kalona
The Hawaiian word for clown is kalona.
kalona refers to a performance artist who works in a circus.
Meaning: performance artist working in a circus (noun)
Did you know?
- In traditional Hawaiian culture, there is no direct equivalent for a 'circus clown', as such performances were not part of pre-contact social structures.
- In Hawaiian, adjectives usually follow the noun, so to say 'funny clown', you would place the word for 'funny' after kalona.
- When using kalona in a sentence, the word remains the same regardless of whether the clown is a man, woman or child, as Hawaiian nouns do not have gender.
Examples in context
- Ua ʻike ʻia ka kalona ma ka hale kikoʻai.The clown was seen at the circus.
Example conversation
Koa and Malia are at a circus.
- KoaE nʻonoʻike ʻoe i ka kalona, Malia?Do you like the clown, Malia?
- MaliaʻAe, he kalona ʻakikiki ʻoe!Yes, he is a funny clown!
- KoaKe ʻaka ʻana ʻole ka kalona.The clown is laughing.
- MaliaKe ʻaka ʻana ʻole kʻuʻaku!He is making me laugh!
