ʻeleʻele
/ˌʔe.leˈʔe.le/
The Hawaiian word for black is ʻeleʻele.
ʻeleʻele is used to describe something that is black, meaning it absorbs all light. It functions as both an adjective and a noun to denote the color black.
Meaning: absorbing all light (adj)
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 4 syllables: /ˌʔe.leˈʔe.le/. The stress is on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- In traditional Hawaiian culture, ʻeleʻele is not just a color but can be associated with the depths of the ocean or the void of the night sky.
- In Hawaiian grammar, ʻeleʻele typically follows the noun it describes, unlike in English where the adjective 'black' comes before the noun.
- The word ʻeleʻele is a reduplicated form of the root ele. In Hawaiian, repeating a word often intensifies its meaning, turning 'dark' into 'deep black'.
Examples in context
- ʻEleʻele ka pua liʻiliʻi.The little flower is black.This sentence is useful for seeing how to describe the color of a flower using ʻeleʻele.Tatoeba #4856431 by nonong, translation #10161007 by ToxicFriu
- He ʻeleʻele ka loko o ka ʻōpua.The inside of the cloud is black.
Example conversation
Malia and Koa are looking at a piece of fabric.
- MaliaHe ʻeleʻele ka lāʻau kēia?Is this wood black?
- KoaʻAe, ʻeleʻele pono ia.Yes, it is definitely black.
- MaliaMakemake au i ka lāʻau ʻeleʻele.I like the black wood.
- KoaHe nani ia, Malia.It is beautiful, Malia.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “black” translations and entries ʻeleʻele, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
