lā hānau
/laː haːˈnau̯/
The Hawaiian phrase for birthday is lā hānau.
lā hānau is a noun used to refer to the anniversary of a person's birth.
Meaning: anniversary (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of lā (day) and hānau (to give birth or born), literally meaning "day of birth".
How does it change in a sentence?
As a noun phrase, lā hānau does not change its form to indicate pluralization in common usage.
How do you pronounce it?
/laː haːˈnau̯/
Did you know?
- The word lā is a linguistic traveler that evolved from an ancient Proto-Austronesian root shared with 'sailing' terms in Malay and Tagalog.
- In traditional Hawaiian culture, the concept of a 'birthday' as an annual celebration with cake and gifts is a later Western adoption rather than an ancient custom.
Examples in context
- Hauʻoli lā hānau!Happy birthday!This example shows how to use lā hānau in the common greeting "Happy birthday!"
Example conversation
Malia and Kai are talking about an upcoming celebration.
- MaliaHe lā hānau kēia?Is this a birthday?
- KaiʻAe, he lā hānau kēia.Yes, it is a birthday.
- MaliaHauʻoli lā hānau iā ʻoe!Happy birthday to you!
- KaiMahalo loa, Malia.Thank you very much, Malia.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “birthday” translations and entries lā hānau, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hānau, lā, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
