Hawaiʻi
/haˈwai̯.ʔi/
The English name for the United States state of Hawaii is Hawaiʻi in Hawaiian.
The word is the name of the state of the United States.
Meaning: state of the United States (name)
How do you pronounce it?
/haˈwai̯.ʔi/ (3 syllables, stress on the 2nd syllable)
What mistakes should you avoid?
Note that the symbol ʻ in Hawaiʻi is an ʻokina, which represents a glottal stop, a quick pause or catch of breath.
Did you know?
- The word Hawaiʻi likely shares its distant linguistic ancestry with the word Sawaiki, a legendary homeland in various Polynesian oral traditions.
- The sounds in Hawaiʻi belong to one of the smallest alphabets in the world, consisting of only 12 letters including the ʻokina.
- The name Hawaiʻi is shared by the state and the largest island in the chain, but in the local language, the island is often called Hawaiʻi Nui, meaning 'Big Hawaii'.
Examples in context
- He nani ka Hawaiʻi.Hawaiʻi is beautiful.
Example conversation
Malia and Kai are talking about a vacation plan.
- MaliaE hele ana ʻoe i Hawaiʻi?Are you going to Hawaiʻi?
- KaiʻAe, e hele ana au i Hawaiʻi.Yes, I am going to Hawaiʻi.
- MaliaHauʻoli iaʻu no ʻoe.I am happy for you.
- KaiMahalo, Malia.Thank you, Malia.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hawaii” translations and entries Hawaiʻi, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Hawaiʻi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
