夏威夷
Xiàwēiyí
The English phrase 'Hawaii' is translated into Chinese as 夏威夷 (Xiàwēiyí). Wiktionary also lists 夏威夷州 (Xiàwēiyí-zhōu).
Meaning: state of the United States (name)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 夏威夷 | Xiàwēiyí |
| 夏威夷州 | Xiàwēiyí-zhōu |
夏威夷 is the standard name for Hawaii. If you wish to emphasize the archipelago nature of the location, you can use the term 夏威夷群岛, which means the Hawaiian Islands.
Which one should you use?
夏威夷 is used in casual conversation, whereas 夏威夷州 is the more precise term used when specifically referring to the political entity or the state of Hawaii.
How do you pronounce it?
Xiàwēiyí
Did you know?
- While the name is now standardized, the Chinese characters for 夏威夷 were originally adapted to mimic the sounds of the Cantonese pronunciation of 'Hawaii' rather than Mandarin.
- In Chinese social media, Hawaii is sometimes associated with the term 度假 'vacation' to the point where mentioning 夏威夷 serves as a shorthand for an ultra-luxury getaway.
- The character 威 in 夏威夷 is often used in words related to 'power' or 'prestige', which is an ironic contrast to the laid-back image of the islands.
Examples in context
- 我想要去夏威夷。I want to go to Hawaii.This sentence is useful for expressing a desire to visit 夏威夷.Tatoeba #4394674 by elena_chang, translation #5313653 by csmjj
- 他去过夏威夷几次。He has been to Hawaii several times.This sentence is useful for describing someone's travel history to 夏威夷.Tatoeba #5555689 by verdastelo9604, translation #2084321 by Eldad
- 我去夏威夷休假了两周。I went to Hawaii on vacation for a couple of weeks.This sentence is useful for describing a vacation spent in 夏威夷.Tatoeba #13882082 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #256832 by CK
- 夏威夷真是一个美丽的度假胜地。Hawaii is truly a beautiful vacation destination.
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing travel plans over coffee.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你想去夏威夷吗？Nǐ xiǎng qù Xiàwēiyí ma?Do you want to go to Hawaii?
- 浩然 Haoran我想，那里风景很美。Wǒ xiǎng, nàlǐ fēngjǐng hěn měi.I do, the scenery there is beautiful.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我们明年可以一起去。Wǒmen míngnián kěyǐ yìqǐ qù.We can go together next year.
- 浩然 Haoran好啊，我也很期待。Hǎo a, wǒ yě hěn qīdài.Great, I am looking forward to it too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hawaii” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 夏威夷, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
