Vowel Length and Meaning
A macron marks a long vowel and can change a word’s meaning.
How It Works
Māori has five vowel qualities, each with a short and long form. A macron marks length, not extra stress alone. Compare manu, a bird, with mānu, to float.
Read the spelling of the whole word. Some neighboring vowels belong to separate parts of a word, so a doubled vowel must not automatically be replaced with a macron. Listen to the full word and preserve the spelling used by its source.
Examples (3)
- He manu tēnei.
This is a bird.
- Kei te mānu te waka.
The canoe is floating.
- He keke tēnei.
This is a cake.
How It Connects
Related Patterns
- ng / whReading Ng and Wh
These digraphs also need Māori sound values.
Level 1 - tangata / tāngataIrregular Number in a Noun
Vowel length distinguishes these singular and plural forms.
Level 3 - An Established Alternative for Long Vowels
Compare a community convention that writes long vowels with double vowels.
Level 6
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Vowel Length and Meaning in Bubblegum
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