Aloha - wikipedia Aloha For other uses, see Aloha ( disambiguation ). Look up aloha in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Aloha ( pronounced ( əˈlo. hə ) ) is the Hawaiian word for love, affection, peace, compassion and mercy, that is commonly used as a simple greeting. Contents 1 Etymology 2 Hawaiʻi Law of The Aloha Spirit 3 See also 4 Citations 5 References 6 See also Etymology The origins of the Hawaiian word aloha are unclear. The word goes back to the very origins of Hawaii to Kahiki ( the homeland ) and even further. The word is found in all Polynesian languages and always with the same basic meaning of : love, compassion, sympathy and kindness. Its beginnings may be seen in the Maori definition as `` love of kin ''. Mary Kawena Pukui wrote that the `` first expression '' of aloha was between a parent and child. The word has become a part of the English vocabulary in an awkward misuse. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word as a `` greeting '' like `` welcome '' and `` farewell '' using a number of examples dating back as far as 1798. Lorrin Andrews wrote the first Hawaiian Dictionary, called `` A dictionary of the Hawaiian language ''. In it he describes aloha as ; `` A word expressing different feelings ; love, affection, gratitude, kindness, pity, compassion, grief, the modern common salutation at meeting ; parting ''. Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel H. Elbert 's ; `` Hawaiian Dictionary : Hawaiian - English, English - Hawaiian '' also write a similer definition. Anthropologist, Frances Newton states that ; `` Aloha is a complex and profound sentiment. Such emotions defy definition ''. Hawaiians believe the concept to be unique, with no English equivalent. Hawaii law of the Aloha Spirit From Chapter 5 of Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes : § 5 - 7.5 `` Aloha Spirit ''. ( a ) `` Aloha Spirit '' is the coordination of mind and heart within each person. It brings each person to the self. Each person must think and emote good feelings to others. In the contemplation and presence of the life force, `` Aloha '', the following unuhi laulā loa may be used : `` Akahai '', meaning kindness to be expressed with tenderness ; `` Lōkahi '', meaning unity, to be expressed with harmony ; `` ʻOluʻolu '' meaning agreeable, to be expressed with pleasantness ; `` Haʻahaʻa '', meaning humility, to be expressed with modesty ; `` Ahonui '', meaning patience, to be expressed with perseverance. These are traits of character that express the charm, warmth and sincerity of Hawaii 's people. It was the working philosophy of native Hawaiians and was presented as a gift to the people of Hawaiʻi. `` Aloha '' is more than a word of greeting or farewell or a salutation. `` Aloha '' means mutual regard and affection and extends warmth in caring with no obligation in return. `` Aloha '' is the essence of relationships in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence. `` Aloha '' means to hear what is not said, to see what can not be seen and to know the unknowable. ( b ) In exercising their power on behalf of the people and in fulfillment of their responsibilities, obligations and service to the people, the legislature, governor, lieutenant governor, executive officers of each department, the chief justice, associate justices, and judges of the appellate, circuit, and district courts may contemplate and reside with the life force and give consideration to the `` Aloha Spirit ''. ( L 1986, c 202, § 1 ) See also Mahalo Ohana Namaste, Peace, Salaam and Shalom have similar meanings Citations Jump up ^ Pukui 1986, p. 21. Jump up ^ Van Valkenburg 2012, p. 69. Jump up ^ George Hu'eu Kanahele ; George S. Kanahele ( 1992 ). Ku Kanaka -- Stand Tall : A Search for Hawaiian Values. University of Hawaii Press. p. 470. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8248 - 1500 - 4. C1 control character in title = at position 10 ( help ) Jump up ^ Sämi Ludwig ( 7 March 2017 ). American Multiculturalism in Context : Views from at Home and Abroad. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 287. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4438 - 7482 - 3. Jump up ^ Janie Guy Winter ( 30 December 2010 ). World Peace : A Possible Dream. Xlibris Corporation. p. 243. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4568 - 2416 - 7. Jump up ^ First Pan-Pacific Educational Conference, Honolulu, August 11 - 24, 1921 : Held Under the Auspices of the Pan-Pacific Union and Called by the U.S. Department of Education. Invitations for Participation of Pacific Governments Sent Through the Department of State of the United States of America. Program and Proceedings. Pan-Pacific Union. 1921. p. 25. Jump up ^ David W. Forbes ( 1998 ). Hawaiian National Bibliography, Vol 3 : 1851 - 1880. University of Hawaii Press. p. 385. ISBN 978 - 0 - 8248 - 2503 - 4. Jump up ^ Anna Wierzbicka ( 22 October 1992 ). Semantics, Culture, and Cognition : Universal Human Concepts in Culture - Specific Configurations. Oxford University Press. pp. 152 -- 155. ISBN 978 - 0 - 19 - 536091 - 2. Jump up ^ Hawaiʻi Law of The Aloha Spirit References Pukui, Mary Kawena ( 1986 ). Hawaiian Dictionary : Hawaiian - English, English - Hawaiian. Honolulu : University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978 - 0824807030. OCLC 229095. Van Valkenburg, June A. ( 2012 ), Feeling My Way : Finding Purpose, BalboaPress, ISBN 978 - 1 - 4525 - 5462 - 4 See also Kenneth R. Conklin, Ph. D. ( May 15, 2008 ). `` The Aloha Spirit -- what it is, who possesses it, and why it is important ''. Hawaii Reporter. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Aloha&oldid=802518686 '' Categories : Hawaiiana Hawaiian words and phrases Greeting words and phrases Parting phrases Hidden categories : CS1 errors : invisible characters Talk Contents About Wikipedia Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Català Čeština Deutsch Español Français 한국어 Հայերեն हिन्दी Bahasa Indonesia עברית Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Plattdüütsch Polski Română Русский Tiếng Việt 粵語 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 26 September 2017, at 17 : 37. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what is the meaning of aloha in english
Answer: a "greeting" like "welcome" and "farewell"