Hawaiian

[ huh-wahy-uhn, -wah-yuhn ]

/ həˈwaɪ ən, -ˈwɑ yən /

Save This Word!

adjective

of or relating to Hawaii or the Hawaiian Islands.

noun

a native or inhabitant of Hawaii or the Hawaiian Islands.

the aboriginal language of Hawaii, a Polynesian language.

COMPARE MEANINGS

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "IS" VS. "ARE"

"Is" it time for a new quiz? "Are" you ready? Then prove your excellent skills on using "is" vs. "are."

Question 1 of 7

IS and ARE are both forms of which verb?

have

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of Hawaiian

First recorded in 1815–25; Hawaii + -an

OTHER WORDS FROM Hawaiian

pro-Ha·wai·ian, adjective

Words nearby Hawaiian

havoc, Havre, havurah, haw, Hawaii, Hawaiian, Hawaiian Gardens, Hawaiian goose, Hawaiian guitar, Hawaiian honeycreeper, Hawaiian Islands

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use Hawaiian in a sentence

Is this script the unproduced Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian that was circulating some time ago?
Tim Burton Talks ‘Big Eyes,’ His Taste For the Macabre, and the ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel|Marlow Stern|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When he asked what it meant, he was told that wiki was the Hawaiian word for quick, and wiki wiki meant superquick.
You Can Look It Up: The Wikipedia Story|Walter Isaacson|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Big Kahuna Burger is a fictional chain of Hawaiian-themed fast food burger joints out in Los Angeles dreamed up by Tarantino.
The Secrets of ‘Pulp Fiction’: 20 Things You Didn’t Know About the Movie on Its 20th Anniversary|Marlow Stern|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One afternoon at 5:30 p.m., we sit in the dining room as Doug briefs the staff about the evening special: Hawaiian pink snapper.
A Magical Meal at Louie’s Backyard in the Conch Republic|Jane & Michael Stern|July 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Currently Cherokee, Hawaiian, Inuktitut, Inupiaq, Kalaallisut, and Navajo are supported.
Should Google Be Mapping Tribal Lands?|Grace-Yvette Gemmell|June 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hats are produced from it in the Pacific Islands, those from the Hawaiian group being especially well known.
Philippine Mats|Hugo H. Miller
We got to go to the Hawaiian Garden now, because it's the only place that's free!
Quin|Alice Hegan Rice
The noted Hawaiian band was there playing welcome, as it often does to incoming steamship companies.
Gospel Doctrine|Joseph F. Smith
From my grandfather's library I dug up a book on the Hawaiian Islands, written by some missionary.
Tramping on Life|Harry Kemp
A third plan of action was to take advantage of the popularity of the Hawaiian letters, and deliver a lecture on the same subject.
Mark Twain, A Biography, 1835-1910, Complete|Albert Bigelow Paine

British Dictionary definitions for Hawaiian

Hawaiian

/ (həˈwaɪən) /

adjective

of or relating to Hawaii, its people, or their language

noun

a native or inhabitant of Hawaii, esp one descended from Melanesian or Tahitian immigrants

a language of Hawaii belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian family

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012