Hawaii

American  

[huh-wahy-ee, -wah-, -wah-yuh, hah-vah-ee] / həˈwaɪ i, -ˈwɑ-, həˈwɑ jə, hɑˈvɑ i /

Or Hawai'i

noun

1. a state of the United States comprising the northern Pacific islands of Hawaii, Kahoolawe, Kauai, Lanai, Maui, Molokai, Niihau, and Oahu: a U.S. territory 1900–59; admitted to the Union 1959. 6,424 sq. mi. (16,715 sq. km). Honolulu. HI (for use with zip code), Haw.

2. Official Name Island of Hawaii. Also called the Big Island, Hawaii Island. the largest island of Hawaii, in the southeastern part of the state. 4,028 sq. mi. (10,430 sq. km).

3. Kingdom of Hawaii. the Hawaiian Kingdom.

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Hawaii British  

/ həˈwaɪɪ /

noun

1. Abbreviation: Ha, HI. Former name: Sandwich Islands. a state of the US in the central Pacific, consisting of over 20 volcanic islands and atolls, including Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, and Molokai: discovered by Captain Cook in 1778; annexed by the US in 1898; naval base at Pearl Harbor attacked by the Japanese in 1941, a major cause of US entry into World War II; became a state in 1959. Capital: Honolulu. Pop: 1 257 608 (2003 est). Area: 16 640 sq km (6425 sq miles)

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Hawaii Cultural  

1. State located in the Pacific Ocean southwest of the mainland United States; consists mainly of a chain of eight islands, including Hawaii, the largest, and Oahu, location of Honolulu, the state's capital and largest city.

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Spelling

Hawaii and Hawai'i are used interchangeably, with Hawaii being predominant, especially in government. It is conventional for departments of the state to use Hawaii in letterheads, seals, flags, signs, forms, licenses, and other official documents. It is not, however, unusual to find Hawai'i within the text of a letter, report, etc., that has Hawaii in the letterhead or seal.

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Location of Pearl Harbor.

Fiftieth state, admitted in 1959.

Etymology

Origin of Hawaii

From Hawaiian Hawai'i

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Compare meaning

How does hawaii compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Alaska vs. Hawaii

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Hawaii

The resulting disturbances produced spectacular auroras, commonly known as the northern lights, that appeared as far south as Hawaii and Central America.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026

Founded in Hawaii in the 1970s, the company originally thrived on a close relationship with the state’s powerful senior senator, Daniel Inouye.

From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026

For three decades, Cliffe worked in obscurity, visiting hundreds of schools—from Harvard and Stanford to the University of Hawaii and Texas Tech—where he sparred with cynical students over the existence of God.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

The nonprofit paid for the Santa Monica apartment for its CEO despite her living thousands of miles away in Hawaii.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

His bio said he was originally from Hawaii, which at least made him a comparatively exotic geek.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

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