Haole
/HOW-lee/
A white person. Non-Hawaiian foreigner.
Hawaiian word for foreigner, now used mainly for white people. Originally meant anyone not Hawaiian. Can be neutral ("my haole friend"), descriptive, or edged — all depends on tone. Literal translation is debated. Commonly said to mean "without breath" (from "ha" meaning breath), referring to foreigners who didn't do the traditional breath-sharing greeting. Linguists push back on that etymology, but the story persists.
Examples
- My haole friend from Seattle visited.
- Da haole tourist wen get sunburn.
- Hawaiian Mike: Pidgin English, they no understand us.
Origin
Hawaiian
people hawaiian-root