Packing List
The Fijian language belongs to the enormous Austronesian language family, which means they are related to thousands of other languages spanning the globe from Malagasy in the west to Rapanui (Easter Island) in the east, from Aotearoa (New Zealand) in the south to Hawai'i and Taiwan in the north. After Fiji was settled, the flow of population continued north and east throughout Polynesia. The languages of Polynesia (such as Maori, Tahitian, Tongan, Samoan and Hawaiian), the language of the tiny island of Rotuma to the north of Fiji, and of course their speakers, all originated in Fiji more than 3000 years ago.
The consonant letters that seem unusual to English speakers are:
| English | Fijian | Pronounced |
| Good morning | ni sa yadra | nee sah yarndra |
| Greetings/Hello/Hi | ni sa bula | nee sah mbula |
| Goodbye | sa moce | sah more they |
| Please | yalo vinaka | yarlo vee naka |
| Excuse me | tulou | too low |
| Thank you very much | vinaka vakalevu | vee naka vakalevoo |
| Thanks and or good | vinaka | vin-ah-ka |
| Lady/Madam | marama | marama |
| Mr/Sir | turaga | turanga |
| Yes | io | ee-oh |
| No | sega | sayngah |
| eat | kana | kahnah |
| big | levu | lay-vu |
| small | lailai | lie-lie |
| A little | vakalailai | vaka lie lie |
| A lot | vakalevu | vaka levu |
| house | vale | vah-lay |
| Village | koro | koro |
| Fast | vakatotolo | vaka tortorlor |
| Toilet | vale lailai | vale lielie |
| Come | lako mai | la ko my |
| Go | lako tani | lako tani |
| Bring | kauta mai | kou ta my |
| One More | dua tale | ndua tale |
| One | dua | ndua |
| Two | rua | rua |
| What is this | na cava oqo | na thava orng-gor |
| Slowly | vaka malua | vaka malua |
| Cup | bilo | |
| Kava bowl | tanoa | |
| Tapa cloth | Mau | |
| Taro | Dalo | |
| Cassava | Tavioka | |
| Coconut milk | Lolo |
© HWS, 1999
Last Updated: 21 July, 1999.
