ʻoe
/ˈʔo.e/
The Hawaiian word for "you" is ʻoe.
ʻoe is a subject pronoun used to refer to the person being addressed.
Meaning: subject pronoun: the person being addressed (pron)
How does it change in a sentence?
While ʻoe refers to the person being addressed (you), you should use ʻo ia when referring to a third person (he, she or it).
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables and the stress is on the 1st of 2 syllables. The IPA is /ˈʔo.e/.
Did you know?
- The word ʻoe is a cognate of the word koe used for 'you' in the Māori language of New Zealand and the Rapa Nui language of Easter Island.
- Hawaiian has separate words for 'you' depending on whether you are talking to one person or more than one person, using ʻoe only for the singular.
- The word ʻoe contains a glottal stop, represented by the ʻokina (ʻ), which is a distinct consonant in Hawaiian rather than just a punctuation mark.
Examples in context
- Pehea ʻoe?How are you?This sentence is useful for asking someone how they are with ʻoe.Tatoeba #4913111 by nonong, translation #373320 by CK
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Noelani and Kai greet each other in the morning.
- NoelaniAloha, Kai! He aha ka oi ʻoe?Hello, Kai! How are you?
- KaiMaikaʻi au, Noelani.I am fine, Noelani.
- NoelaniHauʻoli au i ka ʻike ʻoe.I am happy to see you.
- KaiHauʻoli au pū.I am happy too.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “you” translations and entries ʻoe, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ʻoe, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
