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Rapa Nui

American  
[rah-puh noo-ee] / ˈrɑ pə ˈnu i /
Rapa Nui British  
/ ˈrɑːpɑː ˈnuːɪ /

noun

  1. the Polynesian name for Easter Island

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Elderly islanders told Routledge the legend of Rapa Nui: Long, long ago, the island had been fought over by two warring races, the Short Ears and their oppressors, the fearsome Long Ears.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 20, 2026

This approach allowed researchers to calculate the scale of the 16th century drought on Rapa Nui for the first time.

From Science Daily Feb. 10, 2026

However, the researchers stress that modern discussions about climate change should prioritize the voices of people living on Rapa Nui and other Pacific islands today.

From Science Daily Feb. 10, 2026

There have long been calls to return the Hoa Hakananai'a, or "Stolen Friend", to Rapa Nui.

From BBC Feb. 18, 2024

Five hundred miles beyond this focalpoint, its convict settlement long abandoned, was Easter Island, Rapa Nui, home of the great monoliths whose origin had ever been a puzzle.

From Greener Than You Think by Moore, Ward

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