pilikia
Americannoun
Explanation
You may hear the word pilikia in Hawaii. It means "trouble" or "problem," and it's a broad term for anything from a minor nuisance to a major crisis. A popular slang phrase using this term is nui pilikia, which means "big trouble." A boat captain might refer to ominous clouds on the horizon as indicating nui pilikia. The term pilikia is also commonly used in the response 'a'ole pilikia, which means the opposite: "no problem" or "no trouble." It's a casual, polite way to accept a "thank you," as in "It was no trouble at all" or "No problem!"
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Nolaila, e like me ko kakou hoohiki ana mamua, "No kekahi o kakou ka pilikia, malaila pu kakou a pau."
From The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai by Beckwith, Martha Warren
The fact of the late king dying without naming a successor was pre-eminently a pilikia, and it would be a serious pilikia if a horse were to lose a shoe on the way to Kilauea.
From The Hawaiian Archipelago by Bird, Isabella L. (Isabella Lucy)
Elua la, aohe mea nana i hai aku keia pilikia ia Aiwohikupua ma.
From The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai by Beckwith, Martha Warren
Aka, o Laielohelohe aole i loaa ia ia kona pilikia ma ka manao, heaha la ia mea i kona manao ana.
From The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai by Beckwith, Martha Warren
A no ia mea, iniki malu aku la ke Kuhina o ke Alii ia Aiwohikupua, e hookaawale ia lana mai kahi a Hinaikamalama e auau ana, i ole laua e pilikia ma ka manao.
From The Hawaiian Romance Of Laieikawai by Beckwith, Martha Warren
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
