Fruits

1. Aifuan

   Ai-fu-an

   Fruit

   Usage

   The general word for fruit. Useful at markets: "aifuan iha ne'ebé?" (where is the fruit?)

   Grammar Note

   Many Tetum plant words are compounds starting with "ai" (tree/plant). The plant part comes second: "hudi fuan" (banana fruit), "nuu been" (coconut water).

2. Hudi

   Hu-di

   Banana

   Usage

   The most common fruit in Timor-Leste markets, usually sold by the bunch

   Grammar Note

   "hudi" is a native Austronesian word. A whole bunch is "hudi ramu," a hand of bananas is "hudi sasuit," and the edible banana flower is "hudi dubun."

3. Sabraka

   Sa-bra-ka

   Orange / Citrus

   Usage

   The main citrus word. Note that the color orange is a different word: "kór de laranja"

   Grammar Note

   "sabraka" is a native word covering citrus in general. To ask if it is ripe: "Sabraka ne'e tasak ona ka seidauk?" (Is this orange ripe yet?).

4. Tanjerina

   Tan-je-ri-na

   Mandarin

   Usage

   Small easy-peel citrus, grown in the highlands around Maubisse

   Grammar Note

   A Portuguese loanword. Tetum loans usually keep the final -a and are respelled according to Tetum orthography.

5. Derok

   De-rok

   Lemon / Lime

   Usage

   Sour citrus used in food and drinks. Specifically "derok masin" for lime

   Grammar Note

   "derok" is a native word. Adding "masin" (salt/salty) gives "derok masin" = lime. "Sour" is "siin."

6. Jambua

   Jam-bu-a

   Pomelo

   Usage

   A large citrus that appears in markets during the dry season

   Grammar Note

   Cognate with Malay "jambua / jambu." Tetum shares many plant names with the wider maritime Southeast Asian region.

7. Haas

   Ha-as

   Mango

   Usage

   In season roughly October to January. Green ones ("matak" = unripe) are eaten as a tart snack

   Grammar Note

   The double vowel "aa" is held longer. Tetum distinguishes "tasak" (ripe), "matak" (unripe), and "mangál" (nearly ripe).

8. Ai dila

   Ai di-la

   Papaya

   Usage

   Available year-round. The young leaves and flowers are also eaten as vegetables

   Grammar Note

   Written variously as "aidila," "ai dila," or "ai-dila" — compound spacing is still unsettled in Tetum orthography. Leaf: "ai dila tahan"; flower: "ai dila funan."

9. Ai nanás

   Ai na-nas

   Pineapple

   Usage

   Sold whole at markets, or peeled and skewered as a street snack

   Grammar Note

   A hybrid of native "ai" (plant) and Portuguese-derived "nanás" — a common pattern where Tetum attaches native elements to borrowed roots.

10. Nuu

    Nu-u

    Coconut

    Usage

    "nuu been" is coconut water; a young drinking coconut is "nuu nurak"

    Grammar Note

    Plant parts follow the plant name: "nuu been" (juice), "nuu nia isin" (flesh), "mina nuu" (coconut oil).

11. Abokát

    A-bo-kat

    Avocado

    Usage

    A highland specialty in Timor-Leste, typically blended into a sweetened juice

    Grammar Note

    The acute accent on "á" marks stress. Tetum orthography uses acute accents on loanwords whose stress falls outside the default position.

12. Marakujá

    Ma-ra-ku-ja

    Passionfruit

    Usage

    Grows widely in the highlands; often blended with milk as a juice

    Grammar Note

    The form "marakuzás" is also used. Tetum nouns do not inflect for number, but Portuguese plural forms are sometimes borrowed as fixed lexical items.

13. Uvas

    U-vas

    Grape

    Usage

    Barely grown locally; sold as an import in Dili supermarkets

    Grammar Note

    The Portuguese plural "uvas" was borrowed wholesale and works for both singular and plural. Wine is "vinhu"; red wine is "tintu."

14. Masaan

    Ma-saan

    Apple

    Usage

    An imported fruit, found in Dili supermarkets and larger markets

    Grammar Note

    Portuguese word-final nasal vowels are respelled in Tetum as a long vowel plus "n," and the vowel differs by source: "-ã" becomes "-aan" (maçã → masaan) while "-ão" becomes "-aun" (Japão → Japaun). The double vowel is held longer.

15. Pateka

    Pa-te-ka

    Watermelon

    Usage

    Piled high at markets during the hot season and sold at roadside stalls

    Grammar Note

    Tetum uses "pateka" rather than Indonesian "semangka" — a reminder that borrowing patterns differ word by word.

16. Goiabas

    Goi-a-bas

    Guava

    Usage

    Grows semi-wild and is cheap at markets

    Grammar Note

    Like "uvas," this was borrowed in the Portuguese plural form and serves as both singular and plural.

17. Ai ata

    Ai a-ta

    Custard apple / Sugar apple

    Usage

    Sweet, creamy flesh. The larger relative, soursop, is "ai ata boot"

    Grammar Note

    Adding "boot" (big) distinguishes the larger relative: "ai ata boot" = soursop. Tetum adjectives follow the noun.

18. Kulu

    Ku-lu

    Breadfruit

    Usage

    Treated more as a staple than a fruit — boiled or fried

    Grammar Note

    "kulu" survives in the Dili place name "Kulu Hun" (breadfruit tree base). "huun" means both the base of a tree and, metaphorically, an origin.

19. Kulu jaka

    Ku-lu ja-ka

    Jackfruit

    Usage

    Sweet when ripe; the unripe fruit is cooked as a vegetable

    Grammar Note

    Breadfruit and jackfruit are botanical relatives, so Tetum builds "kulu jaka" on the same root. Some speakers simply say "kulu."

20. Sukaer

    Su-ka-er

    Tamarind

    Usage

    Used as a souring agent; the large trees are also valued for shade

    Grammar Note

    The tree itself is "ai sukaer": "Kuda ai sukaer" (plant a tamarind tree). "ai" precedes the name when referring to the tree.

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