mauka

[mah-oo-kuh, mou-kuh]

adverb

Hawaii.

1. toward the mountains; inland.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mauka¹

< Hawaiian, equivalent to ma- directional particle + uka inland, upland

Example Sentences

The Mililani Mauka fire — named after the area near where the fire began — burned in the Koolau mountains.

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Herman Andaya had said this week that he had no regrets about not deploying the system because he feared it could have caused people to go “mauka,” a Hawaiian term that can mean toward the mountains or inland.

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Andaya had said he feared blaring the sirens during the blaze could have caused people to go “mauka,” using a navigational term that can mean toward the mountains or inland in Hawaiian.

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“We were afraid that people would have gone mauka,” Andaya said, using a Hawaiian word that means inland or toward the mountain.

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“We were afraid that people would have gone mauka,” said agency administrator Herman Andaya, using a navigational term that can mean toward the mountains or inland in Hawaiian.

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