Mahalo ke Akua
/maˈha.lo ke aˈku.a/word by word
In Hawaiian, "thank you God" is said as Mahalo ke Akua.
Mahalo ke Akua is an expression used to show gratitude to a deity for a positive outcome or blessing. It is commonly used as an exclamation of relief or gratitude when something good happens.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of mahalo (thanks/gratitude), ke (the) and Akua (God).
How does it change in a sentence?
By adding the particle i after mahalo, you can change the phrase to Mahalo i ke Akua. This shifts the meaning from a descriptive Gratitude to God to a direct Thank God, which directs the thanks toward God.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /maˈha.lo ke aˈku.a/. It has 5 syllables, and the stress is on the 2nd syllable.
Did you know?
- The word mahalo is distantly related to the Tagalog word masarap, which means 'delicious'.
- While mahalo is used as 'thank you' today, in ancient Hawaiian it could also mean 'to praise' or 'to admire'.
- The word Akua has many close relatives across the Pacific, such as the Māori word atua and the Samoan word atua, which all refer to deities.
Examples in context
- Mahalo ke Akua i kēia lā.Thank you God for this day.
- Mahalo ke Akua no ke ola hou.Thank you God for new life.
