keiki kāne pupule
The English phrase "crazy boy" is translated into Hawaiian as keiki kāne pupule.
This phrase is used to describe a male child who behaves in a wild or mentally unstable way.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of keiki (child), kāne (male/man) and pupule (crazy/wild).
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify "the" crazy boy, you add the article ka to the beginning of the phrase to get ka keiki kāne pupule. To say "a" crazy boy, use the indefinite article kekahi instead of ka, resulting in kekahi keiki kāne pupule.
Did you know?
- In Hawaiian, the word pupule is formed through reduplication, a process where a word is repeated to change its meaning. By repeating pule, meaning 'prayer', the meaning shifts entirely to 'crazy'.
- In Hawaiian culture, calling someone pupule can range from a lighthearted joke about being 'wild' to a serious description of mental illness depending on the speaker's tone.
- While keiki translates to 'child', it is a culturally expansive term. It is used to refer to a person's 'offspring' or 'descendants', even if those descendants are grown adults.
Example conversation
Keanu and Kiana are watching a child run wildly in the yard.
- KeanuHe keiki kāne pupule ʱo ia!He is a crazy boy!
- KianaƐoe ʱo ia, Keanu.You are just like him, Keanu.
- KeanuƐeƑe ʱo au i kēlā keiki kāne pupule.I am different from that crazy boy.
- KianaƐeƑe ʱo Ɛoe, ƐeƑe ʱo ʱoe.You are different, you are different.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries keiki, kāne, pupule, CC BY-SA 4.0.
