wahine
/waˈhi.ne/
wahine is the Hawaiian word for woman.
The word wahine is used to refer to an adult female person.
Meaning: adult female person (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the second syllable. It is pronounced /waˈhi.ne/.
Did you know?
- Traditional Hawaiian society recognized a third gender called māhū, who embodied both wahine and kāne characteristics.
- The word wahine is a cognate with the word fafine in Samoan, reflecting their shared ancestral roots.
- The word wahine can also describe a female animal or a female-coded spirit in traditional Hawaiian mythology.
Examples in context
- He wahine au.I am a woman.This sentence is useful for stating that you are a wahine.Tatoeba #3083409 by RoyalBee, translation #740214 by CC
- He wahine kēia.This is a woman.
- He wahine kupaianaha ia.She is an amazing woman.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Koa is asking about a new neighbor.
- KoaHe wahine hou kou mau neighbors?Is your neighbor a new woman?
- KianaʻAe, he wahine hou ʻo ia.Yes, she is a new woman.
- KoaMai ana mai ia?Is she coming here?
- KianaʻAe, e hele mai ana ʻo ia.Yes, she is coming.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “woman” translations and entries wahine, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
