What does wahine mean?
Wahine is a Māori word meaning a woman or female person, and it has become familiar in New Zealand English as an informal alternative to “woman.” It appears naturally in everyday conversation, particularly when Māori identity or language is relevant, but it can also be used without any explicit reference to Māori culture. In traditional Māori usage, wahine can also mean a wife, although that is not its principal modern sense. The word belongs to a wider family of Polynesian languages and is related to forms such as Hawaiian wahine and Tahitian vahine. Its recognition in English makes it a useful example of how an indigenous language word can enter general usage while retaining its cultural history. Speakers should be aware that wahine may sound informal or distinctive outside New Zealand, and it should not be treated as a generic term for every female person regardless of context.
nounIn Māori, a woman or female person; in older or traditional contexts, it can also mean a wife. In New Zealand English, it is commonly used as an informal term for a woman.
- A woman or female person.
- A wife, especially in traditional or older usage.
"The wahine greeted us with a warm welcome and guided us through the village."
"Her aunt is a respected wahine in the community."
"In the old song, the wahine waits beside the river for her partner to return."
The English plural is wahines. In Māori, nouns do not change form to mark plural number, so the plural is usually expressed in context rather than by adding -s.
"The wahines led the discussion about the upcoming festival."
Wahine travels from a Māori word for woman into everyday New Zealand English, carrying a distinctly Polynesian heritage.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of wahine
Māori wahine comes from the reconstructed Proto-Polynesian form *fWahine, a word shared across several Polynesian languages. Cognates include Hawaiian wahine and Tahitian vahine. English use developed through contact with Māori in New Zealand, where the word became established particularly during the later 19th and 20th centuries.
How wahine is actually used
Wahine is common in New Zealand but may sound informal or culturally marked to speakers unfamiliar with Māori usage. It is also a normal Māori word, and its neutral reference to a woman or female person contrasts with the related Māori term tane, meaning man or male person. The meaning “wife” is traditional or dated rather than the dominant contemporary sense.
Easily confused with wahine
Wahine is a Māori term for a woman or female person, whereas whine means to complain persistently or make a high-pitched sound.