roto / waho / mua / muri
Inside and Relative Position
Kei roto gives present interior location; ki waho gives an outward destination.
How It Works
Roto / waho contrast inside and outside; mua / muri contrast front and rear. Each follows its opening particle directly. Kei roto gives a present location, whereas ki waho gives a destination.
A following i phrase can identify the reference point: kei roto i te pouaka, ‘inside the box’, or kei mua i te toa, ‘in front of the shop’. When the setting is shared, the reference can remain understood, as in kei waho or kei muri. Front and rear depend on the relevant orientation.
Compare Kei waho ngā tamariki, ‘The children are outside’, with Ka haere ngā tamariki ki waho, ‘The children go outside’. The base stays unchanged while its opening particle changes the phrase’s role. Temporal constructions also use mua and muri for before and after.
Examples (4)
- Kei roto i te pouaka ngā whakaahua.
The photographs are inside the box.
I te pouaka names the enclosure.
- Ka haere ngā tamariki ki waho.
The children go outside.
Ki introduces the destination.
- Kei mua i te toa te pahikara.
The bicycle is in front of the shop.
The shop supplies the reference point for mua.
- Kei muri te kurī.
The dog is behind.
The reference point is understood from context.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Extend the spatial framework to enclosure and orientation: roto and waho distinguish inside from outside, while mua and muri locate something relative to a front or rear. The reference can be stated or recovered from the setting.
Related Patterns
Practice roto / waho / mua / muri in Bubblegum
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