ʻōhelo papa
/ʔoːˈhe.lo ˈpa.pa/
The Hawaiian word for strawberry is ʻōhelo papa.
ʻōhelo papa is used to refer to the strawberry, which is categorized as an accessory fruit.
Meaning: accessory fruit (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ʔoːˈhe.lo ˈpa.pa/. It has 5 syllables, and the stress is on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- The native ʻōhelo berry is deeply tied to Hawaiian mythology and was traditionally associated with the volcano goddess Pele.
- In Hawaiian, the word ʻōhelo originally referred to the Vaccinium reticulatum, a native shrub with red berries known as the ohelo berry.
- The name shares a linguistic ancestor with the Malay word papan, meaning 'board', highlighting the deep connections across the Pacific.
Example sentences for Hawaiian are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Kai and Leilani are eating fruit together.
- KaiHe aha kēia hua, Leilani?What is this fruit, Leilani?
- LeilaniHe ʻōhelo papa kēia, Kai.This is a strawberry, Kai.
- KaiHe ʻono pono ia.It tastes very good.
- LeilaniʻAe, makemake au i ka ʻōhelo papa.Yes, I love strawberries.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “strawberry” translations and entries ʻōhelo papa, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries papa, ʻōhelo, ʻōhelo papa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
