Most te reo Māori is written for people who already speak it. These are the easiest places to read and hear it as a learner. Reading and listening to things you mostly understand is called comprehensible input.
Long vowels carry a macron in modern Māori spelling, so check that a text uses them before you copy its words. For courses and tutors, see our Māori app comparison.
To check the level, read a few sentences. If most have about one new word, keep reading. If you can't tell what's happening, pick something easier.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Māori. You learn from Māori you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Māori lessons. Bubblegum also has Māori news you can read and listen to.
To read a whole book or a news site, go to Free Māori to Read and Hear.
- Pick a topic and a level, and Poppy writes the te reo to match.
- Each lesson has AI audio to play while you read.
- Tap a word to see what it means, or ask Poppy to explain a whole line.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, and you can export them to Anki as flashcards.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- You can't turn your own Māori books into lessons. However, you can paste a page in the chat, and Poppy will explain it.
- Lessons use modern standard spelling with macrons, so a text from an iwi that writes long vowels as double letters can look different.
- Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
Other Apps We Looked At (3)
- Te Whanake podcastsFree podcasts with the listening and speaking exercises for each chapter of the Te Whanake textbooks, built from the chapter's dialogues, words and sentence patterns.
- KōreroreroA free app from AUT with eight lessons on everyday activities, each with up to 10 parts. It focuses on speaking, and the first lesson has words you can use right away.
- Ako TahiA free iPhone app with more than 2,500 everyday phrases, each with audio. The phrases use the Ngāpuhi dialect from Northland.
Huia Publishers publishes children's board books in te reo Māori, such as He Aha Tāku e Rongo Nei?, and a few bilingual titles. Read one aloud, and point to each word as you go.
Te Whanake has streamed videos, and Tōku Reo is its television series for beginners. MĀORI+ has live channels, including a Te Reo channel, and the animated series Kiri and Lou in te reo Māori. Some of its content may not play outside Aotearoa, so check that it works where you are.
Waatea News publishes news stories in te reo Māori and offers listening and an RSS feed. Choose a story you already read about in English, then read its headline and first two lines.
Māori Wikipedia has 8,068 articles in te reo. Start with a topic you already know well, such as a place you have visited.
The Te Aka Māori Dictionary is a good companion for any word you meet above. It lists Kei te pēhea koe? (how are you?) and tells you it is only used when speaking to one person. Reo Māori lists learning communities where you can read and talk with others.
| What You Can Follow | Try This | You're Ready for Harder Material When |
|---|---|---|
| Short phrases with audio | The Kōrerorero app or Ako Tahi | You repeat each phrase and know what it means |
| A dialogue at a slow pace | The Te Whanake podcasts for the first textbook | You can answer a question about it without looking |
| One idea on each page | A children's board book from Huia | You can say what happens on each page |
| Short sentences | A lesson from Poppy at Level 2 | You follow most lines with the translation hidden |
| Everyday news | A headline and first lines on Waatea News | You can say what the story is about |
| A topic you know well | An article on Māori Wikipedia | You read a page and look up only a few words |
Each number is how many languages you can use the app in, including script variants. Word meanings, lesson explanations, and other platforms may differ.
| App | Languages You Can Use It In | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 74 | Full list
|
| Kōrerorero | 1 | Full list |
| Ako Tahi | 1 | Full list |
| Te Whanake | — | — |
| Huia Publishers | — | — |
| MĀORI+ | — | — |
| Waatea News | — | — |
| Māori Wikipedia | — | — |
| Te Whanake podcasts | — | — |
Which Māori app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Māori, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with the free Kōrerorero app if you want speaking practice, or with the Te Whanake podcasts if you want to hear longer dialogues.
How do I choose Māori at the right level?
Read a few sentences. If most have about one new word and you can still tell what's happening, it's a good level. If you can't, pick something easier.
Is there news written for learners?
No news site we know of is written for learners. A headline with its first lines is enough at first.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Te Whanake: free online resources (podcasts, videos including Tōku Reo, animations)
- Te Aka Māori Dictionary: Māori language resources (Te Whanake podcasts, videos, animations, dictionary app)
- AUT news: New app to learn te reo Māori (Kōrerorero, free, eight lessons)
- Kōrerorero: iPhone App Store listing
- Ako Tahi: iPhone App Store listing (audio, Ngāpuhi dialect)
- Huia Publishers: books in te reo Māori and bilingual titles
- MĀORI+: live channels, Kiri and Lou in te reo Māori
- MĀORI+ help: some content may not be available outside Aotearoa
- Waatea News: news stories in te reo Māori
- Māori Wikipedia (8,068 articles)
- Te Aka Māori Dictionary: Kei te pēhea koe?
- Reo Māori | Māori Language Movement (Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori)
- Bubblegum
