The easiest way to learn Māori is to read lessons made for your level and look up what stops you right on the page. With Bubblegum, you tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and a few phrases you want to use, and she writes a te reo Māori lesson for you.
Poppy writes the lesson with every macron in place and plays it aloud, so you see a word and hear it together. When you want to practice speaking with another person, book a tutor or join a class.
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.
- Poppy writes each lesson around your level and the topics you choose.
- Lessons play AI audio while you read.
- Tap a word to see what it means, or ask Poppy to explain a whole line.
- Grammar topics explain how Māori works, such as why a macron changes a word.
- 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.
- Lessons use modern standard spelling, with macrons over the long vowels. Some iwi write long vowels as double letters, so a book from there can look different.
- You can't turn your own Māori books into lessons. However, you can paste a page in the chat, and Poppy will explain it.
- 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
Māori has some features that help a beginner, and a few that need practice. To see how many hours a course takes, read how long it takes to learn Māori.
- A Short AlphabetThe Māori alphabet has 15 letters, so there is less to learn than in English. Each long vowel carries a macron.
- One Word for He, She and ItThe pronoun means he, she, him, her or it, so you do not choose between them.
- A Greeting for EveryoneKia ora works as hello, cheers and thanks, and it can greet any number of people.
- Start With GreetingsBegin with lines you can use right away, like Kia ora (hello) and Kei te pēhea koe? (how are you?).
- Ask for a Lesson About Your InterestsTell Poppy your level and a topic you care about, such as your whānau (family). She writes a lesson so you can begin reading and listening.
- Listen While You ReadPlay the audio as you read, so each word's sound and spelling go together.
- Get Help While You ReadLook up a word or check the translation when a line stops you. Ask Poppy about grammar in the same lesson.
- Save a Few WordsSave only the few words you want to keep, and copy each macron.
- Say a Line Out LoudSay a line aloud whenever it feels fun, like a greeting for a relative. The free Kōrerorero app focuses on speaking, and its first lesson has words you can use right away.
Set aside 3-5 hours a week in sessions of 15-30 minutes or longer. Choose longer texts when you can follow more.
| What Feels Hard | The Easy Fix |
|---|---|
| Macrons that change a word | A macron marks a long vowel, and it can change the word. keke is cake and kēkē is armpit, and is woman while wāhine is women. Say each new word aloud with its audio, and save it with the macron. |
| Words for "my" | works for anything, as in Kei hea taku pōtae? (where is my hat?). Tāku and tōku also mean my, and Te Aka says tāku goes with things the owner controls. Learn each noun with the form you meet it with, and ask Poppy when a pattern confuses you. |
| A greeting for one person | Kei te pēhea koe? (how are you?) is only used when speaking to one person. Te Aka Māori Dictionary lists the forms for two people and for three or more. |
| Ng and wh | Ng and wh are letter pairs that each stand for one sound, and people say them differently from region to region. Listen to the lesson audio and copy it. |
Choose short, clear Māori about something you enjoy. Māori you can mostly understand is called comprehensible input.
| What | Why It's Easy | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Te Whanake podcasts | They are free, and the beginner textbook Te Kākano has pronunciation exercises and dialogues. | tewhanake.maori.nz |
| Kōrerorero | A free app with eight lessons on everyday activities, focused on speaking. | Kōrerorero on the App Store |
| Ako Tahi | A free iPhone app with a vowel guide, and audio for each phrase. | Ako Tahi on the App Store |
| Toro Mai | A free Massey University course of about 10 hours, with no assignments or exams. | massey.ac.nz/toromai |
| Board books from Huia | Children's books in te reo Māori, with a few words on each page. | huia.co.nz |
If you can't tell what's happening, pick something easier.
Should I Learn the Most Common 500 Words First?
No. Learn each word inside a short line. Read and hear the line, then save it for review.
Is Māori Pronunciation Hard?
Hear a line in the lesson before you say it. The vowels are short or long, and the macron shows which. Copy the lesson audio for ng and wh. Te Kākano has pronunciation exercises, and Ako Tahi has a vowel guide with audio.
Can I Learn Māori Just by Watching Television?
Not at the start, because most speech goes by too fast for a beginner to learn from. Programmes on MĀORI+ help more once you can follow a simple conversation, and some of its content may not play outside Aotearoa.
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. For courses and tools, see our comparison of Māori apps.
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 Aka Māori Dictionary: kia ora
- Te Aka Māori Dictionary: Kei te pēhea koe? (only used when speaking to one person)
- Te Aka Māori Dictionary: ia (he, she, him, her, it)
- Te Aka Māori Dictionary: whānau
- Te Aka Māori Dictionary: taku and tāku (my; Kei hea taku pōtae?)
- Te Aka Māori Dictionary: keke and kēkē
- Te Aka Māori Dictionary: wahine and wāhine
- Te Aka Māori Dictionary: pukapuka
- Drops: Learn Māori (the Māori alphabet has 15 letters)
- Te Whanake: free online resources (podcasts, videos including Tōku Reo)
- Te Whanake Shop: Te Kākano, a beginner textbook with pronunciation exercises
- AUT news: New app to learn te reo Māori (Kōrerorero, free, eight lessons)
- Kōrerorero: iPhone App Store listing
- Ako Tahi: iPhone App Store listing (vowel guide with audio)
- Massey University: Toro Mai (free online course, about 10 hours)
- Huia Publishers: books in te reo Māori and bilingual titles
- MĀORI+ help: some content may not be available outside Aotearoa
- The Spinoff: Get your macron on (Te Taura Whiri's macron standard)
