Check out the video from our kaiako (educator) Josh, as he shares the Te Reo Māori names for the Planets of the Sun – our Solar System, and learn kupu hou (new words) for all things celestial in the Glossary below.
Important note: The names for many words are not the same all throughout Aotearoa, it can vary by region, dialect, and iwi.
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Whetū – Star |
Whērangi – Uranus |
Aorangi – Planet |
Tangaroa – Neptune |
|
Whiro – Pluto |
Rangipō – Night Sky |
Whetūao iti – Asteroid |
Amio – Orbit |
|
Rākete – Rocket |
Kōtiritiri – Shooting Star/Meteor |
Marama – Moon |
Kaipōkai Tuarangi – Astronaut |
|
Matariki – Pleiades |
Kōpū – Venus |
Tautoru – Orion’s Belt |
Papatūānuku – Earth |
|
Matawhero – Mars |
Te Taura – The Pointers |
Pareārau – Jupiter |
Rongo – Saturn |
|
Ikarangi– Galaxy |
Whetūrere – Comet |
Apārangi – Mercury |
Te Punga – Southern Cross |
|
Te Ika Whenua o te Rangi – The Milky Way |