The language may be characterized as analytical or isolating what means that the words' internal structure is simple, while the link between them (the grammar) is complex.
For example, in Spanish (a flexive language) the plural form of the noun "hombre" is "hombres": for the Rapa Nui, instead, a particle is used, the 'a' that precedes the noun.
For example,
Tanata : hombre
A tanata : hombres.
The possessive in Rapa Nui is defined by the particle 'o' as in
Te pito o te henúa: the navel of the earth.
Aku-Aku: spirit of ancestors.