Locale Mi 001

Reference data for the Maori locale — endonym Māori, written in the Latin script, left-to-right (LTR).

Identifiers

• BCP 47 tag: mi-001
• ISO 639-1: mi
• ISO 639-3: mri
• Script: Latn (Latin)
• Region: 001 (World)
• Text direction: ltr — left-to-right (LTR)

Speakers (approximate)

• L1 (native): 50,000
• L2 (additional): 150,000
• L1+L2 (total): 200,000

Regional variants

This is the base/macro locale for Maori. Region-specific variants in this dataset:

• Locale Mi Nz (Maori (New Zealand))

Pluralization

CLDR has no explicit plural rule defined for this language; it falls back to the root rule of a single other category (1 form) — every count uses the same word form, as in Japanese or Chinese.

See Unicode Messageformat for writing plural messages using these categories.

Translating into this locale

Māori (te reo Māori) is the Polynesian language of Aotearoa New Zealand and an official language there. The Māori Language Commission (Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori) is the authority on orthography and standardized terms. See Locale Mi Nz.

Translate ideas, not words.

• Māori is a verb-initial language. Sentences begin with a particle and verb phrase, then the subject: "Kei te whakatuwhera au i te kōnae" (I am opening the file). Rework English subject-verb-object order.
• Translate concepts with attention to Māori worldviews: terms like whānau, mana, kaitiakitanga, and whenua carry cultural meaning and should not be reduced to single English words.
• Re-express idioms by meaning; use established coinages from Te Taura Whiri and Te Aka for technical terms.

Grammar that trips translators.

• Tense-aspect particles precede the verb: "kei te" (present), "i" (past), "ka" (future or sequence), "e ... ana" (continuous).
• Articles: "te" (singular) and "ngā" (plural); nouns have no plural suffix, and the article marks number.
• Possessives distinguish a-class and o-class (tāku/tōku, āku/ōku); the choice depends on the relationship.
• Pronouns distinguish dual and plural, inclusive and exclusive "we": tāua (you and I), māua (he/she and I), tātou (all of us), mātou (we, not you).

Register.

• Māori has a respectful register for formal speeches (whaikōrero), greetings (mihi), and karakia. Public service text is polite and clear; use "e koe" (you, singular) and "koutou" (you, plural) with respect.
• Use correct protocol for greetings and sign-offs: "Tēnā koe", "Tēnā koutou", "Nāku noa, nā".

Orthography and typography.

• Macrons (tohutō) on ā, ē, ī, ō, ū are required; the Commission advises macrons rather than double vowels. Capital macron letters (Ā, Ē, Ī, Ō, Ū) are required for names and sentence starts.
• The digraphs "wh" and "ng" represent single sounds and are not split across lines.
• Māori words in English text are not italicized and take no "s" plural.
• Dates may use Māori month names; follow Te Taura Whiri's list for the chosen forms.

Common pitfalls

• Omitting macrons or using double vowels.
• Adding an "s" plural to Māori words in English text.
• Using English subject-verb-object order.
• Choosing the wrong a-class or o-class possessive.
• Translating cultural concepts as single English words.

Learn more

• Locale for BCP 47 identifiers, locale-sensitive formatting, pluralization, and text-direction concepts that apply across all locales.
• Unicode Messageformat for writing plural/selection messages correctly for this locale's grammar.
• Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori (Māori Language Commission, https://www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz)
• Te Aka Māori Dictionary (https://maoridictionary.co.nz)