What does vahine mean?
Vahine is a noun borrowed from Tahitian, the language of Tahiti and the wider Society Islands. It is used in English for a Polynesian woman and, depending on context, a wife. In Tahitian and adjacent Polynesian usage, the word belongs to everyday language rather than functioning only as an exotic label; outside that setting, it is uncommon and tends to retain a strong Tahitian or French Polynesian association. The word is especially useful because it can identify either a woman in general or a woman in the specific relationship of marriage. It also provides insight into how Polynesian languages organize personal and family reference differently from English. Modern speakers should distinguish it from the closely related Hawaiian and Māori form wahine when discussing the languages themselves. In literary, historical, or travel writing about French Polynesia, vahine can add cultural specificity, although context is needed to establish whether woman or wife is intended.
nounA woman, especially a woman from French Polynesia; by extension, a wife. The word is chiefly encountered in English in descriptions of Tahiti and other Polynesian communities.
- A woman, especially a woman from French Polynesia or another Polynesian community.
- A wife.
"The guide introduced us to a respected vahine from the village."
"In the old song, a vahine waits beside the sea for the returning canoe."
"He spoke warmly of his vahine and their life together in the village."
The regular English plural adds -s to the noun.
"The photographs portrayed vahines from several French Polynesian communities."
In Tahitian, one familiar word can name both a woman and a wife.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of vahine
English borrowed vahine from Tahitian, where the word can mean woman or wife. It is a cognate of Hawaiian and Māori wahine and of Samoan fāfine, all commonly traced to Proto-Polynesian *wāhine, reconstructed with meanings such as woman, female, and wife. Its Tahitian form entered English through descriptions of Tahiti and French Polynesia.
Related word forms
How vahine is actually used
In English, vahine is uncommon and retains a strong association with Tahiti and French Polynesia. Outside relevant cultural, literary, or historical contexts, it may sound unfamiliar and should generally be used with cultural awareness.
Easily confused with vahine
Wahine is the Hawaiian and Māori form of a closely related Polynesian word, whereas vahine is specifically the Tahitian form and the form most directly borrowed into English.