The Very Best: ʻoi loa

Level 4

ʻOi loa means the very best, and ʻoi loa aku with ma mua o means much more than.

How It Works

Compare the two levels of comparison.

StrengthPatternMeaning
More thanʻoi aku ... ma mua ofaster than
Much more thanʻoi loa aku ... ma mua ofar faster than
The bestʻoi loathe very best

A learner page on comparisons lists ʻoi loa as “the very best” and gives ʻoi loa aku ... ma mua o for a large gap; the reference grammar has ʻoi loa aku in the same frame. The reference grammar also says that for “the most” or “-est”, Hawaiian often puts loa after the describing word, as in ke keiki akamai loa (the smartest child). Grammar books give few sentences with the short ʻoi loa, so learn the long form first.

Examples (3)

  1. ʻOi loa aku ka wikiwiki o ka mokulele ma mua o ke kaʻa.

    The airplane is much faster than the car.

    Aku and ma mua o make the gap clear.

  2. ʻOi loa aku ka anuanu o ka pō ma mua o ke kakahiaka.

    The night is much colder than the morning.

    The same frame with a time comparison.

  3. Ua ʻoi loa ʻo Leilani i ka haumāna ma ka papa.

    Leilani was the very best student in the class.

    ʻOi loa alone names the best. This sentence follows the pattern the learner page gives for ʻoi.

How It Connects

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

The Very Best: ʻoi loaLevel 4

Learn This First

ʻOi loa is a stronger form of ʻoi aku.

Words in This Pattern

loa