A method of target nucleic acid amplification comprising: mixing a first target nucleic acid with: (a) a first target primer pair, the first target primer pair comprising one or two first target-specific hairpin primers, the hairpin primers having (i) a 3' single-stranded target-specific region at or below a Tm temperature and (ii) a 5' region that forms a hairpin below a Tm temperature and that does not form the hairpin above the Tm temperature, wherein the 5' region comprises a universal adaptor sequence, and (b) a universal primer pair comprising one or two universal hairpin primers: (i) having said 5' region, and (ii) lacking a single-stranded 3' end as determined below the Tm temperature; annealing the 3' single-stranded target-specific region of at least one first target-specific hairpin primer from the first target primer pair to the first target nucleic acid at a temperature at or below the Tm temperature and extending the target-specific hairpin primer with a polymerase in a template dependent manner to form a first amplicon comprising one or two universal adaptor sequences, denaturing the first amplicon into two nucleic acid strands; annealing the one or two universal hairpin primers to a universal adaptor sequence of one of the strands of the first amplicon at a temperature above the Tm temperature, extending the one or two universal hairpin primers with a polymerase in a template dependent manner to form a second amplicon, thereby amplifying the first target nucleic acid. mixing a first target nucleic acid with: (a) a first target primer pair, the first target primer pair comprising one or two first target-specific hairpin primers, the hairpin primers having (i) a 3' single-stranded target-specific region at or below a Tm temperature and (ii) a 5' region that forms a hairpin below a Tm temperature and that does not form the hairpin above the Tm temperature, wherein the 5' region comprises a universal adaptor sequence, and (b) a universal primer pair comprising one or two universal hairpin primers: (i) having said 5' region, and (ii) lacking a single-stranded 3' end as determined below the Tm temperature; (a) a first target primer pair, the first target primer pair comprising one or two first target-specific hairpin primers, the hairpin primers having (i) a 3' single-stranded target-specific region at or below a Tm temperature and (ii) a 5' region that forms a hairpin below a Tm temperature and that does not form the hairpin above the Tm temperature, wherein the 5' region comprises a universal adaptor sequence, and (i) a 3' single-stranded target-specific region at or below a Tm temperature and (ii) a 5' region that forms a hairpin below a Tm temperature and that does not form the hairpin above the Tm temperature, wherein the 5' region comprises a universal adaptor sequence, and (b) a universal primer pair comprising one or two universal hairpin primers: (i) having said 5' region, and (ii) lacking a single-stranded 3' end as determined below the Tm temperature; (i) having said 5' region, and (ii) lacking a single-stranded 3' end as determined below the Tm temperature; annealing the 3' single-stranded target-specific region of at least one first target-specific hairpin primer from the first target primer pair to the first target nucleic acid at a temperature at or below the Tm temperature and extending the target-specific hairpin primer with a polymerase in a template dependent manner to form a first amplicon comprising one or two universal adaptor sequences, denaturing the first amplicon into two nucleic acid strands; annealing the one or two universal hairpin primers to a universal adaptor sequence of one of the strands of the first amplicon at a temperature above the Tm temperature, extending the one or two universal hairpin primers with a polymerase in a template dependent manner to form a second amplicon, thereby amplifying the first target nucleic acid.