Tongan Language Week DLO

Tongan Letters and numbers:

Tongan letters:

• 17 letters in the Tongan alphabet.
• 5 vowels; a-e-i-o-u
• 12 consonants; f-h-k-l-m-n-ng-p-s-t-v- ‘
• pronouncing the consonants you add ʻaʼ to the end – Fa-Ha-Ka-La-Ma-Na-NGa-Pa-Sa-Ta-Va
• Fakaʻua (glottal stop) is considered a consonant and the last letter in the Tongan alphabet    Tongan alphabet song

Tongan numbers:

• numbers 0-9 noa, taha, ua, tolu, fā, nima, ono, fitu, valu, hiva
• the number for 10 is hongofulu (hoh-ngoh-foo-loo)
• the number for 100 is teau (teh-ah-oo)
• every other number is literally the words 0-9 combined: twenty becomes two zero – ua noa
• three exceptions to the rule 22, 55 and 99 words shortened to uo ua, nime nima, hive hiva19 (nineteen) – taha hiva
• 44 (fourty four) – fā fā
• 99 (ninety nine) – hive hiva
• 87 (eighty seven) – valu fitu

Since it is Tongan Language week we have to show some basic things in tongan such as the letters and the numbers.