ʻāʻī
The Hawaiian word for neck is ʻāʻī.
ʻāʻī refers to the part of the body that connects the head and the trunk.
Meaning: part of body connecting the head and the trunk (noun)
Did you know?
- The Hawaiian word ʻāʻī is a linguistic relative of the Māori word kakī, which is used to describe the neck in New Zealand.
- In traditional Hawaiian tattooing, the neck area was a significant location for expressing status and identity.
- The glottal stop represented by the ʻokina in ʻāʻī is a full consonant that changes the sound of the word entirely.
Examples in context
- ʻO ka ʻāʻī ke kumu o ka poʻo.The neck is the base of the head.
Example conversation
Noelani notices Kai is wearing a necklace.
- NoelaniHe lei nani kēlā ma kou ʻāʻī, e Kai.That is a beautiful lei on your neck, Kai.
- KaiMahalo, e Noelani.Thank you, Noelani.
- NoelaniHe mea kikoʻī kēlā?Is that something special?
- KaiʻAe, he makana kēia.Yes, this is a gift.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “neck” translations and entries ʻāʻī, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ʻāʻī, CC BY-SA 4.0.
