1. nvi. Fruit, tuber, egg, produce, yield, ovum, seed, grain, offspring; meat as in ʻopihi shell or ʻalamihi crab; to bear fruit, tuber or seed; to bear a child; fruitful. 

2. n. Round object, as pill or bead.

3. n. Result, effect; credit, as for a university course. 

4. n. Testicles.

5. Same as huahua 3, a vulgar gesture. 

6. nvi. Word, letter, figure, watchword, rallying cry, note in music; winning word in the Chinese gambling game of chee-fah; type; to speak.

7. (Cap.) n. Name of the thirteenth night of the lunar month. 

8. (Cap.) Name of a star

9. n. The bulging of the broadest part of a paddle blade.

That’s a lot of meanings for such a small three letter word, isn’t it?

Today’s focus is on #1 & #7.

Hua is the Hawaiian word for fruit and egg as well as the 13th night of the lunar month. Check out the moon and it looks like an egg. It seriously does. Perfect your kilo (observation) of the mahina hua (hua moon).

I bought a kumquat tree yesterday at the open market. I had been keeping an eye on it for quite some time but knowing that we were on the cusp of the hua moon I finally decided to pull the trigger and buy it. That way I can plant it today and, entrusting the spirit of the moon to help my kumquat tree bear many a hua, I can ensure it will feed my ʻohana for years to come. I am pretty excited at the prospect and cannot wait. Remind me to update you on the “fruitfulness” of my kumquat tree in a couple years.

Hua moa – chicken egg

Huaʻai – general term for fruit (edible hua)

huaale – pill (literally-seed to swallow)

ʻAʻohe hua o ka maiʻa i ka lā hoʻokahi – Banans do not fruit in a single day (don’t be impatient).

He hua kahi – A single seed (an only child).

He maiʻa ke kanaka a ka lā e hua ai – A man is like a banana tree on the day it bears its fruit. (One can tell hat kind of man he is by his deeds).

Copyright: 2017 – Liana Iaea Honda. All rights reserved. All versions of “He Momi e Lei ai”, in its entirety, past and present, is the property of L. K. I. Honda. Reproduction and use of any kind other than the sharing of this website is prohibited without written consent. Alteration to the original content in any form is prohibited in every and any instance, and use in any other variant is prohibited without written consent of the author. Address inquiries to: hemomi [at] gmail.com. Definitions and wise sayings are from: Hawaiian Dictionary by Pukui and Elbert, 1986. ʻŌlelo Noʻeau – Hawaiian Proverbs & Poetical Sayings by Mary Kawena Pukui, 1983.