Aloha (/əˈloʊhɑː/ə-LOH-hah,Hawaiian:[əˈlohə]) is theHawaiian word forlove,affection,peace,compassion andmercy, that is commonly used as a greeting.[1][2] It can be used to welcome or bid farewell to someone also.[3] It has a deeper cultural and spiritual significance fornative Hawaiians, who use the term to define a force that holds together existence.[4][5]
Aloha is also considered central to the traditional Hawaiian practice ofhoʻoponopono.[6][7][8]
The word is found in allPolynesian languages and always with the same basic meaning of "love, compassion, sympathy, kindness."[9] Its use in Hawaii has a seriousness lacking in theTahitian andSamoan meanings.[10]Mary Kawena Pukui wrote that the "first expression" ofaloha was between a parent and child.[9]
Lorrin Andrews wrote the first Hawaiian dictionary, calledA Dictionary of the Hawaiian Language.[11] In it, he describesaloha as "A word expressing different feelings: love, affection, gratitude, kindness,pity, compassion, grief, the modern common salutation at meeting; parting".[12] Mary Kawena Pukui andSamuel Hoyt Elbert'sHawaiian Dictionary: Hawaiian-English, English-Hawaiian also contains a similar definition.Anthropologist Francis Newton states that "Aloha is a complex and profound sentiment. Such emotions defy definition".[10]Anna Wierzbicka concludes that the term has "no equivalent in English".[10]
The word aloha is hard to translate into any other language because it comprises complex ways of being and of interacting with and loving all of creation. An ethic of care and respect for all people and all elements of the land is wrapped up in aloha; it is a way of showing connection and reverence. QueenLiliʻuokalani is known to have said, "Aloha is to learn what is not said, to see what cannot be seen, and to know the unknowable".[13] After the death of Lili'uokalani, someNative Hawaiians, considering her as an embodiment of a Hawaiianali'i consoled themselves, "There will always be a Hawaii as long as there isaloha and forgiveness."[14]
Another way to interpretaloha is as an energy exchange — the giving and receiving of positive energy. Aloha has been described as the coordination of the heart and mind to foster connectivity and peace.[15]
The state of Hawaii introduced the Aloha Spirit law in 1986, which mandates that state officials and judges treat the public with Aloha.[16][17]
The University of Hawai'i's Center for Labor Education and Research hosts the above statute of the Spirit of Aloha, which breaks down the concept into an acronym using each of the letters of the word:
Aloha was borrowed from the Hawaiianaloha to the English language. The Hawaiian word has evolved from theProto-Polynesian greeting*qarofa,[19] which also meant "love, pity, or compassion". It is further thought to be evolved fromProto-Oceanic root*qarop(-i) meaning "feel pity, empathy, be sorry for", which in turn descends fromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*h(a)rep.[20]
Aloha has numerous cognates in other Polynesian languages, such astalofa inSamoan,ta'alofa inTuvaluan, andaro'a inCook Islands Māori. TheMāori word aroha, withAroha being a given name is also descended from the Proto-Polynesian root.
A common folk etymology derivesAloha from Proto-Polynesian rootsalo, meaning 'presence' or 'face' andha, meaning 'breath,' making the literal meaning something close to 'the presence of breath' or 'the face of breath'.[21]
Aloha (2015 film) is an American romantic comedy based on this term.
Aloha Airlines was a United States airline that operated passenger flights from 1946 until 2008.
ALOHAnet, also known as the ALOHA System, or simply ALOHA, was a pioneeringcomputer networking system developed at theUniversity of Hawaiʻi.
"Aloha ʻOe" ("Farewell to Thee") is a Hawaiian folk song written c. 1878 by Queen "Lydia" Liliʻuokalani, who was then Princess of the Hawaiian Kingdom.
Aloha shirt is a type of shirt that originated in Hawaii.
Aloha Stadium was a formermulti-purpose stadium inHālawa, Hawaii, a census-designated place that is a western suburb ofHonolulu.
Aloha is also the name of a web browser focused on privacy and security.[22][23][24]
Many websites use the term, including Aloha State Daily[25] and the Aloha Journal.[26]
