Expressing Likes and Dislikes in Hawaiian

In Brief

Use makemake + person + i + thing to say that someone likes or wants something: Makemake au i ka poi means “I like poi” or, in the right situation, “I want poi.” To say that someone does not like it, begin with ʻaʻole: ʻAʻole au makemake i ka ua (“I do not like rain”). Hawaiian also places words such as hoihoi (“interesting; interested”), ʻoluʻolu (“pleasant; pleased”), puʻiwa (“surprised”), and huhū (“angry”) at the front of many simple feeling statements.

Overview

At A2, preferences let you do more than name objects or describe events: you can respond to food, music, weather, people, plans, and news. The central word is makemake. You may already know it in Makemake au e hele (“I want to go”). With a noun phrase instead of an action, it can express either wanting or liking: Makemake au i kēia mele can mean “I like this song” or “I want this song,” depending on the situation.

This overlap matters to English speakers because English normally keeps like and want separate. Hawaiian does not always make that exact lexical distinction. Instead, the surrounding conversation often supplies it. A general question about tastes favors “like”; an offer or immediate choice favors “want.”

The other words in this lesson describe reactions or states. In Hoihoi kēia puke (“This book is interesting”), hoihoi is the predicate—the information being stated about the book. Hawaiian commonly places that predicate first. No separate word equivalent to English is is needed. The same predicate-first habit appears with emotions: Puʻiwa au (“I am surprised”) and Huhū ʻo ia (“He or she is angry”).

How It Works

1. Liking or wanting a thing: makemake ... i

For a thing, activity treated as a thing, or general topic, use this beginner pattern:

Pattern	Function	Hawaiian example	English meaning
Makemake + person + i + noun phrase	liking or wanting something	Makemake au i ka mele.	I like music.
ʻAʻole + person + makemake + i + noun phrase	not liking or not wanting something	ʻAʻole au makemake i ka ua.	I do not like rain.

A noun phrase is a noun together with words that belong to it, such as “the rain” or “this book.” The marker i introduces what is liked or wanted:

• ka poi → Makemake au i ka poi.
• kēia puke → Makemake ʻo ia i kēia puke.
• nā mele Hawaiʻi → Makemake mākou i nā mele Hawaiʻi.

Hawaiian predicates normally come before the person being described. That is why makemake precedes au. Do not rearrange the sentence merely to imitate English “I like ...” order.

Pronouns keep their normal distinctions. Māua means “we two, not including you,” while kāua means “you and I.” Mākou excludes the listener; kākou includes the listener. This gives a preference statement information that English we leaves unstated:

• Makemake kāua i kēia mele. — You and I like this song.
• Makemake mākou i ke kope. — We (three or more, not including you) like coffee.

2. Wanting an action: makemake ... e

When the desired complement is an action, use e + verb rather than i + noun. A verb is a word for an action or event, such as “go,” “eat,” or “read.”

What follows makemake?	Pattern	Example
a thing or topic	i + noun phrase	Makemake au i ka hula. — I like hula.
an action	e + verb	Makemake au e hula. — I want to dance.

This contrast is especially useful because the two sentences may contain related ideas but do not say the same thing. Ka hula names hula as a thing or practice; e hula presents dancing as an action you want to perform.

3. People as the object: iā

Before a personal name or a personal pronoun used as the object, Hawaiian commonly uses iā rather than plain i:

• Makemake au iā Malia. — I like Malia.
• Makemake ʻo ia iā ʻoe. — He or she likes you.
• ʻAʻole lākou makemake iā ia. — They do not like him or her.

The English translation can range from “like” to a stronger “want” or affectionate reading, so context and relationship matter. Do not assume that every isolated Makemake au iā ʻoe has exactly the same emotional force as English “I like you.”

4. Negating a preference or feeling

For the core A2 pattern, place ʻaʻole first and put a pronoun subject before the predicate:

• ʻAʻole au makemake i ka ua. — I do not like rain.
• ʻAʻole ʻo ia huhū. — He or she is not angry.
• ʻAʻole au puʻiwa. — I am not surprised.

The subject is the person or thing the statement is about. With a name, a third-person pronoun, or another subject that requires it, retain ʻo: ʻAʻole ʻo Keoni makemake i ke kī (“Keoni does not like tea”). More varied negative patterns occur in Hawaiian, but this is a practical pattern for clear beginner statements.

5. Interest: hoihoi

Hoihoi can describe something as interesting or a person as interested. The sentence and context identify which participant carries the quality:

• Hoihoi kēia puke. — This book is interesting.
• Hoihoi au i kēia moʻolelo. — I am interested in this story.
• ʻAʻole hoihoi kēlā papa. — That class is not interesting.

English changes from interesting to interested. Hawaiian can use hoihoi in both settings, so focus on what follows it: a thing directly described, or a person whose interest is directed toward something with i.

6. Pleasantness and being pleased: ʻoluʻolu

ʻOluʻolu covers a family of positive meanings including pleasant, agreeable, comfortable, kind, and pleased. Translate it according to the situation rather than memorizing one English equivalent.

• ʻOluʻolu ke anilā. — The weather is pleasant.
• ʻOluʻolu au e ʻike iā ʻoe. — I am pleased to see you.
• E ʻoluʻolu. — Please; be so kind.

The last expression is a conventional polite formula, not simply a statement of preference. It often introduces a request.

7. Surprise and anger: puʻiwa and huhū

Use puʻiwa for being startled or surprised and huhū for being angry. A cause or target can be added when context requires it:

• Puʻiwa au. — I am surprised.
• Puʻiwa au i ka nūhou. — I am surprised by the news.
• Huhū ʻo ia. — He or she is angry.
• Huhū ʻo ia iā Keoni. — He or she is angry with Keoni.

With people, iā again marks the personal name or pronoun. With a thing or event, i is the useful basic marker. These are reaction words, not direct synonyms for “dislike.” If you simply mean that you do not enjoy something, use ʻaʻole ... makemake rather than huhū.

8. Asking about preferences and reactions

A written question may have the same order as a statement; speech uses question intonation. The question particle anei can also make a yes-or-no question explicit:

• Makemake ʻoe i ka poi? — Do you like poi?
• Hoihoi anei kēia puke? — Is this book interesting?
• Ua puʻiwa anei ʻoe? — Were you surprised?

A natural short answer can repeat the key predicate:

• ʻAe, makemake au. — Yes, I do.
• ʻAʻole, ʻaʻole au makemake. — No, I do not.
• ʻAe, hoihoi loa. — Yes, very interesting.

Examples in Context

Hawaiian	English	Note
Makemake au i ka mele.	I like music.	i introduces the liked thing.
ʻAʻole au makemake i ka ua.	I do not like rain.	Core negative pattern.
Makemake ʻoe i ka poi?	Do you like poi?	Statement order with question intonation.
Makemake au e heluhelu i kēia puke.	I want to read this book.	e introduces the desired action.
Makemake kāua e hele i ke kahakai.	You and I want to go to the beach.	kāua includes exactly two people.
Makemake ʻo Lehua iā Kimo.	Lehua likes Kimo.	iā marks a personal name as object.
Hoihoi kēia puke.	This book is interesting.	The quality comes first.
Hoihoi au i ka moʻolelo o Hawaiʻi.	I am interested in the history of Hawaiʻi.	A person’s interest is directed toward a topic.
ʻAʻole hoihoi kēlā kiʻiʻoniʻoni.	That movie is not interesting.	A negative judgment without makemake.
ʻOluʻolu ke anilā i kēia lā.	The weather is pleasant today.	ʻoluʻolu describes pleasant conditions.
ʻOluʻolu au e ʻike iā ʻoe.	I am pleased to see you.	e ʻike gives the occasion for the feeling.
Puʻiwa au i ka nūhou.	I am surprised by the news.	i introduces the cause.
Ua puʻiwa ʻo ia i kēlā pane.	He or she was surprised by that answer.	ua presents the reaction as completed.
Huhū ʻo Keoni iā ia.	Keoni is angry with him or her.	iā precedes a personal pronoun.
ʻAʻole au huhū; ʻoluʻolu au.	I am not angry; I am pleased.	Contrasts two emotional states.

Common Mistakes

Copying English subject-first order

• Wrong: Au makemake i ka poi.
• Right: Makemake au i ka poi.
• Why: In the basic Hawaiian pattern, the predicate makemake comes before au. English “I like” order is not the model.

Using i before a desired action

• Wrong: Makemake au i hele.
• Right: Makemake au e hele.
• Why: Use e + verb for an action you want to do. Use i + noun phrase for a thing you like or want.

Leaving out the object marker

• Wrong: Makemake au ka mele.
• Right: Makemake au i ka mele.
• Why: i introduces the nonpersonal thing that is liked or wanted.

Using plain i before a personal pronoun

• Wrong: Makemake au i ʻoe.
• Right: Makemake au iā ʻoe.
• Why: Personal names and personal pronouns used as objects take iā in this pattern.

Treating hoihoi like an English adjective pair

• Wrong assumption: Hawaiian must use two unrelated words for English interesting and interested.
• Right: Hoihoi kēia puke (“This book is interesting”) and Hoihoi au i kēia puke (“I am interested in this book”).
• Why: Hawaiian hoihoi can describe either the source of interest or the interested person; sentence structure supplies the distinction.

Using huhū as a general word for dislike

• Wrong for a mild preference: Huhū au i ke kope when you only mean “I do not like coffee.”
• Right: ʻAʻole au makemake i ke kope.
• Why: Huhū means angry, not merely “not fond of.” Choose the word that matches the strength and kind of feeling.

Usage Notes

“Like” versus “want” depends on the situation

If a friend asks about your tastes, Makemake ʻoe i ke kope? will naturally be understood as “Do you like coffee?” If someone is serving drinks, the same words may be understood as “Do you want coffee?” Add context rather than expecting a one-to-one English distinction.

For an action, the interpretation is less ambiguous: Makemake au e inu i ke kope means “I want to drink coffee.” It does not normally express a general fondness for drinking coffee.

Choose a precise reaction when possible

Makemake gives a broad positive preference, while the other predicates add detail:

Word	Useful core meaning	Typical focus
makemake	like; want	preference or desire
hoihoi	interesting; interested	attention or curiosity
ʻoluʻolu	pleasant; comfortable; pleased	agreeable experience or state
puʻiwa	surprised; startled	unexpected reaction
huhū	angry	strong negative emotion

These English glosses are guides, not rigid equations. In real conversation, tone and context determine whether ʻoluʻolu is best rendered as “pleasant,” “comfortable,” “kind,” or “pleased.”

Preserve the ʻokina and kahakō

The ʻokina in ʻaʻole, ʻoluʻolu, and puʻiwa is a letter, not decorative punctuation. A kahakō (macron) also belongs to the spelling of words that carry one. Write and pronounce these marks carefully; omitting them can obscure pronunciation and sometimes meaning.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master all of this at A2, but you will encounter preference and emotion words inside more developed time and clause patterns.

Aspect particles can locate a reaction in time. Ua puʻiwa au presents surprise as a completed reaction (“I was/became surprised”), while Ke huhū nei ʻo ia presents anger as current (“He or she is angry now”). The predicate remains central, but particles such as ua and ke ... nei add an aspect—that is, a view of whether a situation is completed or currently unfolding.

Degree words sharpen a reaction. Loa commonly intensifies a quality:

• Hoihoi loa kēia moʻolelo. — This story is very interesting.
• ʻOluʻolu loa ke ahiahi. — The evening is very pleasant.
• Huhū loa ʻo ia. — He or she is very angry.

Longer sentences can state a reason:

• Makemake au i kēia wahi no ka mea ʻoluʻolu ke anilā. — I like this place because the weather is pleasant.
• Ua puʻiwa au no ka mea ua hiki koke mai ʻo ia. — I was surprised because he or she arrived early.

At higher levels, notice that English translations may assign grammatical roles differently from Hawaiian. Do not force an English analysis onto every sentence. Learn the whole Hawaiian frame—predicate, person, and marker—as a unit: hoihoi au i ..., puʻiwa au i ..., huhū au iā .... Authentic usage may also favor another expression when English uses the very broad verb like. Consulting speaker-produced texts and a reliable Hawaiian dictionary will help you see which predicate fits a particular relationship or situation.

Practice Tips

1. Make two-column preference lists. Write five things you like with Makemake au i ... and five you do not like with ʻAʻole au makemake i .... Include food, weather, music, and places so the pattern becomes flexible.
2. Contrast things and actions aloud. Pair sentences such as Makemake au i ka hula and Makemake au e hula. This trains the important i + noun versus e + verb distinction.
3. React to short prompts. After reading a headline, seeing a photo, or finishing a story, answer with hoihoi, ʻoluʻolu, puʻiwa, or huhū, then add the cause with i or iā where appropriate. Keep the first attempts short and accurate.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Wanting and Ability (Makemake/Hiki) — introduces makemake + e + action, the foundation for contrasting wants with preferences.
• Helpful foundation: Negation — explains ʻaʻole, needed for dislikes and negative reactions.
• Helpful foundation: Object Markers (i/iā) — develops the difference between marking things and personal objects.
• Next step: Present Tense (ke...nei) — lets you present a feeling or reaction as current and ongoing.
• Next step: Intensifiers and Adverbs — adds words such as loa, nō, and maoli to make reactions more precise.