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Definition of whanganui

whanganui

/ˌwɒŋɡəˈnuːi/
Whan · ga · nu · i
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whanganui Lexical Profile

• noun

1

New Zealand A city on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand, situated at the mouth of the Whanganui River.

2

New Zealand A major river in the North Island of New Zealand, notable for being the first river in the world to be granted the legal rights of a human being.

Word Nuance & Usage

While the standard Māori pronunciation of 'wh' resembles an 'f' sound, the local dialect pronounces it as a softly aspirated 'w' or 'hw', which historically led to the alternate spelling 'Wanganui' before the modern spelling was officially standardized.

• Rhymes for whanganui

• Nearby Words

wham
whammy
whangaehu
whanganui
whangarei
whangarei falls
wharf

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Whanganui. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/whanganui
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