ʻōmaʻomaʻo
/ʔoː.ma.ʔoˈma.ʔo/
The Hawaiian word for green is ʻōmaʻomaʻo. Wiktionary also lists maʻomaʻo.
Meaning: having green as its colour (adj)
Ways to say it
| Hawaiian | IPA |
|---|---|
| ʻōmaʻomaʻo | /ʔoː.ma.ʔoˈma.ʔo/ |
| maʻomaʻo |
ʻōmaʻomaʻo is used to describe something that has the color green. It can function as an adjective to describe an object or as a noun to refer to the color itself.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
/ʔoː.ma.ʔoˈma.ʔo/. It has 5 syllables, with the stress on the 4th syllable.
Did you know?
- In traditional Hawaiian color systems, the distinction between 'green' and 'blue' was not always as sharp as it is in English. Both were often grouped under a general term for 'cool' or 'dark' colors.
- The word ʻōmaʻomaʻo is built by repeating the root word ʻōmaʻo twice. This process of reduplication is a common way in Hawaiian to intensify a quality or create a more descriptive noun.
- The glottal stop, written as ʻ, is a full consonant in Hawaiian. In ʻōmaʻomaʻo, it acts as a physical break in the breath that changes the word's meaning.
Examples in context
- Maʻomaʻo ka pua liʻiliʻi.The little flower is green.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use the adjective maʻomaʻo.Tatoeba #4856433 by nonong, translation #10162290 by ToxicFriu
- ʻŌmaʻomaʻo ka hale kīpuka.The garden house is green.
- He hale ʻōmaʻomaʻo kēia.This is a green house.
Example conversation
Keanu and Noelani are looking at a garden.
- KeanuHe ʻōmaʻomaʻo loa ka pua kēia.This flower is very green.
- NoelaniʻAe, he nani ia.Yes, it is beautiful.
- KeanuHe nani ka ʻōmaʻomaʻo o ka lāʻau.The green of the tree is beautiful.
- NoelaniʻOiaʻo, he nani ka puʻu ʻōmaʻomaʻo.True, the green hill is beautiful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “green” translations and entries ʻōmaʻomaʻo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ʻōmaʻomaʻo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
