Counting by Fours

Level 6

Older counting goes by fours and tens: kāuna is 4, kaʻau is 40, lau is 400 and mano is 4,000.

How It Works

WordNumber
kāuna4
kaʻau40
lau400
mano4,000

Each word is ten times the one before it. Some of these words have other meanings: lau is also a leaf. Context tells you which. Modern Hawaiian counts with iwakālua (20), kanakolu (30) and haneli (100).

Each step multiplies by ten, so once you know kāuna, you can find the others. You will rarely need these words to count things today. They help when you read older writing, so learn to recognize them.

Examples (4)

  1. kāuna

    four

    The first step in the older count.

  2. kaʻau

    forty

    Ten kāuna.

  3. lau

    four hundred

    Ten kaʻau. It also means leaf.

  4. mano

    four thousand

    Ten lau.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Counting by FoursLevel 6

Learn This First

Counting by fours is an older way to count and is read next to the modern numbers.

Words in This Pattern

laumano