ハワイ
Hawai[ha̠β̞a̠i]
In Japanese, the name for the United States state of Hawaii is ハワイ. Wiktionary also lists ハワイ州 (Hawai-shū) and 布哇 (Hawai).
Meaning: state of the United States (name)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| ハワイ | Hawai | [ha̠β̞a̠i] (narrow) |
| ハワイ州 | Hawai-shū | [ha̠β̞a̠iɕɨː] (narrow) |
| 布哇 | Hawai |
The name is written as ハワイ in Katakana because it is a foreign loanword.
Which one should you use?
While ハワイ is the standard way to refer to Hawaii in conversation and general writing, ハワイ州 is used in more formal or administrative contexts to denote the state specifically. The form 布哇 is also a way to write the name.
How do you pronounce it?
Hawai
Did you know?
- The counter-intuitive kanji 布 in 布哇 means 'cloth' and 哇 can mean 'baby crying', showing that the characters have no logical connection to the islands.
- In Japanese pop culture, the phrase 'going to ハワイ' is a common trope for a romantic climax or a luxury honeymoon in dramas and manga.
- Japanese speakers often use the word ハワイ as a shorthand for 'vacation' or 'paradise' in marketing, even if the trip is not actually to the islands.
Examples in context
- ハワイに行きたいです。I wish to go to Hawaii.Tatoeba #1202186 by bunbuku, translation #255439 by CK
- ハワイは地上の楽園です。Hawaii is an earthly paradise.Tatoeba #11178853 by small_snow, translation #4478377 by AlanF_US
- ハワイは一年中気候がよい。Hawaii enjoys good weather the year round.Tatoeba #197778 by bunbuku, translation #34966 by CK
- ハワイの美しい風景が好きです。I like the beautiful scenery of Hawaii.
- ハワイに行きたいよ。I wanna go to Hawaii.
- ハワイのビーチが最高だ！Hawaii's beaches are amazing!
- 38 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Misaki are talking about their next vacation.
- 蓮 Ren次の休みはハワイに行こうか。Tsugi no yasumi wa Hawai ni ikou ka.Shall we go to Hawaii for the next holiday?
- 美咲 Misakiいいですね！ハワイにずっと行きたかったんです。Ii desu ne! Hawai ni zutto ikitakatta n desu.That sounds great! I've wanted to go to Hawaii for a long time.
- 蓮 Ren航空券を調べようと思う。Koukuuken o shirabe you to omou.I think I'll look up the plane tickets.
- 美咲 Misakiありがとうございます、蓮さん。Arigatou gozaimasu, Ren-san.Thank you, Ren.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hawaii” translations and entries ハワイ, ハワイ州, 布哇, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
