1. vs. New, fresh, recent. Ka-puna-hou (place name), the new spring. (PPN foʻou.)

2. vs. Again, more, re- (as in hoʻoponopono hou, re-edit). Hana hou, do again, repeat; encore.

3. vt. To push, thrust, poke, stab, shove, prick, plunge, ram, jab, drill, bore, pierce, inject. See also houhou. Hou kui, injection needle. Ka hou ʻana o ka ihe (FS 55), the hurling of the spear. (PPN fohu.)

4. nvi. Perspiration, sweat; to perspire, sweat. (PCP (f,s)ou.)

5. n. Varieties of wrasse (Thalassoma) shallow-water fish, as T. purpureum. The following names have been recorded for the young stages of the hou: ʻāwela, kanaloa, ʻōlali, ʻōlani, pāhouhou, pākaiele, pākaueloa, palaeʻa, pāʻouʻou.

6. Same as pakaweli, a variety of sugar cane.

While hou has many meanings, we will focus on hou for new, as in Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou. Happy New Year. You may recognize hou in the popular phrase, hana hou – Do it again (as in an encore performance). In this way, it simply means “again”. All you have to do is put hou after a verb and it will mean “___ + again. Heluhelu hou – Read again. Hula hou – Hula again. Hīmeni hou – Sing again. I will put some useful sentences below for your language lesson of the day. Hopefully it will prove useful in your everyday life.

Though most common use of hou is for new or again, you may find a couple of the other translations useful. When you prick someone or something with a sharp object, like a pin, that is hou. And perspiration is also hou. This small word has many practical uses.

He makahiki hou kēīa – This is a new year.

(Just substitute words to get a whole new sentence)

He kaʻa hou kēia – This is a new car.

He ipo hou kēia – This is a new sweetheart.

Let’s try another usage:

E hoʻomaʻemaʻe hou – Clean [it] again.

E ʻōlelo hou – Say [it] again.

E ʻai hou – Eat again.

Pretty simple, huh?

Pulu ʻoe i ka hou – You are wet with perspiration.

Ua hou ʻia – It has been pierced.