Signs

1. Afio mai

   Welcome

   Usage

   Welcome board at village boundaries, hotels and the airport. The most commonly seen Samoan-language sign, usually combined with a village name as "Afio mai i le nu'u o ..." (welcome to the village of ...)

   Grammar Note

   "Afio mai" belongs to the Samoan chiefly register (gagana fa'aaloalo). It outranks the everyday greeting "Talofa," which is why it is the form used on signage

2. Ulufale

   Entrance

   Usage

   Marks the way in. Note that real-world signs in Samoa nearly always read "ENTRANCE" in English — this word turns up on bilingual boards and on admission-fee notices, where ulufale means "entry/admission"

3. Faleuila

   Toilet

   Usage

   The Samoan word for a toilet. Airports and hotels label them "TOILET"/"RESTROOM" in English; faleuila shows up at village halls, schools and churches

4. Tāne

   Men

   Usage

   On the men's door of a toilet or changing room, often alongside English "MEN"

5. Fafine

   Women

   Usage

   On the women's door of a toilet or changing room, often alongside English "WOMEN"

6. Sā

   Forbidden / No entry

   Usage

   Means "forbidden / sacred." It heads village notices banning swimming, fishing or entry. The same word names the evening prayer curfew (Sā), during which passing through a village is discouraged — so check whether a village-boundary sign is naming a time of day

7. Lapata'iga

   Warning

   Usage

   The heading word on hazard notices — government and health-ministry advisories, rip-current and rockfall warnings. Usually paired with English "WARNING"/"DANGER"

8. Tūlei

   Push

   Usage

   The word for pushing a door. Actual door plates read "PUSH" in English almost everywhere; the Samoan appears only on bilingual signage at schools and public buildings

9. Toso

   Pull

   Usage

   The counterpart of "Tūlei" (push) on a door. Here too the real plate normally reads "PULL" in English

10. Tatala

    Open

    Usage

    Says a shop or facility is open. Shop-front flip signs are overwhelmingly English "OPEN"; in Samoan you are more likely to hear "E tatala" spoken than to read it on a board

11. Tapuni

    Closed

    Usage

    The counterpart of "Tatala" (open). On Sundays most shops and offices in Samoa are shut — knowing that custom matters more than reading the sign

12. Uafu

    Wharf / Pier

    Usage

    Seen at ferry terminals and harbours, including the Upolu–Savai'i crossing (Mulifanua and Salelologa). Borrowed from English "wharf," so it is easy to recognise next to the English spelling

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