heʻe nalu
/ˈhe.ʔe ˈna.lu/
Surfing in Hawaiian is heʻe nalu.
heʻe nalu refers to the sport of surfing.
Meaning: sport (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb heʻe, meaning to slide or glide and the noun nalu, meaning wave.
How does it change in a sentence?
While the dictionary defines it as the sport (noun), the phrase also functions as the verb meaning 'to surf'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈhe.ʔe ˈna.lu/. The stress is on the 1st of 4 syllables.
Did you know?
- In ancient Hawaii, heʻe nalu was not just a hobby but a highly spiritual activity tied to social status and religious rituals.
- The first part of the phrase, heʻe, shares a common ancestor with the Māori word 'wheke', which means 'octopus'.
- Ancient surfers would often pray to the gods and perform rituals to call for larger nalu if the ocean was too calm.
Examples in context
- Ua hele mākou i ka he'e nalu i Kaua'i.We went surfing on Kaua'i.
- He mea maikaʻi ka heʻe nalu.Surfing is a good thing.
Example conversation
Koa and Noelani are at the beach.
- KoaNoelani, makemake anei ʻoe i ke heʻe nalu?Noelani, do you like surfing?
- NoelaniʻAe, makemake loa au!Yes, I love it!
- KoaE hele kākou i ke heʻe nalu.Let's go surfing.
- NoelaniʻAe, e hele kākou!Yes, let's go!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “surfing” translations and entries heʻe nalu, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries heʻe, heʻe nalu, nalu, CC BY-SA 4.0.
