hale
/ˈha.le/
The Hawaiian word hale means sound, entire, healthy, robust or not impaired.
Meaning: sound, entire, healthy, robust, not impaired (adj)
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈha.le/.
Did you know?
- In Hawaiian, the word hale is a homonym with two entirely different meanings: one refers to a 'house' and the other means 'healthy' or 'sound'.
- The ancestor of hale is the Proto-Malayo-Polynesian word balay, linking Hawaiian vocabulary to ancient Southeast Asian languages.
- Because hale can mean 'house', a phrase describing a person as hale could be jokingly misinterpreted as calling them a building.
Examples in context
- Nani ka hale!What a beautiful house!
- Ke hale o ke kahuThe caretaker's house
- Hale ka pilina.The relationship is sound.
- He kanaka hale kēia.This is a healthy person.
Example conversation
Koa and Malia are talking about their grandfather's health.
- KoaPehea nō kou kupuna?How is your grandfather?
- MaliaHale loa ʻo ia i kēia manawa.He is very healthy right now.
- KoaʻOia au i ka hauʻoli.I am happy to hear that.
- MaliaʻAe, ua hale kona kino.Yes, his body is robust.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry hale, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hale, CC BY-SA 4.0.
