What Does Te Fiti Mean in English?

I don’t know about you, but my favorite moment in all of Moana is when she sings “I have crossed the horizon to find you, I know your name…”

Our wayfinder, Moana, indeed knows Te Fiti’s name. But, when it comes to the name of the goddess, it brings up this question for many: What does “Te Fiti” mean?

Well, as it turns out, this isn’t the easiest question to answer…

A general web search for a translation reveals, primarily, that “Te Fiti” does not have a direct translation to the English language. In fact, The U.S. Sun shares that “the Hawaiian alphabet does not contain the letters T or F, so the name Te Fiti has no exact meaning.”

And The Sun cites names.org when this article goes on to share that “Others suggest that [Te Fiti] is of African origin, and means ‘giver of life’.”

Further, according to Smithsonian Magazine, “Tahiti, in its various linguistic forms, including Tafiti, is a pan-Polynesian word for any faraway place.”

So, while we can’t say exactly what Te Fiti means, we can absolutely tell you this: Te Fiti will be a major highlight of Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana when the new walk-through attraction opens in EPCOT’s World Nature this fall.

Journey of Water will allow guests to interact with water while surrounded by characters and theming from Moana. The new experience is one aspect of the ongoing transformation of EPCOT (which has already delivered new rides like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure along with new eateries such as Space 220 and Connections Cafe and Eatery).

We got our first look at Te Fiti when Disney shared a new look at Journey of Water during a media preview last September, which included the revelation that a sculpture of Te Fiti, as featured in the attraction, will stand  16-feet tall!

The news was ultimately followed by the arrival of the Te Fiti sculpture in December.

Seeing the piece placed within the Journey of Water construction site really gives you an idea of the scale of the sculpture!

It has been so fun to follow along as Disney has shared a few more sneak peeks here and there, including a video detailing the creation of the Te Fiti sculpture, which you can see here.

Of course, Te Fiti is only one part — albeit it, an incredibly remarkable one! — of Journey of Water. A variety of water features will be among the interactive elements along the family-friendly exploration trail. Again, it will open sometime this fall.

Guests visiting Disney World prior to the opening of Journey of Water can already enjoy a few Moana-inspired experiences, like MEETING Moana herself at Disney’s Animal Kingdom! And you can check out the recently updated Moana-themed rooms in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort.

And, in the meantime, we’ll keep you posted on ALL the news when it comes to Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana right here!

Where Is the Real Te Fiti Island?