Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

whakapapa

/ˈfɑːkəˌpɑːpə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.17 in modern English

Syllables: whaka-pa-pa
IPA: /ˈfɑːkəˌpɑːpə/

23

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Genealogy, as a fundamental principle of Māori culture that is critical in establishing one's identity.

New Zealand usage; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"What are you crying for? asks the Kati Kahukunu (he's probably my 23rd cousin but we haven't swapped whakapapa yet)."

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Polynesian *faka Māori whaka- Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *papan Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *papan Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *papan Proto-Oceanic *baban Proto-Polynesian *papa Māori papa Māori whakapapabor. English whakapapa Borrowed from Māori whakapapa.

Usage

Inflected Forms

whakapapas (plural)

Questions

How do you pronounce whakapapa?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfɑːkəˌpɑːpə/.
What does whakapapa mean?: Genealogy, as a fundamental principle of Māori culture that is critical in establishing one's identity.
Where does whakapapa come from?: Etymology tree Proto-Polynesian *faka Māori whaka- Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *papan Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *papan Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *papan Proto-Oceanic *baban Proto-Polynesian *papa Māori papa Māori whakapapabor. English whakapapa Borrowed from Māori whakapapa.

How to pronounce whakapapa

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