Counting in Rapa Nui

Language overview

Rapa Nui, also known as Rapanui, Pascuan, or Pascuense, belongs to the Austronesian language family, and more specifically to the Eastern Polynesian group. It is spoken on the island of Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, which belongs to Chile, and counts about one thousand native speakers.

Rapa Nui numbering rules

Now that you’ve had a gist of the most useful numbers, let’s move to the writing rules for the tens, the compound numbers, and why not the hundreds, the thousands and beyond (if possible).

• Digits from one to nine are rendered by specific words, namely tahi [1], rua [2], toru [3], hā [4], rima [5], ono [6], hitu [7], va’u [8], and iva [9]. Some digits take an alternative form borrowed from Tahitian when compound: ho’e [1], piti [2], maha [4], and pae [5].
• Tens are formed starting with the multiplier digit, followed by the word for ten (’ahuru, borrowed from Tahitian): ho’e ’ahuru [10], piti ’ahuru [20], toru ’ahuru [30], maha ’ahuru [40], pae ’ahuru [50], ono ’ahuru [60], hitu ’ahuru [70], va’u ’ahuru [80], and iva ’ahuru [90].
• Compound numbers are formed starting with the ten, followed by the particle mā (and, with), and the unit (e.g.: piti ’ahuru mā ho’e [21], ono ’ahuru mā toru [63]).
• Hundreds are formed starting with the multiplier digit, followed by the word for hundred (hānere, borrowed from Tahitian): ho’e hānere [100], piti hānere [200], toru hānere [300], maha hānere [400], pae hānere [500], ono hānere [600], hitu hānere [700], va’u hānere [800], and iva hānere [900].
• Thousands are formed starting with the multiplier digit, followed by the word for thousand (ta’utini, from the Tahitian tauatini): ho’e ta’utini [1,000], piti ta’utini [2,000], toru ta’utini [3,000], maha ta’utini [4,000], pae ta’utini [5,000], ono ta’utini [6,000], hitu ta’utini [7,000], va’u ta’utini [8,000], and iva ta’utini [9,000].
• In compound numbers between hundreds and tens, and between thousands and hundreds, the particle e can be used, but this is not obligatory (e.g.: ho’e hānere (e) piti ’ahuru [120], ho’e ta’utini (e) hitu hānere (e) piti ’ahuru mā piti [1,722]).

Write a number in full in Rapa Nui

Let’s move now to the practice of the numbering rules in Rapa Nui. Will you guess how to write a number in full? Enter a number and try to write it down in your head, or maybe on a piece of paper, before displaying the result.

Books

Source

• A grammar of Rapa Nui, by Paulus Kievit (Saint Philip Street Press, 2020)

Eastern Malayo-Polynesian languages

Araki, Cèmuhî, Māori, Marshallese, Mussau-Emira, Mwotlap, Nêlêmwa, Nengone, Paicî, Rapa Nui, Tahitian, Tongan (telephone-style), and Yuanga-zuanga.

Other supported languages

As the other currently supported languages are too numerous to list extensively here, please select a language from the full list of supported languages.