uʻi
/ˈu.ʔi/
The Hawaiian word for cute is uʻi.
uʻi is an adjective used to describe something or someone that is attractive or pleasing in a youthful, dainty, quaint or fun-spirited way.
Meaning: attractive or pleasing in a youthful, dainty, quaint or fun-spirited way (adj)
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables and the stress is on the 1st syllable. The IPA is /ˈu.ʔi/.
Did you know?
- While English speakers might use 'cute' for a baby, using uʻi in a Hawaiian context can carry a sense of nobility or high quality.
- The glottal stop in uʻi, written as the ʻokina, acts as a full consonant. If you omit this tiny mark, the word changes its meaning entirely.
- Hawaiian uses a system of reduplication where repeating a word can change its intensity. Doubling the root of a word can sometimes intensify the quality of being 'cute' or 'pretty'.
Examples in context
- He keiki uʻi nō iaThat's such a cute baby
- He pōpoki uʻi loa kēiaThis is an extremely cute cat
- ʻO ka keiki uʻi nō iaThat's a cute child
- Uʻi kēia keiki.This child is cute.
Example conversation
Kiana shows Koa a photo of her new kitten.
- KianaE nānā i kēia pōpoki!Look at this kitten!
- KoaUʻi loa wākea!It is so cute!
- KianaʻAe, he uʻi loa ʻo ia.Yes, it is very cute.
- KoaKe makemake nei au e pā.I want to pet it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cute” translations and entries uʻi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
