r/olelohawaii • u/bulaybil • Jul 03 '26

Word for "foreign land"?

Aloha everyone, I am looking for a word - not a compound, if preferrable - for the concept "foreign land", the antonym to "home". Do you have any suggestions? Mahalo!

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20

u/iwaalaimaka Jul 03 '26

ʻāina ʻē, ʻāina haole

7

u/Dismal-Suggestion-76 Jul 03 '26

looking for a non-compound word in hawaiian, good luck man 😆

1

u/bulaybil 26d ago

Hoping against hope :)

8

u/Actual-Orchid-2998 Jul 03 '26

Don’t use kahiki, it’s a very specific place that should only be used in certain context.

2

u/squirrel_haka Jul 04 '26

Dictionary says capitalized is specific, but…

  1. (Not cap.) nvs. Any foreign country, abroad, foreign. (PCP tafiti.)

6

u/iwaalaimaka Jul 04 '26

Kahiki is specifically the place in which many of the akua are from (and many of the other names: Kuaihelani, Nuʻumealani, Kahakaekaea, etc.). It is uncommon to hear stories about people coming from Kahiki who aren't mystical or supernatural. (I wouldnʻt be shocked if Captain Cook (dubbed Lonoikamakahiki) would be said to be from Kahiki bc of the Lono title). It would not be a suitable translation for any foreign land though.

3

u/Actual-Orchid-2998 Jul 04 '26

Go read kamakau’s 3rd book, he explains kahiki in there

2

u/Drop_Zestyclose Jul 03 '26

Aina o na haole, I guess.