moʻopuna wahine
/mo.ʔoˈpu.na waˈhi.ne/word by word
The Hawaiian word for granddaughter is moʻopuna wahine.
Moʻopuna wahine is used to specifically refer to the daughter of someone's child.
Meaning: daughter of someone’s child (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of moʻopuna (grandchild/descendant) and wahine (woman/female).
How does it change in a sentence?
While moʻopuna wahine specifies a female grandchild, the word moʻopuna can be used alone to mean 'grandchild' or 'descendant' without specifying gender.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 6 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable: /mo.ʔoˈpu.na waˈhi.ne/.
Did you know?
- In traditional Hawaiian social structures, a moʻopuna might be raised primarily by their grandparents rather than their parents.
- The word wahine comes from the ancient Proto-Austronesian root bahi, which was used to describe women thousands of years ago.
- In many Polynesian cultures, the term moʻopuna implies a much broader connection than just a grandchild, often referring to any descendant in a lineage.
Examples in context
- He moʻopuna wahine kēia.This is a granddaughter.
- He ʻoluʻolu kēia moʻopuna wahine.This granddaughter is lovely.
Example conversation
Ikaika and Noelani are looking at a family photo.
- IkaikaO wai kēia moʻopuna wahine?Who is this granddaughter?
- NoelaniʻO Leilani kona inoa.Her name is Leilani.
- IkaikaHe lei nani kona.She has a beautiful lei.
- NoelaniʻAe, he laniʻino ʻo ia.Yes, she is very sweet.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (moʻopuna, wahine) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries moʻopuna, wahine, CC BY-SA 4.0.
