Topics

Colours

Words for colours and shades.

205 Kiribati words

• akiaki Sterna sumatrana sumatrana.
• am thy, your in the singular.
• ambo leaf red through age.
• antimama Crustacean, black species of...
• anuti white wood (imported in early days by traders in Gilbert Islands).
• aongo Caranx lugubris (ll).
• arataba a large red fish (taken 60 fathoms down).
• atikika red stone on the ocean beach.
• atuaomata Dasyatidae.
• atumainaina white haired person.
• atumeamea having yellowish red hair.
• atunaomata fish.
• aturoro having black hair.
• atuuraura having red hair.
• ba ni babai 1. taro leaves.
• ba roro dark green flourishing leaves.
• babai to approach cautiously for the purpose of stealing.
• babangaki red and swollen as the bite of a mosquito.
• babobo a fading leaf growing red or yellow.
• baeao the pearl shell.
• baiburebure a species of shark, the.
• baka to fall.
• bakaroto rising or ascending, as a great volume of smoke.
• bakua black shark.
• bamai a fish, the.
• bamaiu verdant, green, fresh, thriving.
• barang a variety of coral.
• bata a Gilbertese dwelling house with the ground for the floor.
• batinana a variety of crab, the.
• batongotongo black and threatening as an approaching squall.
• baun nei kiebaeba a red birthmark on skin, stained with blood.
• bawe a fish, the.
• bekenene a dirk.
• bengoingoi sup. black.
• bike white sand, the sandy beach, sandy land without verdure.
• bon truly, indeed, really, unquestionably.
• borengarenga red, as the sky.
• bubu a fish, the.
• bubuaki Melichthys buniva (ll).
• bubuaukiakia Melichthys vidua (ll).
• buea redness.
• bukibaraba fish, yellow snapper.
• bukirabaraba a fish, yellow snapper.
• bure passed over, given away, teansferred.
• buri to ooze out on pressure, to discharge as a boil.
• buroa a small yellow cowrie.
• buru blue (ENG).
• bwea distended as the abdomen in pregnancy.
• bwebwenimarawa Nesofregetta albigularis.
• ia where? (interrogative).
• iaia tendon, sinew.
• ikabata fish.
• ikamawa fish.
• ikanibong fish.
• ikantaeka Cephalopholis urodelus (ll).
• ikatuaia black rock codod <fish>.
• imatang white man, native of matang.
• inai coconut leaf mat.
• ingietauraura easily offended or provoked.
• ingo fish.
• io bird.
• iranang plaited leaves coloured by fumigation.
• kabanga n ira brown mottled eel.
• kabanganira a brown mottled Ophichthid eel, possible name for all such eels (ll).
• kabata to fish with a kabata.
• kaborenga a mixture, a dose of ingredients, colours.
• kabuaka a mole.
• kabunbweari a brown shell.
• kaibaun a red flower.
• kaimai having light-colored leaves.
• kairoro to travel or go in the morning twilight.
• kaiura easily angered, havein red leaves.
• kakoko the young straight coconut leaf, not yet opened.
• kamaawwa to make green.
• kamai the white of the eye, the sclerotic.
• kamainaina to whiten, to make white.
• kameamea having a yellow scum on its surface as salt water.
• kamemea to make yellow.
• kana n ingo fish. Red Snapper.
• kananingo Lutianus bohar (ll,y).
• kantarabaeao suffering with lassitude.
• karawa heaven, the blue sky, the skies.
• karibaura to make red as liquor or gin.
• karinaba a large black ant.
• karon a fish, the.
• katati a shell-knife, a knife for cutting karewe.
• katuiaia a sea-urchin.
• kaumata having large eyes.
• kaunta a join (solder).
• kauraura to engage in kindling fires.
• kauri full of bones, fish bones, bony.
• keang ni makin a species of fern.
• kereboki a sea-slug, beche de mer,.
• keta to grunt, as when punched in the side.
• kiakia name of a bird.
• kianan (1) green fat of turtle. (S).
• kibui a big sea bird (Brown Booby).
• kieburara purple lily.
• kimawa blue and green Scarus.
• kin small red ant.
• kiraba large white spots on the skin.
• kirara red haired.
• kiriroro very black.
• kiritantan having whitish spots on the skin.
• korotanawai striped, motley coloured.
• koroubu unripee.
• kuau a fish, the.
• kun skin.
• kunbweari colour of porcelain, of rust, dark colour (as in baeao).
• kunibo grey colour as in pearl shell.
• kunroro the exterior husk of the bunia.
• kunrorotongitong very black.
• mai used imperatively, come here.
• maina white.
• maina ni ie white of sail, end of white sail.
• maina ni mata white of the eye.
• mainaina white.
• mainanie distant sail.
• mainatakaebuebu very white.
• mainatakirara very white.
• maino white, clean, well cleaned, well sucked (pandanus fruit).
• mako fish.
• mamaina white.
• manekeang riri having a greenish color.
• mangkiri bird.
• manguro glossy hair, black, dark green palm leaves.
• marai kernel of a coconut in its soft state.
• mata eye, face.
• mata n tongo (?) coloured, dyed the shade of dark green as tongo.
• matamata conference with one's own family in reference to a proposed betrothal.
• matang the white man's country.
• matanibong sleepy or dull from watching at night.
• mataroro fainting through hunger or sickness.
• matatae unripe pandanus fruit.
• matawa large round as a man and so held with difficulty.
• mawa out of breath through wearyiness.
• mawareirei a beautiful blue or green colour.
• mawawa green.
• mea reddish yellow colour, rust, grey.
• meamea yellow.
• memea stained yellow by the juice of a green coconut husk.
• moamoa generous, benevolent.
• moto bird.
• mouakena bird.
• nautonga (1) white worm found in riburibu, non-edible.
• nikoro a fish, the.
• nikunikun name of a bird.
• nimanang a fish, kind of kuau, rock cod.
• nimarainai bracelet of green kanawa fibres.
• ninimai small white thin fish.
• niro black coconut.
• niuarouaro large green shrimps.
• nta a reddish bivalvular shellfish, often used as a neck ornament.
• ntababa a sea slug.
• ntabanebane Echinoderm.
• ntabo a neck ornament of shell made from the taninanatibu.
• ntakauraura the blossom of the kanawa.
• ntarine a fish, the.
• ngarobata having discolored gums.
• ngutu a movable sight of a gun.
• rabonomai a white eel.
• ramauoua Scaridae.
• raro dark or black leaves <leaf> for weaving designs in mats.
• ratabito flag, pennant, colours attached to mast of canoe.
• reke to be obtained, caught, secured, gotten.
• renga red cloth.
• rengarenga to paint red.
• riba crowded.
• rikiatababa (1) a species of taro with shoots all around.
• roro the spathe of a coconut tree when open, the open spathe which once…
• ta tar, paint (ENG).
• taba the blossom of the pan.
• tabauraura red or pink cloud over horizon at sunrise or sunset (weather sign).
• taemata (1) to take off lid, to pull off cover, to make forced entry, to…
• takaiaia to shiver with cold, to chatter as the jaws.
• takamainaina very white.
• takaro a spark.
• takauraura very red.
• take a duck (ENG).
• takirara white, very white, as a fowl.
• tangoingoi an adverbial intensive.
• tani a plural form equivalent to the english suffix -ers.
• tarangongo stern <bird>.
• tawa a fish, the.
• tawia a fish. blue spot rock codd.
• tikunei a small grey lizard.
• tine to hang.
• tituabine Nei Tituabine: the most ancient of female ancestor goddesses.
• uananai furred and whiteish condition of the tongue and mouth.
• uananti blighted or poorly developed coconut.
• ubaroro a species of frigate bird with black chest.
• unikai babai.
• unimai fish.
• unun crossness, moroseness, disposition to quarrel or fight.
• ura n anti (1) (ura-n-anti) a light appearing and disappearing.
• urabaka bright red (of ripe fruit).
• urabo same as uramai according to some authorities but not approved by…
• uramai pink.
• uramaitari angry as a man just returned from fishing or sailing.
• uranta red according to some authorities, but not approved by Kaure.
• urantina red as or like the nta.
• uraro purple.
• uraura red.
• wibue a person with unwholesome reddish teeth.
• wokewoke a plant (red leaves and red flowers).