kākou mākou ʻoukou lākou

Three or More: Plural Pronouns

Level 1

Four pronouns cover three or more people: kākou, mākou, ʻoukou and lākou.

How It Works

For groups of three or more, Hawaiian uses a second set that follows the dual set:

PronounWho
kākouall of us, including you
mākouwe, not including you
ʻoukouyou all
lākouthey

Each pair in the last lesson ends in -ua, and each pronoun here ends in -kou: kāua and kākou, māua and mākou, ʻolua and ʻoukou, lāua and lākou.

Examples (5)

  1. Ke ʻai nei kākou i ka palaoa.

    All of us are eating bread.

    Kākou includes the listener.

  2. Ke kuke nei mākou ma ka hale.

    We are cooking at the house. (not you)

    Mākou leaves the listener out.

  3. Ke heluhelu nei ʻoukou i ka puke?

    Are you all reading the book?

    ʻOukou speaks to three or more people.

  4. Ke hana nei lākou ma ke kula.

    They are working at the school.

    Lākou is the plural “they”.

  5. Maikaʻi lākou.

    They are fine.

    The describing word comes first, then the pronoun.

How It Connects

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

kākou mākou ʻoukou lākouLevel 1Three or More: Plural Pronouns

Learn This First

The plural pronouns copy the dual set for three or more, so the dual set comes first.

Words in This Pattern

kākoumākouʻoukoulākou