Aloha Meaning: More Than Hello
Love, compassion, greeting and farewell: one word with a whole way of life behind it.
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Ask what aloha means and you will hear “hello” and “goodbye.” Both are right, but the aloha meaning runs much deeper. In Hawaiian dictionaries it means love, affection, compassion, mercy, sympathy and kindness, and it describes a way of treating people as much as a word you say to them.
That is why aloha shows up in so many forms: aloha shirts, the Aloha State, Aloha Friday at the end of the work week, Aloha Festivals each September. Some uses are commercial, but for many people in Hawaii aloha remains a real value, and visitors notice it in small kindnesses: a driver letting you merge, a stranger offering directions, an elder being greeted first.
How Hawaii law defines aloha
Few greetings anywhere are described in law, but aloha is. Hawaii’s “Aloha Spirit” law, passed in 1986, says that aloha “is more than a word of greeting or farewell or a salutation.” It describes aloha as mutual regard and affection that extends warmth with no obligation in return, and lists five traits behind it, each a Hawaiian word.
| Hawaiian word | Meaning in the law |
|---|---|
| akahai | Kindness, expressed with tenderness |
| lōkahi | Unity, expressed with harmony |
| ʻoluʻolu | Agreeable, expressed with pleasantness |
| haʻahaʻa | Humility, expressed with modesty |
| ahonui | Patience, expressed with perseverance |
Using Aloha Well
- As a greeting: “Aloha!” works any time of day. For time-specific greetings, see Hawaiian greetings and phrases.
- To a group: “Aloha kākou” (aloha to all of us) is how speakers often open a talk or a meeting.
- With extra warmth: “Aloha nui loa” means much love, or very warm aloha, and is used to close letters and messages.
- As a farewell: aloha works for goodbye, though “a hui hou” (until we meet again) is a lovely alternative.
- In a song: “Aloha ʻOe,” written by Queen Liliʻuokalani, is a famous farewell song.
The aloha meaning also includes giving without expecting anything back. In practical terms for a visitor, that means patience in traffic, courtesy to hotel and restaurant staff, care for beaches and trails, and gratitude when someone goes out of their way for you. Hawaiian culture and the values behind words like kuleana and pono are explained further on Hawaiian Information.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does aloha mean in English?
Hawaiian dictionaries give love, affection, compassion, mercy, sympathy and kindness, as well as greeting and farewell. In practice it means hello and goodbye, said with goodwill.
Does aloha come from alo and hā?
A popular explanation splits the word into alo (presence, face) and hā (breath), linking it to the honi greeting. It is a meaningful teaching often shared in Hawaii, but language scholars do not all agree that it is the word’s origin.
What is the difference between aloha and mahalo?
Aloha is love and greeting; mahalo is thanks. Visitors sometimes mix them up because both appear on signs everywhere.
Bring Aloha Home With You
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