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

Related phrases