n. Friend. Lit., beloved companion. Cf. aloha. Kona hoaloha, his friend. hoʻo.hoa.loha To make friends, be friendly, befriend.

Today’s “He Momi” is dedicated to my hoaaloha, Nani. Today she celebrates her birthday. She and I started out as hula sisters and have remained so to this day. We were colleagues together, friends forever, moved to Hawaiʻi Island almost together and have dreams of living in Kohala together. She is my forever hoaaloha.

Hoaaloha/Hoaloha can obviously be broken into two words: hoa – friend, and aloha – love. A beloved friend/companion. And that is how I feel about Nani. She is a beloved companion. Everything you would want in a friend. Non judgmental. Fiercely loyal. Absolutely reliable.

There are two different spellings, both the same. I like the full spelling version of hoaaloha rather than hoaloha. But they are both the same. I just like to see the full extent of both words within the word – hoa aloha.

ʻO Nani koʻu hoaaloha – Nani is my beloved friend.

Hauʻoli lā hānau e Nani.

Māua ʻo Nani, koʻu hoaaloha