Oahu
/oʊˈɑːhuː/noun
The third-largest island in Hawaii, home to Honolulu and the majority of the state’s population.
Did you know?Like many Hawaiian names, Oʻahu’s meaning is tied to indigenous oral tradition rather than a single universally agreed translation, which is exactly why place-names in Polynesia can preserve layers of memory older than written history.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-Contact Hawaiian
Hawaiian
Oʻahu
“The traditional name of the island in Hawaiian oral tradition”
18th Century
English
Oahu
“European transcription of the Hawaiian island name”
Modern English
English
Oahu
“The standard English name for the Hawaiian island”
Modern English
English
Oʻahu
“The Hawaiian spelling using the ʻokina to mark the glottal stop”