Only, Just: wale

Level 3

Wale after a word means “only” or “just”.

How It Works

Sentence	Meaning
ʻElua wale nā keiki ma ka hale.	Only two children are in the house.
Ua ʻai au i ka laiki wale.	I ate just rice.
Ke noho wale nei au ma ka hale.	I am just staying home.

The Reference Grammar has ʻO au wale nō ma ka hale “I am the only one home”. Hawaiian Wikipedia writers use wale nō often, as in ʻo ia wale nō “only he or she”. The English words “only” and “just” both fit, so use whichever sounds right in English.

Wale and nō together are very common. Wale nō reads as “only” or “just” with extra firmness. Put the pair after the word it limits, the same place wale goes by itself.

Examples (4)

ʻElua wale nā keiki ma ka hale.
Only two children are in the house.
Wale follows the number.
Ua ʻai au i ka laiki wale.
I ate just rice.
Wale follows the food.
Ke noho wale nei au ma ka hale.
I am just staying home.
Wale follows the verb.
Hoʻokahi wale ka puke.
There is only one book.
Wale follows hoʻokahi.

How It Connects

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

Only, Just: waleLevel 3

Learn This First

Wale means “only” or “just” and follows the word it limits.

Counting to Ten
Know the numbers one to ten, because wale often follows a number: ʻelua wale means only two.
Level 1

Words in This Pattern

wale

Practice Only, Just: wale in Bubblegum

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