pāwela
The Hawaiian word for burnt is pāwela.
pāwela is an adjective used to describe something that has been damaged or injured by fire or heat.
Meaning: damaged or injured by fire or heat (adj)
Did you know?
- In many Hawaiian contexts, words for heat and fire are used metaphorically to describe intense emotions or certain types of energetic spiritual power.
- The root of pāwela is the word wela, which means 'to be hot'. In Hawaiian, the concept of being 'burnt' is linguistically tied more to the sensation of heat than to the presence of fire itself.
- The word wela is shared with other Polynesian languages, but the specific combination pāwela is a distinct way Hawaiian identifies a burnt state.
Examples in context
- Pāwela ka meaʻai.The food is burnt.
- Ua pāwela ka lima o ke keiki.The child's hand is burnt.
- He mea pāwela kēia.This is something burnt.
Example conversation
Noelani and Kai are cooking dinner together.
- NoelaniKai, ua pāwela ka lāʻau.Kai, the wood is burnt.
- KaiʻAe, ua holoʻokoʻa kēlā.Yes, that is completely gone.
- NoelaniE huki i ka iʻa mai.Pull the fish out.
- KaiʻEka, ʻaʻole pāwela ka iʻa.Luckily, the fish is not burnt.
