tonga

tonga — noun

1. a South Pacific nation made up of more than 170 islands, where a king or queen s

1.nounA2
Definition

a South Pacific nation made up of more than 170 islands, where a king or queen serves as the head of state and many people depend on farming and fishing for their living

Example

Haruto spent two weeks in Tonga teaching English to high school students.

travel to [country] + purpose (volunteering)

The airline offers three flights a week from Auckland to Tonga's main island.

flights to / from [country] + possessive

Common collocations
  • the Kingdom of Tonga
  • visit Tonga
  • live in Tonga
  • travel to Tonga
  • Tonga Islands

Usage Note

Tonga takes a singular verb. The full official name is 'the Kingdom of Tonga', but the definite article is not used before 'Tonga' alone.

Common Mistakes

He visited Tonga islands.
He visited the Tonga islands.
'islands' needs a definite article when referring to the archipelago by name.
Tonga are a peaceful country.
Tonga is a peaceful country.
country names take a singular verb in English.
Idioms

the Tonga Islands

idiom

a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean that lie to the east of the Fiji Islands, forming the nation of Tonga

The Tonga Islands lie roughly five hundred miles east of Fiji across open ocean.

European explorers first reached the Tonga Islands in the early seventeenth century.

Word family

  • Tongan
    adjectiveB1
  • Tongan
    nounB1

Common collocations

Nouns

  • the Kingdom of Tonga
  • Tonga Islands
  • the people of Tonga

Phrases

  • visit Tonga
  • live in Tonga
  • travel to Tonga
  • move to Tonga

Prepositions

  • in Tonga
  • to Tonga
  • from Tonga

Etymology

Proto-PolynesianTonganEnglish

The name 'Tonga' comes from the Tongan word 'tonga', meaning 'south' or 'southward'. The islands were named by the early Polynesian settlers who travelled south from the Samoan islands around 1000 BCE.