Whakar

Whakar is a bound morpheme found in te reo Māori that functions as an allomorphic variant of the causative prefix whaka-. It attaches to verb roots to form causative or applicative verbs, signaling that the subject causes, enables, or makes the action described by the root occur. As a result, many common Māori verbs occur in forms that begin with whakar- when a causative sense is intended, though not all roots take this prefix.

In use, whakar- modifies the action expressed by the root rather than existing as a standalone word. Examples include whakarite, meaning to arrange or set up, and whakarongo, meaning to listen or heed. The exact nuance of the causative meaning can vary with the root and the context, and some forms may be specialized or idiomatic in particular dialects or registers.

Relationship to whaka- and phonology is a notable aspect of whakar. It is considered part of the same verbal prefix family as whaka- and is understood as an allomorph conditioned by phonological context and historical sound changes. Because of this, whether a root takes the form whakar- or whaka- can depend on the surrounding consonants of the root and regional speech patterns. In practice, tako Māori dictionaries and language resources describe whakar- as the variant used in causative verb formation alongside the more general whaka- prefix.

Overall, whakar functions as a productive, non-independent prefix that helps convey causation in verb formation, contributing to the rich morphology of te reo Māori.