Making Something Happen: hoʻo-
Hoʻo- turns a describing word or noun into a verb that means to make it so.
How It Works
Here are a few pairs.
| Base word | With hoʻo- |
|---|---|
| nani beautiful | hoʻonani to beautify |
| nui big | hoʻonui to enlarge |
| ikaika strong | hoʻoikaika to strengthen |
| maʻemaʻe clean | hoʻomaʻemaʻe to clean |
A hoʻo- verb that acts on something usually takes the object marker i, like other verbs.
The new verb may mean “to make” or “to treat as”, and a describing word often becomes a verb about changing something. When you meet an unfamiliar hoʻo- word, take the prefix away and look at what is left.
Examples (4)
- Hoʻonani ke kaikamahine i ka lumi.
The girl decorates the room.
Hoʻonani is made from nani, beautiful.
- Hoʻonui nā kāne i ka hale.
The men make the house bigger.
Hoʻonui is made from nui, big.
- Hoʻoikaika nā haumāna iā lākou iho.
The students make themselves stronger.
Hoʻoikaika is made from ikaika, strong.
- Ua hoʻomaʻemaʻe ʻo Noelani i ka lumi.
Noelani cleaned the room.
Hoʻomaʻemaʻe is made from maʻemaʻe, clean.
Common Mistakes
Leaving out the ʻokina in the prefix.
Hoonani ke kaikamahine i ka lumi.Hoʻonani ke kaikamahine i ka lumi.The ʻokina is part of the spelling of hoʻo-.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Hoʻo- makes a verb mean to cause something to happen.
Related Patterns
Words in This Pattern
Practice Making Something Happen: hoʻo- in Bubblegum
Poppy, your AI tutor, writes Hawaiian lessons at your level. Tap any grammar point in a lesson to see its full explanation.
