ka pai

Ka pai is a Māori exclamation that means well done or congratulations, as in You won the race—ka pai! 

In Te Aka Māori, the language of the Māori people, ka pai is used as a congratulations. The term is normally used as an interjection or a sentence replacement. In English, you might say, “Congratulations!” or “Good job!”

Ka pai is also used sarcastically, as in Eli missed the train because he refuses to look at a clock. Ka pai. In this case, you might hear ka pai translated to mean “serves them right” or “they deserved it.” 

Example: We really enjoyed the show. Ka pai!

The first records of the term ka pai in English come from around the 1830s. It is a Māori term meaning “good, fine.” Māori is the language of the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand.

The Māori people are the native inhabitants of modern-day New Zealand. Their language, Te Aka Māori, started to fade in use and popularity with the arrival of white people. In the late 1900s, however, Te Aka Māori started to be taught and was recognized as an official language of New Zealand in 1987. Ka pai is one of the most frequently borrowed phrases from Te Aka Māori.

What are some synonyms for ka pai?

• congratulations
• good

What are some words that often get used in discussing ka pai?

• great
• language
• Māori

In English, ka pai is almost always used informally and as an exclamation. 

The track six-eight instrumental from @fatfreddysdrop1 new album is bloody wonderful. Ka Pai! #music #preshowjam

— Tape Face (@TapeFaceBoy) November 15, 2019

Ka pai New Zealand!🥇🥈🥉 To celebrate, we’re bringing something sweet back on board for a limited time 👀 Can you guess what it is?

— Air New Zealand ✈️ (@FlyAirNZ) August 8, 2021

My email signature now has a greeting in te reo/Maori. So many people from all around the world are now taking the time to find out what Ngā mihi means, and some are even going so far as to reply in Maori! Ka pai!

— Ben Kepes (@benkepes) May 16, 2018

Updated on February 27, 2023

True or False?

Ka pai is from the Tagalog language.