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Hawaiian Pidgin facts for kids

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Hawaiian Pidgin
Native to United States
Region Hawaii
Native speakers 400,000 (L1)  (date missing)
600,000 (L2)
Language family
English Creole
  • Pacific
    • Hawaiian Pidgin

Hawaiian Pidgin, known locally as Pidgin, is a creole language from Hawaii. It is based off of English, but is mixed with other languages like Hawaiian, Japanese, Ilocano, Chinese, Portuguese, etc. It is spoken by many Hawaii locals, though many also speak standard English. The original Hawaiian language is spoken by some.

Hawaiian Pidgin can largely be understood by English speakers, and many Pidgin speakers mix Pidgin with English. While many Hawaii locals see Pidgin as a dialect, it has recently been seen as a language by the US government.

Words

Hawaiian Pidgin Standard English
ono delicious
hamajang messed up, broken
habut grumpy
hanabaddah mucus
pau done, finished
kau kau eat
howzit hello
bumbai otherwise, or else
tarantan boastful
lua/benjo toilet
lolo stupid
da kine whatchamacalit, thingamajigger
hana hou finished work

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Pidgin hawaiano para niños

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Hawaiian Pidgin Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.