kuʻu pēpē
The Hawaiian phrase for "my baby" is kuʻu pēpē.
This phrase is used to refer specifically to one's own infant child.
What does it mean word for word?
kuʻu is the first-person singular possessive pronoun meaning "my", used for things intimately related to the speaker like family members or body parts.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Hawaiian, the possessive pronoun kuʻu is used instead of koʻu because a child is considered an intimate part of the speaker's identity and life.
Did you know?
- The word pēpē for baby is actually a loanword from the English word 'baby'.
- Because Hawaiian uses a distinct possessive for intimacy, referring to a baby as koʻu pēpē would sound strangely distant or impersonal to a native speaker.
Examples in context
- E nani nei kuʻu pēpē.My baby is beautiful.
- Ke moe nei kuʻu pēpē.My baby is sleeping.
- Hiki i kuʻu pēpē ke ʻai.My baby can eat.
Example conversation
Malia and Ikaika are looking at their newborn child.
- MaliaHe nani loa ʻo kuʻu pēpē.My baby is very beautiful.
- IkaikaʻAe, he nani ʻo.Yes, he is beautiful.
- MaliaNaʻu kuʻu pēpē ka puē.My baby is crying.
- IkaikaE huki mai ia.Bring him here.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries kuʻu, pēpē, CC BY-SA 4.0.
