Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

iwi

/ˈiːwi/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.16 in modern English

Syllables: iwi
IPA: /ˈiːwi/

6

Scrabble Score

3

Letters

1

Syllables

2

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An extended group of Maori kin groups or families, sharing common ancestry; a tribe. (An iwi is smaller than a waka and larger than a hapu.)

New Zealand usage

Example Sentences

"Through her, the women of my iwi are also beautiful, strong and powerful."
"Ngati Porou and the related iwi Ngāti Kahungunu were major tribes down the East Coast of the North Island."

Etymology

Borrowed from Māori iwi (literally “bone”), ultimately from Proto-Oceanic *suRi (“bone”).

Word Breakdown

Root: iwi, *suRi

Usage

New Zealand usage

Inflected Forms

iwis (plural)

Rhymes With

kiwi peewee

Questions

How do you pronounce iwi?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈiːwi/.
What does iwi mean?: An extended group of Maori kin groups or families, sharing common ancestry; a tribe. (An iwi is smaller than a waka and larger than a hapu.)
Where does iwi come from?: Borrowed from Māori iwi (literally “bone”), ultimately from Proto-Oceanic *suRi (“bone”).

How to pronounce iwi

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “iwi”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈiːwi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “iwi”.
Repeat and practice — Say “iwi” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.