toko-

Counting People

Level 2

Tokorua counts two people, tokoono six; a one-person answer uses kotahi.

How It Works

For personal counts from two to nine, attach toko- to the number base: tokorua, tokotoru, tokowhā, tokorima, tokoono, tokowhitu, tokowaru, tokoiwa. Write each as one word. The two adjacent vowels in tokoono belong to its formation and must remain; they are not pronunciation notation.

These predicates precede the counted group without numerical e. Tokohia asks for a personal count. A question with ngā does not presuppose that the answer must exceed one.

Compare Tokorua ngā kaitiaki, ‘There are two guardians’, with Kotahi te kaitiaki, ‘There is one guardian’. Do not extend the illustrated prefix paradigm to one or larger numbers. Ordinary numerical constructions can also count human groups.

Examples (3)

  1. Tokohia ngā kaitākaro?

    How many players are there?

    Tokohia requests a personal count.

  2. Tokorua ngā kaitiaki.

    There are two guardians.

    Toko- combines with rua without numerical e.

  3. Tokoono ngā manuhiri.

    There are six visitors.

    Toko- combines with ono, preserving both adjacent vowels.

How It Connects

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toko-Level 2Counting People

Learn This First

Teach joined personal number words and tokohia, retaining the one-person kotahi contrast already introduced through ordinary counting. Preserve both vowels in tokoono and keep the taught prefix range at two through nine; ordinary counts can also count people.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.