hanai

H4A1N1A1I1
/ˈhɑːnaɪ/

noun

The practice of traditional Hawaiian adoption of one child into another family.

“This is Kimo, my hanai brother.”

OriginHawaiian hānai →
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Meanings

nounhanai (uncountable)
  1. HawaiiuncountableThe practice of traditional Hawaiian adoption of one child into another family.

    The practice of hānai was abhorrent to the New England missionaries, who discouraged it.

    2012, Julia Flynn Siler, Lost Kingdom, Grove Press 2012, page 8
adjectivehānai (not comparable)
  1. Hawaiinot comparableAdopted in the traditional Hawaiian way, made a complete part of the family.

    This is Kimo, my hanai brother.

Origin

  1. Hawaiianhānai
  2. Hawaiianhānai
  3. Englishhanai

Borrowed from Hawaiian hānai.

More words from Hawaiian

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Anahi
Cite this entry
APA

hanai. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hanai

MLA

“hanai.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hanai. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hanai,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hanai.

Source: hanai on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.