Demonstratives in Hawaiian

In Brief

Hawaiian distinguishes three locations where English usually makes only a two-way contrast: kēia means “this” near the speaker, kēnā means “that” near the listener, and kēlā means “that” away from both. These forms can come before a noun or stand alone. For places, ʻaneʻi means “here,” while laila means “there”; nei also signals nearness but normally appears after another word or phrase rather than serving as the ordinary standalone word for “here.”

Overview

Demonstratives are pointing words: words such as “this,” “that,” “here,” and “there” that locate a person, object, or place in relation to the conversation. Hawaiian calls them ʻōlelo kuhikuhi, literally language used to indicate or point out something. They matter in even the simplest exchanges: identifying an object, choosing between items, describing where someone lives, or asking where another person is going.

The central Hawaiian pattern has three positions. Kēia points toward the speaker, kēnā toward the person being addressed, and kēlā away from both. English speakers need to pay special attention to the middle form. English “that” can refer either to something beside the listener or to something far away, but Hawaiian commonly makes that distinction explicit.

This is an A1 topic, and the beginner rule is straightforward: learn the three forms as a physical map. The fuller system also reflects conversational viewpoint, context, and discourse—not just measurable distance. Those subtleties are separated into the advanced section below.

How It Works

The three-way contrast

Hawaiian	English	Point of reference
kēia	this; this one	near the speaker
kēnā	that; that one	near the listener
kēlā	that; that one over there	far from both speaker and listener

Imagine that you are holding a book, your friend is holding another, and a third book is across the room:

• kēia puke — this book, by me
• kēnā puke — that book, by you
• kēlā puke — that book over there, away from us both

The English translations overlap, so the physical or conversational setting carries important information. When translating into Hawaiian, do not choose mechanically between “this” and “that.” First ask whose space the item belongs to in the conversation.

Before a noun

A noun is a word for a person, place, thing, or idea. Put kēia, kēnā, or kēlā before the noun:

• kēia hale — this house
• kēnā keiki — that child near you
• kēlā pua — that flower over there

These demonstratives already make the noun phrase definite and pointed. Do not add the singular article ka or ke before them. In other words, say kēia hale, not ka kēia hale. This builds directly on the Hawaiian article system: where ka hale is “the house,” kēia hale identifies “this house.”

Hawaiian nouns themselves do not change form for number. To point to more than one item, mau can mark the following noun phrase as plural:

• kēia mau puke — these books
• kēnā mau pua — those flowers near you
• kēlā mau hale — those houses over there

At beginner level, remember the pattern demonstrative + mau + noun.

Standing alone

The same forms can be used without a following noun when the object or person is clear. English then often adds “one,” but Hawaiian does not need an extra equivalent:

• He aha kēia? — What is this?
• Makemake au i kēlā. — I want that one.
• Na wai kēnā? — Whose is that by you?

The sentence still tells the listener which zone to look in. In kēnā, for example, the relevant thing is associated with the listener’s location or attention.

Place words: ʻaneʻi and laila

Use ʻaneʻi for “here” and laila for “there.” These are location words rather than forms placed directly before a noun. A preposition (a short relation word such as “at,” “in,” or “to”) often comes before them:

Hawaiian pattern	English meaning	Typical use
ma ʻaneʻi	here; at/in this place	location near the speaker
i ʻaneʻi	here; to this place	destination, or location in a structure requiring i
ma laila	there; at/in that place	location away from here
i laila	there; to that place	destination, or location in a structure requiring i

The exact choice between ma and i belongs to the wider system of Hawaiian prepositions. For a useful first contrast, learn noho ma for being or living in a location and hele i for movement toward a destination:

• Noho au ma ʻaneʻi. — I live here.
• E hele ana ʻoe i laila? — Are you going there?

How nei differs from ʻaneʻi

Although both are connected with “here” or nearness, nei and ʻaneʻi are not freely interchangeable. ʻAneʻi names a place and can answer “where?”: ma ʻaneʻi, “here.” Nei is normally attached after a word or phrase and adds the sense “here, nearby, present, or current.”

A common pattern is article + noun + nei:

• ka hale nei — this house here
• ke keiki nei — this child here

You will also encounter nei in expressions whose natural English translation uses “this” or “now,” such as i kēia manawa (“at this time, now”) and other context-dependent phrases. For everyday A1 pointing, use kēia before a noun and ma ʻaneʻi for “here.” Treat postposed nei as a related pattern to recognize and gradually learn.

Examples in Context

Hawaiian	English	Note
He aha kēia?	What is this?	kēia stands alone.
ʻO kēia kaʻu puke.	This is my book.	Identifies the item near the speaker.
Nani kēia lei.	This lei is beautiful.	kēia comes before the noun.
E noho ʻoe ma kēnā noho.	Sit on that chair.	The chair is beside the listener.
E heluhelu ʻoe i kēnā puke.	Read that book.	The listener can identify the nearby book.
Nani kēlā pua.	That flower over there is beautiful.	The flower is away from both people.
Aia kēlā hale ma kahi kokoke i ke kai.	That house over there is near the sea.	kēlā marks the distant house.
Makemake au i kēlā.	I want that one.	No noun is needed after kēlā.
ʻOno kēia mau hua ʻai.	These fruits are delicious.	Plural pattern with mau.
Hauʻoli kēlā mau keiki.	Those children over there are happy.	Plural and distant.
Noho au ma ʻaneʻi.	I live here.	ma marks a location.
E noho ma ʻaneʻi.	Stay here.	A place near the speaker.
Aia ʻo Malia ma laila.	Malia is there.	laila identifies the other location.
E hele ana ʻoe i laila?	Are you going there?	i laila is the destination.
E lawe mai i kēnā ʻeke.	Bring that bag here.	kēnā points to the bag by the listener.

Notice that translations cannot capture every spatial detail without becoming awkward. “That book” is natural English for both kēnā puke and kēlā puke, but the Hawaiian form tells you whether it is near the listener or removed from both participants.

Common Mistakes

Using kēlā for every English “that”

• Wrong: E hāʻawi mai i kēlā puke. when the book is in the listener’s hands
• Right: E hāʻawi mai i kēnā puke.
• Why: Kēnā points to the listener’s area. Reserve kēlā for something away from both speaker and listener.

Adding ka or ke before a demonstrative

• Wrong: ka kēia hale
• Right: kēia hale
• Why: Kēia already determines which house is meant. It occupies the position where a singular article would otherwise appear.

Putting the demonstrative after the noun

• Wrong: ka puke kēlā for the basic phrase “that book over there”
• Right: kēlā puke
• Why: The core beginner pattern places kēia, kēnā, or kēlā before the noun. Postposed words such as nei belong to a different construction.

Treating nei as a standalone replacement for ʻaneʻi

• Wrong: Noho au ma nei.
• Right: Noho au ma ʻaneʻi.
• Why: Use ʻaneʻi as the ordinary place word “here.” Nei generally follows and modifies another element, as in ka hale nei.

Forgetting mau with an explicitly plural phrase

• Wrong: kēia puke when pointing to several books
• Right: kēia mau puke
• Why: The noun puke does not acquire a plural ending. Mau makes the plural meaning explicit in this pattern.

Dropping the ʻokina or kahakō

• Wrong: aneʻi, kena, kela
• Right: ʻaneʻi, kēnā, kēlā
• Why: The ʻokina (ʻ) represents a consonant, and the kahakō (macron) marks a long vowel. They are part of Hawaiian spelling and can distinguish pronunciation and meaning; do not treat them as decoration.

Usage Notes

The three zones are best understood from the participants’ viewpoint, not as fixed distances measured in feet or metres. Something can be linked to the listener because the listener is holding it, standing beside it, or currently directing attention to it. Likewise, kēia can present something as part of the speaker’s immediate sphere even when it is not literally touching the speaker.

In English conversation, “this” can introduce a topic and “that” can refer back to an idea. Hawaiian demonstratives can also extend beyond physical pointing, but the appropriate choice depends on how the speaker frames the topic. Begin with concrete objects and places; exposure to natural speech will make the broader uses easier to interpret.

Pronunciation and spelling deserve deliberate practice. In kēia, the vowels form separate syllabic sounds rather than an English-style “kay-ya.” Keep the long ē in kēia, kēnā, and kēlā, and pronounce the initial ʻokina in ʻaneʻi as a brief closure in the throat.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master these points at A1, but they explain forms you will see later.

First, Hawaiian has a richer set of demonstrative constructions than the three basic words suggest. Forms may occur after nouns or combine with particles that add emphasis, visibility, direction, or discourse meaning. Nei is one important postposed element: ka hale nei presents “the house here/this house,” while kēia hale is the dependable neutral beginner pattern for “this house.” Their meanings overlap, but their grammar is not identical.

Second, demonstrative choice can organize conversation. A speaker may locate an idea metaphorically inside “my sphere,” “your sphere,” or a more distant shared context. This resembles English phrases such as “this point I’m making” and “that point you mentioned,” but Hawaiian preserves its own three-way orientation. Context may therefore matter more than visible physical distance.

Finally, laila participates in larger sentence patterns and can refer back to a previously named location: “at that place,” “to that place,” or, depending on the construction, a point in a sequence or narrative. Translate the whole sentence rather than assigning “there” mechanically every time. At this stage, the most useful contrast remains ma ʻaneʻi for location here and i laila for movement there.

Practice Tips

1. Build a three-zone scene. Put one object beside you, one beside a study partner or imagined listener, and one across the room. Name them repeatedly with kēia, kēnā, and kēlā plus the noun.
2. Pair location with movement. Make short contrasts such as Noho au ma ʻaneʻi (“I stay here”) and Hele au i laila (“I go there”). This helps you learn the demonstrative place words together with useful prepositions.
3. Copy the spelling accurately. Create flashcards that preserve every ʻokina and kahakō. On the answer side, include the viewpoint—not just “that,” but “that near the listener” or “that away from both.”

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Articles and Markers — compare ka/ke with the demonstratives that appear before a noun.