Word of the Day · Archive
The Hawaiian word for September 26, 2026
Archive · September 26, 2026
HOʻOKUPU
say it: ho-oh-KOO-poo
A tribute or ceremonial offering given with honor — from a root that means to make things grow.
What it means
Hoʻokupu is a gift given upward. Pukui and Elbert define it as “tribute, tax, ceremonial gift-giving to a chief as a sign of honor and respect; to pay such tribute; church offering.” It can be a noun (the offering itself) or a verb (the act of giving it), and the same word stretches from ancient tribute to the offering plate on a Sunday morning.
The word is built from hoʻo-, the causative prefix, and kupu, which Pukui-Elbert gives as “sprout, growth; offspring” and “to sprout, grow, germinate, increase.” Under kupu, the dictionary lists hoʻokupu in its literal sense too: “to cause growth, sprouting; to sprout.”
The older dictionaries hold both meanings side by side. Andrews (1865) gives the verb first as “to cause to grow up, as a vegetable,” then “to pay or gather a tax,” and finally “to give freely; to make a present to one.” Parker (1922) adds “to contribute in common with others for a special object or person.” An offering, in Hawaiian, is something that makes things grow.
How to use it
Hoʻokupu works as a noun, a verb, and a root — every one of these is documented in the dictionary record.
He hoʻokupu
“An offering; a tribute.” Pukui-Elbert and Kent (1986) both give church offering as a modern sense, so he hoʻokupu can be a gift at a ceremony or the collection at church.
Hoʻokupu (verb)
“To pay such tribute” (Pukui-Elbert). Parker (1922) also gives “to contribute in common with others for a special object or person” — everyone bringing something for one purpose.
Mea hoʻokupu
“A tributary” (Andrews 1865; Parker 1922) — one who brings tribute. Mea is “thing” or “one who.”
Na wai ke kupu ʻo ʻoe?
“Whose sprout are you?” (Pukui-Elbert, under kupu). The root word on its own — a way of asking someone’s family, and a reminder of what kupu means inside hoʻokupu.
Why this word matters
Yesterday’s word was makahiki, the year and its autumn festival. Hoʻokupu is what moved during that season. Kamehameha Schools’ Kaʻiwakīloumoku center describes how ʻauhau (taxes) and hoʻokupu were gathered during Makahiki: each ahupuaʻa brought its offerings to the boundary, where Lono was honored, and the land district tried to give its very best.
A gift given with honor — from a word that means to make things grow.
That is what makes this word worth keeping. In English, “tax” and “gift” feel like opposites. Hoʻokupu holds both, and roots them in kupu, the sprout. What you give is the harvest of what you tended, and giving it back honors the source it grew from.
Today you will still see hoʻokupu at openings, graduations, and ceremonies — offerings of lei, food, or song set down with care. The dictionary’s own words are the best guide to the spirit of it: a gift given “as a sign of honor and respect.”
Use it small. When you bring something to a gathering, you are bringing a hoʻokupu. And the next time someone asks na wai ke kupu ʻo ʻoe?, you will know they are asking what you grew from.
Sources
Hoʻokupu — tribute, tax, ceremonial gift-giving to a chief as a sign of honor and respect; to pay such tribute; church offering — is from the Hawaiian Dictionary (Pukui & Elbert, 1986), which also lists hoʻokupu, to cause growth, under kupu (sprout, growth; offspring; to sprout, grow, increase), along with the example Na wai ke kupu ʻo ʻoe? The senses “to cause to grow up,” “to pay or gather a tax,” and “to give freely” are Andrews (1865); “to contribute in common with others” is Parker (1922); mea hoʻokupu, a tributary, is Andrews and Parker; “church offering” is also Kent (1986). The collection of ʻauhau and hoʻokupu during Makahiki is described in “Makahiki: An Overview” (Kaʻanoʻi Walk, Kaʻiwakīloumoku, Kamehameha Schools, 2013). Pōʻaono, Saturday, is Pukui-Elbert (1986). All dictionary entries consulted via Wehewehe Wikiwiki (wehe.hilo.hawaii.edu) and wehewehe.org.