Howzit – A greeting, equivalent to “How are you?” or “How is it going?” Someone of mixed racial or ethnic heritage, especially involving Asian or Pacific Islander heritage. Hapa (HAH-pah) – Part, half (for example, hapa haole). Modern meaning: Caucasian (not deragatory). Haole (HOW-leh) – Traditional meaning: Foreigner. A casual, friendly way of addressing a male: Eh, brah - you wanna go surf?ĭa kine – A catch-all phrase that is often used to fill in a mental blank when talking, similar to “whatchamacallit”: Let’s go to da kine place we grind at last week. You’ll here these words daily and will understand a lot more if you know these words!Īloha – Absolutely the most popular Hawaiian word that any foreigner is bound to have heard before! It means both hello AND goodbye.īrah – Short for braddah or bruddah (“brother”). This is a short list of those words that are a MUST-HAVE if you are planning to visit or move to Hawaii. In this post, we’ll go highlight the most useful Hawaiian Pidgin Slang words and phrases so when you arrive you’re fully prepared to meet some kanaka’s (kah-NAH-kah) or Hawaiian People and jump right into Hawaiian culture.

Hawaiian Pidgin Slang: The Best Guide to Hawaiian Slang Phrases

How to speak hawaiian pidgin english