ʻanakē
The Hawaiian word for aunt is ʻanakē. Wiktionary also lists makuahine.
Meaning: a parent's sister or sister-in-law (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hawaiian | IPA |
|---|---|
| ʻanakē | |
| makuahine | /ˌma.ku.aˈhi.ne/ |
The term is used to refer to a parent's sister or sister-in-law.
Which one should you use?
ʻanakē is a loanword from English.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ʻanakē is a colloquial term derived from the English word 'aunt'.
Did you know?
- The term makuahine shares its root makua with the word for 'parent', meaning that in Hawaiian, aunts are linguistically categorized as parents rather than as siblings of parents.
- In traditional Hawaiian culture, the word makua meaning 'parent' applies to all elders of the same generation, meaning an aunt is often addressed and treated with the same status as a biological mother.
- The word ʻanakē uses a glottal stop, represented by the symbol ʻ, which creates a brief pause in the throat that is essential for correct pronunciation.
Example sentences for Hawaiian are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Ikaika is asking Noelani about her family member.
- IkaikaO wai kēlā wahine?Who is that woman?
- NoelaniʻO ka ʻanakē kēlā.That is my aunt.
- IkaikaHe mea maikaʻi ʻo ia?Is she a good person?
- NoelaniʻAe, he aloha loa ka ʻanakē.Yes, my aunt is very loving.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “aunt” translations and entries ʻanakē, makuahine, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
