E hoʻomaikaʻi ke Akua iā ʻoe
The English phrase "god bless you" is translated into Hawaiian as E hoʻomaikaʻi ke Akua iā ʻoe.
This phrase is used as an interjection when someone has sneezed.
Meaning: said to somebody who has sneezed (intj)
Which one should you use?
The form E hoʻomaikaʻi ʻia ʻoe e ke Akua is a formal way to convey the meaning "You are blessed by God".
Did you know?
- The word Akua used in this phrase is a calque of the English word 'God'.
- While the phrase translates to 'god bless you', the word akua was not always capitalized until it became a translation for the monotheistic English 'God'.
- The spelling of the phrase uses an ʻokina, the glottal stop represented by ʻ, which is a full consonant in Hawaiian and changes the pronunciation of ʻoe.
Example conversation
Keanu and Kiana are sitting together in a living room.
- Keanu*Sneeze**Sneeze*
- KianaE hoʻomaikaʻi ke Akua iā ʻoe, Keanu.God bless you, Keanu.
- KeanuMahalo, Kiana.Thank you, Kiana.
- KianaʻAʻole he mea.You're welcome.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Akua, akua, hoʻomaikaʻi, ke, ʻoe, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Mahalo nui loa!