the Māori language, and often implies a long journey taking many days or weeks.
"Punta" (point/tip) itself isn't a bad word in Spanish, but it's easily confused with the much stronger curse word "puta," meaning "whore" or used as a severe insult, and "puto," meaning "fr" or "ft," which are highly offensive, especially in Mexico and other parts of Latin America, though regional slang can soften "puta" to mean "snobby" or intensify other words like in "¡Hijo de puta!" (son of a b****!) used playfully.
The use of eh in New Zealand is very common among all demographics. Communications scholar Miriam Meyerhoff describes eh as a "validation checker" to create connections between speakers.
The -ize spelling is often incorrectly seen as an Americanism in Britain [and here — Ed.] , although it has been in use since the 15th century, predating -ise by over a century. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) recommends -ize and notes that the -ise spelling is from French.
