aloha

American  

[uh-loh-uh, ah-loh-hah] / əˈloʊ ə, ɑˈloʊ hɑ /

noun

1. hello; greetings.

2. farewell.

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adjective

1. friendly; hospitable; welcoming.

   The aloha spirit prevails throughout the islands.

aloha British  

/ əˈləʊə, ɑːˈləʊhɑː /

noun

1. a Hawaiian word for hello goodbye

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Etymology

Origin of aloha

Borrowed into English from Hawaiian around 1890–95

Explanation

Aloha is a Hawaiian word with many meanings, ranging from love, peace, and compassion to pity and grief. It's commonly used, especially by visitors to Hawaii, to mean "hello" and "goodbye." While tourists may think of aloha as an authentic way to say, "Hi there!" or "See ya!," this word much more complicated to native Hawaiians. Aloha can be a way to add strong emotion to a greeting or to express heartbreak. It's a culturally and spiritually meaningful word that's shared by all Polynesian languages.

Example Sentences

Mainlanders have long shopped for vacation staples at the chain’s tropical warehouses, where the aloha shirts and macadamia nuts had them dreaming of what treasures lay abroad.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

People in Hawaii display the shaka to say hi and bye as well as thanks and aloha.

From Seattle Times • May 3, 2024

Big Island state Rep. Jeanné Kapela, one of the House bill’s co-sponsors, said residents are “so lucky to have a visual signal for sharing aloha with each other.”

From Seattle Times • Mar. 13, 2024

They’re not withdrawing aloha, they say, just redefining and redistributing it.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 19, 2023

I finally decided that it must be like shalom or aloha and has as many meanings as necessary.

From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen