Meanings
plural shakas
- A greeting gesture in which the thumb and little finger are extended while curling the three middle fingers in a semi-fist, used to express a variety of positive meanings including all right, hello and goodbye.
US President-elect Obama flashes the 'shaka' before he greets a crowd […]
2008 December 27, photo caption, Reuters1 more example
Greet someone with the slang, “Howzit?” and say goodbye with a flash of the “shaka” sign (fist closed, thumb and pinky extended) and you have established your credibility with Hawaii natives.
2008 August 10, “Obama: At Home in the Islands”, in New York TimesSynonyms: hang-loose sign
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA greeting gesture in which the thumb and little finger are extended while curling the three middle fingers in a semi-fist, used to express a variety of positive meanings including all right, hello and goodbye.
Origin
Origin uncertain. Shaka is not a word in the Hawaiian language, which lacks the /ʃ/ sound.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Polish shaka
- shakagreeting gesture
Portuguese hang loose, sinal do Ronaldinho
- hang loosegreeting gesture
- sinal do Ronaldinhogreeting gesture
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with shaka
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
shaka. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shaka
“shaka.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shaka. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shaka,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shaka.
Source: shaka on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.