Fijian (Vosa vaka-Viti)

Fijian (endonym Vosa vaka-Viti, also called iTaukei when referring to indigenous Fijians and their language) is an Austronesian language of the Oceanic branch spoken in the Republic of Fiji. It is one of Fiji’s official languages and the principal indigenous language of the Fijian people.

Classification and related languages

Fijian belongs to the Austronesian language family → Malayo-Polynesian subgroup → Oceanic branch → Central Pacific group (often treated together with nearby Central-Pacific languages). Within that Central-Pacific grouping, Fijian forms part of the East Central Pacific (Eastern Fijian) cluster; Rotuman and a number of Polynesian languages are related at higher (Central-Pacific/Oceanic) levels but are more distant relatives.

Closely related lects include the various regional Fijian dialects (e.g., Bauan, Lauan, and several Eastern Fijian varieties). There is also a separate set of Western Fijian languages/dialects (for example Nadroga, Naitasiri, and others) which differ sufficiently that mutual intelligibility with Standard/Bauan Fijian can be limited or low. Rotuman, while geographically close and historically linked to the Central-Pacific dialect chain, is generally treated as a distinct language.

Geographic distribution and number of speakers

Fijian is natively spoken in Fiji (especially the larger islands: Viti Levu, Vanua Levu and many smaller islands) and by diaspora communities in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and elsewhere. Estimates of speaker numbers vary by source and by whether one counts first-language speakers only or includes second-language users; commonly cited figures place native and L1/L2 speakers in the low hundreds of thousands (typical ranges cited in modern references: roughly ~300,000–450,000 speakers, depending on census and date). The language is constitutionally recognised and used in education, broadcasting, and cultural life.

Origins, history and development

Fijian developed from the Oceanic branch of Malayo-Polynesian as part of the eastward Austronesian expansion into Remote Oceania. Proto-Oceanic and later Central-Pacific varieties spread through the islands of Melanesia and Polynesia; local speech varieties in Fiji diversified into the cluster of Fijian dialects known today. Contact with other Pacific languages and, from the 19th century, with English, Māori, and other immigrant languages influenced vocabulary, orthography and domains of use.

European contact (from the 18th century onward), the Protestant mission era, and later colonial administration significantly shaped the modern written standard: missionary linguists helped develop an orthography based on Latin script, and a prestige dialect centered on Bau (the political and cultural center during the 19th century) became the basis of the standard written and taught variety often called “Standard (Bauan) Fijian.”

Dialects and mutual intelligibility

Fijian exhibits a dialect continuum. The widely used Bauan (or Bauan) dialect served historically as the prestige and teaching standard; many published materials, formal speeches and education use forms based on Bauan. Eastern Fijian varieties (including Lauan and Boumaa dialects) are generally mutually intelligible with Bauan. Western Fijian varieties (sometimes treated as separate Western Fijian languages, e.g., Nadroga) can be much less mutually intelligible with Standard/Bauan Fijian and sometimes require accommodation or translation for speakers of the other group. Linguists therefore speak of a Central-Pacific/Fijian dialect chain with some varieties only partially mutually intelligible.

Writing system

Fijian uses a Latin-based orthography developed by missionaries in the 19th century and refined by subsequent standardization. The orthography represents the phonological system in a relatively phonemic way (one symbol per phoneme in many cases); the alphabet includes the usual five vowels (a e i o u, with vowel length distinctions in some contexts) and consonants written with letters such as b, d, g, j, k, l, m, n, q, r, s, t, v, w, y, c, h (orthographic inventories vary slightly in descriptions depending on whether rare/regional sounds and loan-sound spellings are counted).

Phonology (overview)

Vowels. Fijian has a five-vowel system: /a e i o u/; vowel length can be contrastive in certain analyses and is indicated in descriptions.

Consonants and prenasalization. A striking feature of Fijian phonology is that several voiced stops are prenasalized and treated as single phonemes in the language and orthography. Letters conventionally written b, d, g represent prenasalized voiced stops — phonetically [mb], [nd], [ŋɡ] respectively (that is, they are realized with a short nasal onset fused to the stop). Several sources and modern analyses treat those as single prenasalized consonants rather than clusters. Other consonants appear as typical Oceanic inventories; some sounds like /p/ or /f/ appear mainly in loans. The consonant written dr in some dialects has a complex realization (historically described as prenasalized /r/ or a postalveolar variant).

(Summary: many consonants that appear as single letters in writing correspond to prenasalized articulations in speech; Fijian phonological patterns reflect this system.)

Grammar (sketch)

Fijian grammar follows many typological patterns typical of Oceanic languages:

• Morphosyntax: Relatively analytic; grammatical relations are often marked by word order and particles rather than heavy inflection.

• Word order: A commonly cited neutral order for many Oceanic languages is VSO or VOS in some clauses, but Fijian displays flexibility with clause-initial verb forms and particles; topicalization and focus are marked by particles and word order adjustments.

• Pronouns: Distinguish singular, dual and plural in inclusive vs. exclusive first-person forms (a familiar Oceanic pattern: we inclusive vs exclusive).

• Posession: Fijian distinguishes alienable vs. inalienable possession with different possessive constructions (as in many Austronesian languages).

• Verbal morphology and particles: Verbal aspect, mood and tense are frequently signalled with preverbal particles and auxiliaries rather than rich conjugational paradigms.

For a working description of clause structure, pronoun paradigms and possessive morphology, standard reference grammars and descriptive grammars (e.g., works on Bauan and Boumaa dialects) give fuller paradigms.

Vocabulary and borrowings

The core Fijian lexicon is Austronesian/Oceanic in origin (cognate with many other Polynesian and Melanesian languages). Since the 19th century, Fijian has borrowed from English, other Pacific languages (e.g., Tongan, Samoan in older contact), and more recently from Hindi and other languages present in Fiji’s multilingual society. Loanwords usually adapt to Fijian phonology and orthographic conventions (for example, loans with /s/ or /f/ are integrated, though /f/ historically is less common and often from recent loans).

Example sentences

Below are short, illustrative examples in Standard/Bauan Fijian with a literal and idiomatic English translation. Orthography follows common modern conventions.

1. Au sa lako. — “I (au) already (sa) go/left (lako).” — I have gone / I’m going.

2. Cava na yacaqu? — “What (cava) is (na) my name (yaca-qu)?” — What is my name?

3. Keitou na vakavinavinaka vei kemuni. — “We (exclusive/inclusive determined by form) will thank (na vakavinavinaka) you (vei kemuni).” — We will thank you.

4. O cei na turaga? — “Who is the chief/lord?” — Who is the leader/chief?

(Notes: particles like sa, na, and prepositional markers like vei play important grammatical roles; pronouns often attach clitics such as -qu “my”.)

Literature and notable works

Fijian has a continuous oral literary tradition — including myths, oral histories, songs, and chiefly oratory — that long predates written records. With the arrival of missionaries and the Latin orthography in the 19th century, a written literature developed: translations of Bible portions, catechisms and hymnody were among the earliest substantial texts. Modern literary production includes poetry, drama and prose in both Fijian and in English by Fijian authors; some literary work uses a mixture of languages reflecting Fiji’s multilingual reality.

Anthologies of Fijian oral literature and published collections of traditional poetry and oratory preserve important narratives and ritual language. In addition, contemporary writers of Fijian background have produced important works in English that engage Fijian themes; scholarship on Fijian literature typically treats written works in both Fijian and English and studies the intersections between orality and literacy. (For detailed listings of canonical Fijian-language texts and modern authors, see specialized bibliographies and national archives.)

Status, education and media

Fijian is taught in schools in Fiji (especially in primary education in indigenous communities), appears on radio and television, and is used in cultural ceremonies and community life. Fiji’s constitution recognizes multiple official languages (including Fijian), and government and educational policy in recent decades has supported bilingualism and maintenance of indigenous languages alongside English and Fiji Hindi.

Here’s a short Fijian–English glossary with example sentences. I’ve included some common, high-frequency words and phrases useful for everyday communication.

📖 Fijian–English Glossary

1. au – “I, me”

• Au sa kana. — “I am eating.”

2. iko – “you (singular, informal)”

• Iko sa lako mai? — “Are you coming?”

3. kemuni – “you (plural / respectful singular)”

• Kemuni na vulagi. — “You (honoured guest) are the visitor.”

4. o koya – “he / she”

• O koya e vuli tiko. — “He/She is studying.”

5. keda / keitou / keimami – “we/us” (inclusive/exclusive forms)

• Keda sa lako yani. — “We (inclusive) are going.”

• Keitou na kana. — “We (exclusive, small group) will eat.”

6. vale – “house, home”

• E dua na vale levu. — “It is a big house.”

7. vanua – “land, place, country”

• Na vanua oqo e totoka. — “This land is beautiful.”

8. wai – “water”

• Au via gunu wai. — “I want to drink water.”

9. kana – “to eat”

• Era sa kana na gone. — “The children are eating.”

10. lako – “to go”

• Au lako i Suva. — “I am going to Suva.”

11. vosa – “speech, language”

• Na vosa vaka-Viti e dredre? — “Is the Fijian language difficult?”

12. vakavinavinaka – “thanks, gratitude”

• Vinaka vakalevu na nomuni veivuke. — “Thank you very much for your help.”

13. totoka – “beautiful, pretty”

• E totoka na waitui. — “The sea is beautiful.”

14. cava – “what”

• Cava na yacaqu? — “What is my name?”

15. cei – “who”

• O cei na kai vale? — “Who is the host?”

✅ Notice how particles like sa (present/perfect aspect), na (article/marker), and e (copular marker) occur frequently — they’re the glue of Fijian sentences.