wahine
/waˈhi.ne/
The Hawaiian word for lady is wahine.
wahine is a respectful way to refer to a lady and can be used for women of any age.
Meaning: polite: woman (noun)
Which one should you use?
While wahine refers to a woman or lady, you might use kaikamāhine to refer specifically to a young lady or girl. If you are speaking informally about an older lady or a grandmother, the term Tūtū is often used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word wahine does not change form for the plural. The plural is indicated by context or by adding a particle such as nā.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable: /waˈhi.ne/.
Did you know?
- Hawaiian has a specific category of 'chiefly' language, where different words would be used for a high-ranking lady compared to a common wahine.
- The word wahine shares an ancient root with the word for 'woman' in many languages across Southeast Asia and the Pacific, tracing back to Proto-Austronesian.
- In traditional Hawaiian culture, wahine were not just 'ladies' but held significant roles as healers, navigators and keepers of genealogy.
Examples in context
- Aloha, e ola koʻu wahine nui!Hello, long live my beloved lady!
- He wahine kēia.This is a woman.
- He wahine kupaianaliʻi kēia.This is an amazing woman.
Example conversation
Koa and Kiana are observing people at a local festival.
- KoaHe wahine kēlā.That is a woman.
- KianaʻAe, ʻo Kiana ia.Yes, that is Kiana.
- KoaHe wahine maikaʻi ʻo Kiana.Kiana is a good woman.
- KianaʻOia mau nō.She truly is.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry wahine, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries wahine, CC BY-SA 4.0.
