Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

tupuna

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: tupuna
IPA

8

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An ancestor, especially a grandparent, in Maori culture.

New Zealand usage

Example Sentences

"[…] tupunas are there, beside us, in the rain, and when the sun comes busting out."
"We have carved the journeys of the adventures of our tūpuna, who were true navigators—venturing into the unknown—sailing towards the sun."
"The existence of our wairua in this realm allows us to connect with our tūpuna in the spirit world. The spiritual connection to our tūpuna also exists in certain portals of communication with them."

Etymology

Borrowed from Māori tupuna.

Usage

New Zealand usage

Inflected Forms

tupunas (plural) tūpuna (plural) tipuna (alternative)

Questions

What does tupuna mean?: An ancestor, especially a grandparent, in Maori culture.
Where does tupuna come from?: Borrowed from Māori tupuna.

How to pronounce tupuna

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