ʻuʻuku
The Hawaiian word for "little" is ʻuʻuku.
ʻuʻuku is an adjective used to describe something that is small in size.
Meaning: small in size (adj)
Did you know?
- Hawaiian adjectives like ʻuʻuku can sometimes be used to describe not just physical scale, but also social status or importance in certain contexts.
- The word ʻuʻuku is formed by a process called partial reduplication of the root ʻuku, which means 'small'.
- In Hawaiian, the glottal stop, written as ʻ in ʻuʻuku, is a full consonant that requires a distinct catch in the throat.
Examples in context
- He hale iki.A small house.
- He wahi li'ili'i nō kēia.This is a small place.
Example conversation
Ikaika and Noelani are looking at a new puppy.
- IkaikaHe pūpē ʻuʻuku kēlā!That is a little puppy!
- NoelaniʻAe, he mea nani kēlā.Yes, that is a beautiful thing.
- IkaikaMakemake ʻoe i ka pūpē ʻuʻuku?Do you want the little puppy?
- NoelaniʻAe, makemake au.Yes, I want it.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ʻuʻuku, CC BY-SA 4.0.
