lāʻau
/laːˈʔau̯/
The Hawaiian word for tree is lāʻau.
The term lāʻau refers to a large woody plant. Depending on the context, it can also be translated as wood or timber.
Meaning: large woody plant (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word lāʻau can mean wood, plant or tree.
How do you pronounce it?
/laːˈʔau̯/
Did you know?
- The word lāʻau is a cognate of the Malay words 'dahan' meaning 'branch' and 'kayu' meaning 'wood'.
- In Hawaiian, the word lāʻau is also used to refer to medicine and healing herbs. This comes from the traditional practice of lāʻau lapaʻau, where plant-based knowledge is used for medical treatment.
- The ʻ in lāʻau is called an ʻokina, representing a glottal stop. It is a full consonant in Hawaiian, meaning lāʻau is pronounced with a distinct break in the sound rather than as a long vowel.
Examples in context
- He lāʻau kēia.This is a tree.
- Nui ka lāʻau.The tree is big.
Example conversation
Malia and Koa are walking in a forest.
- MaliaHe lāʻau nani kēia, Koa.This is a beautiful tree, Koa.
- KoaʻAe, he mea kupaianaha ia.Yes, it is amazing.
- MaliaE nānā i nā pua o ka lāʻau.Look at the flowers of the tree.
- KoaHe lei nani paha lā ia.Maybe it is a beautiful lei.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry lāʻau, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lāʻau, CC BY-SA 4.0.
