ko + name

Naming an Identity

Level 1

Ko introduces an identifying name or phrase.

How It Works

Ko Mere tōku ingoa identifies my name as Mere. Ko marks the identifying phrase; the rest of the clause supplies what is being identified.

Read this separately from a verbal clause such as Kei te kai a Mere. A personal name used as an ordinary subject commonly takes a, whereas an identifying phrase uses ko. Names themselves do not require the same particle in every position.

Examples (3)

  1. Ko Mere tōku ingoa.

    My name is Mere.

  2. Ko Wiremu te kaiako.

    Wiremu is the teacher.

  3. Ko Aotearoa tēnei.

    This is Aotearoa New Zealand.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ko + nameLevel 1Naming an Identity

Learn This First

Introduce ko through naming and identification, including Ko Mere tōku ingoa. Read a name with its surrounding construction: an identifying name follows ko directly, while an ordinary named subject has a different frame.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.