What Takes O: Family, Body and Home
The o class usually goes with family, the body, a name, a home and a ride.
How It Works
The Reference Grammar describes the o class as relationships a person does not choose or control. Its list includes inherited relatives (parents, grandparents, earlier generations, cousins, brothers and sisters), body parts, any name, a horse or other animal you ride, a vehicle, things worn on the body, things that cannot be carried, and any word built with hoa- “companion”, such as hoaloha “friend”.
- koʻu makuakāne “my father”
- kou lima “your hand”
- kona inoa “his or her name”
- koʻu hoaloha “my friend”
A few nouns are argued about. For friends, the Reference Grammar gives the o class, and English Wikipedia lists friends under the a class. When two sources disagree, listen for what the speakers around you say. The class says how the owner relates to the thing, so it is mostly a habit of each noun, and the meaning is only a guide.
Examples (4)
- Ke noho nei koʻu kupuna ma Hilo.
My grandparent lives in Hilo.
A grandparent takes the o class.
- Ua ʻeha kou lima.
Your hand is hurt.
A body part takes the o class.
- Ke hele nei koʻu hoaloha i ke kula.
My friend is going to school.
A word built with hoa- takes the o class.
- Ua kūʻai ʻo Kalani i kona kaʻa hou.
Kalani bought his or her new car.
A vehicle you ride takes the o class.
Common Mistakes
The wrong class for a body part.
kaʻu limakoʻu limaA hand is part of the body, so it takes the o class.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Learners need the two-class idea before the list of o-class nouns.
Related Patterns
- What Takes A: Children, Pets and Chosen Things
Lists the nouns that take the a class instead.
Level 3 - koʻu kou kāna konaMy, Your, His or Her
Shows the o class words for my, your and his or her.
Level 2 - Family Words
Names the family words that take the o class.
Level 3 - The Possessor After the Noun
Puts the owner after the thing owned with o.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Practice What Takes O: Family, Body and Home in Bubblegum
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