#117: He said, she said
kī, mea
Mea (so-and-so) —
Saying — kī, mea
In te reo Māori there are three common ways to talk about speaking: kōrero, mea, and kī. Kōrero describes the act of speaking without stating what was said. Mea reports what someone said indirectly. Kī is used to quote a person’s exact words. The word kī (with a macron) differs from ki (without one). The phrase e ai ki means “according to” and introduces reported sources, opinions, or traditional sayings.