hongi

H4O1N1G2I1
/ˈhɒŋi/

noun

The Maori greeting of touching noses.

OriginMāori hongi →
First used 19th c.Scrabble 9
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Meanings

nounhongi (plural hongis)

plural hongis

  1. New ZealandThe Maori greeting of touching noses.First known use 19th c.
verbhongi (third-person singular simple present hongis, present participle hongiing, simple past and past participle hongied)

present singular third person hongis · participle present hongiing · participle past hongied · past hongied

  1. New ZealandTo perform the Maori greeting of touching noses.First known use 19th c.

    [I]f I knew you better , or I was a warmer person, I would hongi, but…

    1983, Keri Hulme, The Bone People, Penguin, published 1986, page 88

Origin

  1. Māorihongi
  2. Māorihongi
  3. Englishhongi

Borrowed from Māori hongi.

More words from Māori

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with hongi

songypongythongythrongy
All rhymes →

Anagrams

Gihon
Cite this entry
APA

hongi. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hongi

MLA

“hongi.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hongi. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hongi,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hongi.

Source: hongi on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.