no: For, About, Because
No means “for”, “about”, “from” or “because of”.
How It Works
The Reference Grammar says no and na can both point to the one something is for, and that no is also used for where someone comes from, as in No hea mai ʻo ia? “Where is he from?”. Do not mix it up with mai, which can say where something starts, or where someone has just come from.
| Sentence | Meaning |
|---|---|
| No Hilo au. | I am from Hilo. |
| Mai Hilo mai au. | I came from Hilo. |
| He hale kēia no ka ʻohana. | This is a house for the family. |
No is the o class word and na is the a class word. A house takes the o class, so no ka ʻohana fits here. For a thing in the a class, such as a book, the same idea is na ke keiki.
Examples (4)
- No Hilo koʻu kupuna.
My grandparent is from Hilo.
No with a place says where someone is from.
- He hale kēia no ka ʻohana.
This is a house for the family.
No marks who the house is for.
- No hea mai ʻoe?
Where are you from?
No hea asks where someone is from.
- Ua hana ʻo Kala no kona makuahine.
Kala worked for his mother.
No marks who benefits.
How It Connects
Learn This First
No means “for”, “about”, “from” or “because of”, and it is the o class partner of na.
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice no: For, About, Because in Bubblegum
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