au

See also: Appendix:Variations of "au"

Languages (55)

Translingual • English

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Alemannic German • Aragonese • Arin • Big Nambas • Catalan • Cia-Cia • Cimbrian • Czech • Dutch • Esperanto • Estonian • Fijian • Finnish • French • Galo • Hawaiian • Hiri Motu • Hokkien • Iban • Icelandic • Japanese • Kedang • Kiowa • Kott • Latin • Makasar • Malay • Maori • Middle English • Miskito • Mokilese • Niuean • Norwegian Bokmål • Norwegian Nynorsk • Old French • Old Irish • Polish • Portuguese • Rapa Nui • Romanian • Swahili • Tahitian • Tày • Ternate • Tetum • Tidore • Tokelauan • Tongan • Tuvaluan • Vietnamese • West Makian • Western Apache • Zhuang

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Page categories

Translingual

Symbol

au

1. IAU recommended unit symbol for astronomical unit

Usage notes

• IAU bodies, such as the Minor Planet Center, themselves frequently use AU instead of "au".

Synonyms

• ua (BIPM recommendation for the unit symbol of astronomical unit)
• ㍳ (Unicode glyph for astronomical unit)

English

Noun

au (uncountable)

1. Abbreviation of atomic unit.
2. Abbreviation of arbitrary unit.
3. Abbreviation of astronomical unit.
4. Abbreviation of Absorbance Units.

Anagrams

• U/A, UA, uA

Alemannic German

Alternative forms

• ou

Etymology

From Old High German ouh, from Proto-Germanic *auk. Cognate with German auch, Dutch ook, English eke, Swedish och.

Pronunciation

• (Zürich) IPA^(key): /æʊ/

Adverb

au

1. also, too

Aragonese

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin au (“oh! ow! oh dear! goodness gracious!”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈau̯/
• Rhymes: -au̯
• Syllabification: au

Interjection

au

1. now, let's go (as an incitement to action or to a decision)

   Synonym: aire

2. ouch (An expression of one's own physical pain)

   Synonyms: ai, ah, oh, holio, conyo, conye, sinyor

3. aha (An Expression of incredulity or doubt)

   Synonyms: au-va, araba, ah, va

4. please (When asking for something in a familiar tone)

   Synonyms: per favor, au va

Etymology 2

From Latin avis, avem.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈau̯/
• Rhymes: -au̯
• Syllabification: au

Noun

au f (plural aus)

1. bird

References

• “ave”, in Aragonario, diccionario castellano–aragonés (in Spanish)
• Gramatica basica de l'aragonés (2017)

Arin

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Yeniseian *aw.

Pronoun

au

1. you (singular)

Big Nambas

Interjection

au

1. yes

   Au, ip'as!.

   Yes, alright!.

References

• Big Nambas Grammar Pacific Linguistics - G.J. Fox

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencia) [ˈaw]
• Rhymes: -aw

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin au (“oh! ow! oh dear! goodness gracious!”).

Interjection

au

1. now (as an incitement to action or to a decision)

Etymology 2

Inherited from Latin avis, avem, from Proto-Italic *awis (“bird”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwis (“bird”).

Noun

au f (plural aus)

2. bird

   Synonym: ocell

Related terms

• ocell

Further reading

• “au” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “au”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “au” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “au” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Cia-Cia

Alternative forms

• 아우

Etymology

From Proto-Celebic *asu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *asu, from Proto-Austronesian *(w)asu.

Noun

au (Hangul spelling 아우)

1. dog (animal)

Cimbrian

Etymology

The sense “north” may be reinforced by or a semantic loan from Venetan: vago su a Trénto (“I go north to Trento”, literally “I go up to Trento”). This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Adverb

au (Sette Comuni)

1. up, upwards

   au un abe ― up and down

   Au in de pèrghe machelts khalt

   Up in the mountains it is cold.

2. north, up north

   Ich ghéa au kan Triin.

   I'm going up north to Trento.

Antonyms

• abe, abar

Derived terms

• au, au
• denàu
• ghéenan au naach
• haltan au

References

• “au” in Martalar, Umberto Martello, Bellotto, Alfonso (1974) Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo

Czech

Interjection

au

1. ouch

   Synonym: auvajs

Dutch

Alternative forms

• auw

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɑu̯/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: au
• Rhymes: -ɑu̯

Interjection

au

1. ouch!

   Au, ja dat doet pijn! ― Ouch, yeah that hurts!

Descendants

• Negerhollands: au, o
• Petjo: aoew

Esperanto

Conjunction

au

1. H-system spelling of aŭ

Estonian

Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *auvo, itself possibly from Proto-Germanic *auja-, compare Old Norse ey (“luck, heavenly aid”) and Gothic 𐌰𐍅𐌹- (awi-) in 𐌰𐍅𐌹𐌻𐌹𐌿𐌸 (awiliuþ). Cognate to Finnish auvo and Livonian o’v. Possibly related to the verb avama.

Noun

au (genitive au, partitive au)

1. honour/honor, respect

Declension

Declension of au (ÕS type 26/koi, no gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		au	aud
accusative	nom.
	gen.	au
genitive			aude
partitive		au	ausid
illative		ausse	audesse
inessive		aus	audes
elative		aust	audest
allative		aule	audele
adessive		aul	audel
ablative		ault	audelt
translative		auks	audeks
terminative		auni	audeni
essive		auna	audena
abessive		auta	audeta
comitative		auga	audega

Derived terms

• aus

Compounds

• auhind
• aupaklik
• ausõna
• autasu
• meheau
• mundriau

Fijian

Etymology

From Proto-Central-Pacific *au, from Proto-Oceanic *(i-)au, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku.

Pronoun

au

1. I (personal pronoun)
2. me (direct object of a verb)
3. me (object of a preposition)
4. me (indirect object of a verb)
5. my (belonging to me)

See also

Fijian personal pronouns

				singular	dual	paucal	plural
1st person				au	keirau (exclusive) kedaru (inclusive)	keitou (exclusive) kedatou (inclusive)	keimami (exclusive) keda (inclusive)
2nd person				iko	kemudrau	kemudou	kemuni
3rd person				koya	rau	iratou	ira

Finnish

Etymology

Natural.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɑu̯/, [ˈɑ̝u̯]
• Rhymes: -ɑu
• Hyphenation^(key): au

Interjection

au

1. ow, ouch

Synonyms

• ai
• auts

Further reading

• “au”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

Anagrams

• -ua

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /o/

  • Audio (Paris):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -o
• Homophones: aulx, aux, eau, eaux, haut, hauts, ho, o, ô, oh, os

Contraction

au (used with a singular masculine noun)

1. Contraction of à le (“to the, for the, at the”).

   Synonym: à le — Louisiana

   Il étudie la musique au conservatoire.

   He studies music at the conservatory.

See also

• à la
• à l’
• aux

Further reading

• “au”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• ua

Galo

Etymology

From Proto-Tani *fu.

Noun

au

1. grease, fat, oil

Hawaiian

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *au, from Proto-Oceanic *(i-)au, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈau̯/, [ˈɐw], [ˈɔw] (rapid speech)

Pronoun

au

1. I (personal pronoun)

Usage notes

• Unlike other personal pronouns, au has a separate object form aʻu.

Synonyms

• wau

See also

Hawaiian personal pronouns

	singular	dual	plural
1st person	au, wau	māua (exclusive) kāua (inclusive)	mākou (exclusive) kākou (inclusive)
2nd person	ʻoe	ʻolua	ʻoukou
3rd person	ia, ʻo ia	lāua	lākou

Etymology 2

From Proto-Polynesian *qau, from Proto-Oceanic *qaʀus (compare with Fijian yau), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qaʀus (“current, flow” – compare with Malay arus, Tagalog ágos).

Noun

au

1. era, period of time
2. current (water)
3. movement

Verb

au

1. (intransitive) to flow
2. (intransitive) to move

References

• Pukui, Mary Kawena, Elbert, Samuel H. (1986) “au”, in Hawaiian Dictionary, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press

Hiri Motu

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kahiw, from Proto-Austronesian *kaSiw.

Noun

au

1. tree

Hokkien

For pronunciation and definitions of au – see 漚 (“to soak for a prolonged period of time; to steep; to suppress one's feelings for a long time; etc.”). (This term is the pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 漚).

For pronunciation and definitions of au – see 甌 (“cup”). (This term is the pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 甌).

Iban

Interjection

au

1. yes

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [øyː]

Interjection

au

1. An exclamation of awe and surprise; wow.

   Synonyms: nau, vá

Japanese

Romanization

au

1. Rōmaji transcription of あう

Kedang

Etymology

From Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *asu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *asu, from Proto-Austronesian *(w)asu.

Noun

au

1. dog (animal)

Kiowa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɔ/

Letter

au (upper case Au)

1. A letter of the Kiowa alphabet.

See also

• (Latin-script letters) A a, Ai ai, Au au, Aui aui, B̶ b̶, B b, D̶ d̶, D d, E e, G̶ g̶, G g, H h, I i, K k, Kʼ kʼ, L l, M m, N n, n̶, O o, Oi oi, P p, Pʼ pʼ, S s, T t, Tʼ tʼ, Ts ts, Tsʼ tsʼ, U u, Ui ui, W w, Y y, Z z, ꞉

Kott

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Yeniseian *aw.

Pronoun

au

1. you (singular)

References

• Fortescue, M., Vajda, E. (2022) Mid-Holocene Language Connections between Asia and North America (Brill's Studies in the Indigenous Languages of the Americas; 17)‎^[2], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 408: “au”

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /au̯/, [äu̯]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /au̯/, [äːu̯]

Interjection

au

1. Alternative form of hau (“expressing pain or grief; oh! ah!”)

References

• “au”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “au”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• au in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette.

Makasar

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qabu, from Proto-Austronesian *qabu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈau]

Noun

au (Lontara spelling ᨕᨕᨘ)

1. ash

Malay

Pronunciation

• (Etymology 1) IPA^(key): [a.u]
  • Rhymes: -u
  • Hyphenation: a‧u
• (Etymology 2) IPA^(key): [au̯]
  • Rhymes: -au̯
  • Hyphenation: au

Etymology 1

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *au, from Proto-Austronesian *au₂.

Interjection

au (Jawi spelling اءو)

1. (Brunei, Sarawak) Used to express affirmation; yes.

   Synonyms: ya, haah, ia

Etymology 2

From English ouch.

Interjection

au (Jawi spelling او)

1. Used to express pain; ouch.

   Synonyms: aduh, adoi, waduh

See also

• Au

Further reading

• “au” in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017.

Maori

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *au, from Proto-Oceanic *(i-)au, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku (compare with Malay aku, Tagalog ako.

Alternative forms

• ahau

Pronoun

au

1. I (personal pronoun)
   • 2021, “Titokowaru”, performed by Alien Weaponry:

     Ka pīrangi au te kikokiko pākehā

     I crave the flesh of the Pakeha (white man)

2. me (direct object of a verb)
3. me (object of a preposition)
4. me (indirect object of a verb)

See also

Maori personal pronouns

			singular	dual	plural
1st person (exclusive)			au, ahau	māua	mātou
1st person (inclusive)				tāua	tātou
2nd person			koe	kōrua	koutou
3rd person			ia	rāua	rātou

Etymology 2

From Proto-Polynesian *qau, from Proto-Oceanic *qaʀus (compare with Fijian yau), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qaʀus (“current, flow” – compare with Malay arus, Tagalog ágos).

Noun

au

1. current (water)

   Synonyms: kato, āwai, ia

2. whirlpool; rapid

   Synonym: ripo

3. wake (of a canoe, etc.)
4. sea; ocean

   Synonyms: tai, moana

Etymology 3

From Proto-Polynesian *qahu, from Proto-Oceanic *qasu (“gall; gall bladder”).

Noun

au

1. gall; gall bladder

   Synonym: kouawai

Etymology 4

From Proto-Polynesian *qahu (compare with Tahitian au, Tongan ʻahu, Samoan ʻasu), from Proto-Oceanic *qasu, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qasu (“smoke; fume; steam” – compare with Cebuano aso, Tagalog aso);

Noun

au

1. smoke

   Synonyms: auahi, paoa

2. cloud

   Synonyms: ao, kapua

3. mist; fog

   Synonyms: haumaringi, kohu

Etymology 5

From Proto-Polynesian *(q)au (“howl, bark”).

Verb

au

1. to howl, bark (of a dog)

Further reading

• Williams, Herbert William (1917) “au”, in A Dictionary of the Maori Language, page 4
• “au” in John C. Moorfield, Te Aka: Maori–English, English–Maori Dictionary and Index, 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, 2011, →ISBN.

Middle English

Noun

au

1. Alternative form of awe

Miskito

Particle

au

1. yes

Antonyms

• apia

Mokilese

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈau/, [ˈaw]

Noun

au

1. mouth

Possessive forms

Possessive forms of au (tightly inalienable)

singular possessor	first person		oawoaioa
	second person		oawoamwen
	third person		oawoa
dual possessors	first person inclusive		oawoasa
	first person exclusive		oawoama
	second person		oawoamwa
	third person		oawoara
plural possessors	first person inclusive		oawoasai
	first person exclusive		oawoamai
	second person		oawoamwai
	third person		oawoarai
remote plural possessors	first person inclusive		oawoahs
	first person exclusive		oawoami
	second person		oawoamwi
	third person		oawoahr
construct form			oawoan

Derived terms

• koapin au (“chin”)

Niuean

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *au, from Proto-Oceanic *(i-)au, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku.

Pronoun

au

1. I (personal pronoun)
2. me (direct object of a verb)
3. me (object of a preposition)
4. me (indirect object of a verb)
5. my (belonging to me)

See also

Niuean personal pronouns

			singular	dual	plural
1st person			au	maua (exclusive) taua (inclusive)	mautolu (exclusive) tautolu (inclusive)
2nd person			koe	mua	mutolu
3rd person			ia	laua	lautolu

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology 1

From Old Norse auk.

Adverb

au

1. also, too (used mostly in dialects)

Synonyms

• òg
• også

Etymology 2

Interjection

au!

1. ouch!

References

• “nb” in The Bokmål Dictionary / The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /œʊː/

Etymology 1

From Old Norse auk.

Adverb

au

2. also, too

Synonyms

• òg
• ogso
• også

Etymology 2

Interjection

au!

2. ouch!

Etymology 3

Verb

au

1. imperative of aua

References

• “au” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old French

Alternative forms

• al

Contraction

au

1. Contraction of a le (“to the”).

Old Irish

Noun

au

1. Alternative spelling of áu (“ear”)

Mutation

Mutation of au

radical	lenition	nasalization
au (pronounced with /h/ in h-prothesis environments)	unchanged	n-au

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Polish

Etymology

Onomatopoeic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaw/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aw
• Syllabification: au

Interjection

au

1. ouch (expression of one's own physical pain)

   Synonyms: aua, auć

Further reading

• au in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• au in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• ai

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈaw/ [ˈaʊ̯]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈaw/

• Rhymes: -aw
• Hyphenation: au

Interjection

au

1. ouch (expression of minor physical pain)

See also

• au au

Rapa Nui

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.u/
• Hyphenation: a‧u

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *au. Cognates include Hawaiian au and Maori au.

Pronoun

au

1. I, me
   • 1995, Rapanui: A descriptive grammar‎^[3], page 153:

     Ko tikea 'a e au te moai nui nui ...

     I have seen a big statue.

     Note: This source does not show non-ambiguous glottal stops.

See also

Rapa Nui personal pronouns

Independent
	singular	dual	plural
1st person (excl.)	au	māua	mātou
1st person (incl.)	―	tāua	tātou
2nd person	koe	kōrua
3rd person	ia	rāua

Etymology 2

From Proto-Polynesian *qau (“current, flow”).

Noun

au

1. current

   He haro te vaka i te au.

   The boat is towed off course in the current.

References

• “au”, in Diccionario etimológico Rapanui-Español, Valparaíso: Comisión para la Estructuración de la Lengua Rapanui, 2000, →ISBN
• Veronica Du Feu (1996) Rapanui (Descriptive Grammars), Routledge, →ISBN, page 140
• Paulus Kieviet (2017) A grammar of Rapa Nui‎^[4], Berlin: Language Science Press, →ISBN, page 140

Romanian

Alternative forms

• aŭ — old orthography

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aw/

Etymology 1

Probably from a Vulgar Latin *habunt, as a conjugated form of Latin habeō.

Verb

au

1. third-person plural present indicative of avea

   (they) have

Verb

au

1. (ele/ei) au (modal auxiliary, third-person plural form of avea, used with past participles to form perfect compus tenses)

   (they) have (+ past participle)

Related terms

• am
• ai
• a
• ați

Etymology 2

From Latin aut.

Conjunction

au

1. (rare, regional, archaic) or
   • 1883, Luceafărul, Mihai Eminescu, 149-152:

     Dar cum ai vrea să mă cobor?
     Au nu-nțelegi tu oare,
     Cum că eu sunt nemuritor,
     Și tu ești muritoare?

     But how would I descend to thee?
     Or don't you understand,
     That I am immortal
     And thou a mortal art?

Synonyms

• sau, ori

Adverb

au

1. (interrogative, rhetorical) well?, (now) really?

Synonyms

• oare

Swahili

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic أَو (ʔaw).

Pronunciation

• Audio (Kenya):

  (file)

Conjunction

au

1. or

Synonyms

• ama

Tahitian

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *au, from Proto-Oceanic *(i-)au, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku.

Pronoun

au

1. I (personal pronoun)
2. me (direct object of a verb)
3. me (object of a preposition)
4. me (indirect object of a verb)
5. my (belonging to me)

See also

Tahitian personal pronouns

			singular	dual	plural
1st person			au, vau	māua (exclusive) tāua (inclusive)	mātou (exclusive) tātou (inclusive)
2nd person			ʻoe	ʻōrua	ʻoutou
3rd person			ʻoia, ʻona	rāua	rātou

Etymology 2

Verb

au

1. to sew

Tày

Alternative forms

• âu

Etymology

From Proto-Tai *ʔawᴬ (“to take”). Cognate with Northern Thai ᩐᩣ, Lao ເອົາ (ʼao), Lü ᦀᧁ (˙ʼaw), Tai Dam ꪹꪮꪱ, Shan ဢဝ် (ʼǎo), Ahom 𑜒𑜧 (ʼaw) or 𑜒𑜧𑜈𑜫 (ʼaww) or 𑜒𑜨𑜧 (ʼow), Zhuang aeu, Thai เอา (ao).

Pronunciation

• (Thạch An – Tràng Định) IPA^(key): [ʔaw˧˧]
• (Trùng Khánh) IPA^(key): [ʔaw˦˥]

Verb

au (㓜)

1. to take; to seize; to receive

   au chèn ― to seize money

2. to marry

   au căn ― to marry each other

Derived terms

• au châư
• au làng
• au lường

 

References

• Lương Bèn (2011) Từ điển Tày-Việt [Tay-Vietnamese dictionary]‎^[5][6] (in Vietnamese), Thái Nguyên: Nhà Xuất bản Đại học Thái Nguyên
• Lục Văn Pảo, Hoàng Tuấn Nam (2003) Hoàng Triều Ân, editor, Từ điển chữ Nôm Tày [A Dictionary of (chữ) Nôm Tày]‎^[7] (in Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học Xã hội
• Léopold Michel Cadière (1910) Dictionnaire Tày-Annamite-Français [Tày-Vietnamese-French Dictionary]‎^[8] (in French), Hanoi: Impressions d'Extrême-Orient

Ternate

Etymology

From Proto-North Halmahera *aun (“blood”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈa.u]

Noun

au

1. blood

References

• Rika Hayami-Allen (2001) A descriptive study of the language of Ternate, the northern Moluccas, Indonesia, University of Pittsburgh

Tetum

Etymology

From Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qauʀ, compare Indonesian aur.

Noun

au

1. bamboo

Tidore

Etymology

From Proto-North Halmahera *aun (“blood”).

Noun

au

1. blood

Tokelauan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈa.u]
• Hyphenation: a‧u

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *au. Cognates include Hawaiian au and Samoan a'u.

Pronoun

au

1. I, me

See also

Tokelauan personal pronouns

Independent
	singular	dual		plural
		long	short
1st person (excl.)	au, kita1	ki māua	ki mā	ki mātou
1st person (incl.)	―	ki tāua	ki tā	ki tātou
2nd person	koe	koulua		koutou
3rd person	ia	ki lāua	ki lā	ki lātou
Agentive clitic
	singular	dual		plural
1st person (excl.)	kō	ki mā		ki mātou
1st person (incl.)	―	ki tā		ki tātou
2nd person	kē	koulua		koutou
3rd person	ia	ki lā		ki lātou
1) Sympathetic *) Pronouns preceded by ki may drop this preposition when in a possessive phrase.

Etymology 2

From Proto-Polynesian *-u. Cognates include Hawaiian āu and Samoan āu.

Determiner

au

1. (alienable) thy, your

See also

Tokelauan possessive determiners

	Definite inalienable (O-type)
	singular reference				plural reference
	sg	du		pl	sg	du		pl
		long	short			long	short
1st person (excl.)	toku, tota1	to māua	to mā	to mātou	oku, ota1	o māua	o mā	o mātou
1st person (incl.)	―	to tāua	to tā	to tātou	―	o tāua	o tā	o tātou
2nd person	tō	toulua		toutou	ō	oulua		outou
3rd person	tona	to lāua	to lā	to lātou	ona	o lāua	o lā	o lātou
	Definite alienable (A-type)
	singular reference				plural reference
	sg	du		pl	sg	du		pl
		long	short			long	short
1st person (excl.)	taku, tata1	ta māua	ta mā	ta mātou	aku, ata1	a māua	a mā	a mātou
1st person (incl.)	―	ta tāua	ta tā	ta tātou	―	a tāua	a tā	a tātou
2nd person	tau	taulua		tautou	au	aulua		autou
3rd person	tana	ta lāua	ta lā	ta lātou	ana	a lāua	a lā	a lātou
	Indefinite inalienable (O-type)
	singular reference				plural reference
	sg	du		pl	sg	du		pl
		long	short			long	short
1st person (excl.)	hoku, hota1	ho māua	ho mā	ho mātou	ni oku, ni ota1	ni o māua	ni o mā	ni o mātou
1st person (incl.)	―	ho tāua	ho tā	ho tātou	―	ni o tāua	ni o tā	ni o tātou
2nd person	hō	houlua		houtou	ni ō	ni oulua		ni outou
3rd person	hona	ho lāua	ho lā	ho lātou	ni ona	ni o lāua	ni o lā	ni o lātou
	Indefinite alienable (A-type)
	singular reference				plural reference
	sg	du		pl	sg	du		pl
		long	short			long	short
1st person (excl.)	haku, hata1	ha māua	ha mā	ha mātou	ni aku, ni ata1	ni a māua	ni a mā	ni a mātou
1st person (incl.)	―	ha tāua	ha tā	ha tātou	―	ni a tāua	ni a tā	ni a tātou
2nd person	hau	haulua		hautou	ni au	ni aulua		ni autou
3rd person	hana	ha lāua	ha lā	ha lātou	ni ana	ni a lāua	ni a lā	ni a lātou
1) Sympathetic

Etymology 3

From Proto-Polynesian *aqu. Cognates include Tongan aʻu and Samoan au.

Verb

au

1. (intransitive, + ki) to reach
2. (stative) to be matured at birth

Etymology 4

From Proto-Polynesian *qau. Cognats include Hawaiian au and Maori au.

Noun

au

1. current, flow (of water)

Etymology 5

From Proto-Polynesian *qahu. Cognates include Hawaiian au and Samoan au.

Noun

au

1. gall, bile
2. gall bladder

Etymology 6

From Proto-Polynesian *hau. Cognates include Maori au and Samoan au.

Noun

au

1. needle for thatching
2. comb of needles for tattooing

References

• R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎^[9], Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 3

Tongan

Alternative forms

• ou

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *au, from Proto-Oceanic *(i-)au, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.u/

Pronoun

au

1. I (personal pronoun)
2. me (direct object of a verb)
3. me (object of a preposition)
4. me (indirect object of a verb)
5. my (belonging to me)

Tuvaluan

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *au, from Proto-Oceanic *(i-)au, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *(i-)aku, from Proto-Austronesian *(i-)aku.

Pronoun

au

1. I (personal pronoun)
2. me (direct object of a verb)
3. me (object of a preposition)
4. me (indirect object of a verb)
5. my (belonging to me)

See also

Tuvaluan personal pronouns

			singular	dual	plural
1st person			au, aku	maaua (exclusive) taaua (inclusive)	maatou (exclusive) taatou (inclusive)
2nd person			koe	koulua	koulou
3rd person			ia, a ia	laaua	laatou

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [ʔaw˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [ʔaw˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [ʔa(ː)w˧˧]

• Audio (Saigon):

  (file)

Adjective

au

1. bright and cheerful

Further reading

• "au" in Hồ Ngọc Đức, Free Vietnamese Dictionary Project (details)

West Makian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈa.u/

Verb

au

1. (transitive) to climb, ascend

   taau to pu ― I climb the mountain

2. (intransitive, of the moon) to rise

Conjugation

Conjugation of au (action verb)
		singular	plural
			inclusive	exclusive
1st person		taau	maau	aau
2nd person		naau	faau
3rd person	inanimate	iau	daau
	animate
imperative		naau, au	faau, au

References

• Clemens Voorhoeve (1982) The Makian languages and their neighbours‎^[10], Pacific linguistics (as aw)
• James Collins (1982) Further Notes Towards a West Makian Vocabulary‎^[11], Pacific linguistics

Western Apache

Particle

au

1. yes

Zhuang

Etymology

From Proto-Tai *ʔaːwᴬ (“father's younger brother”). Cognate with Thai อาว (aao), Ahom 𑜒𑜧 (`ao), Lao ອາວ (ʼāo) and Tày áo.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Zhuang) IPA^(key): /ʔaːu˨˦/
• Tone numbers: au¹
• Hyphenation: au

Noun

au (Sawndip forms 𰠍 or 傲 or ⿰𫠤处 or ⿰男要 or 嗷 or 敖 or 奧 or 𬽱 or ⿰父教 or 𬿪, 1957–1982 spelling au)

1. uncle (father's younger brother)

See also

• lungz
• baj
• gux