Word of the Day · Archive
The Hawaiian word for May 28, 2026
Archive · May 28, 2026
LŌKAHI
say it: LOH-kah-hee
Unity · Harmony · Agreement — the balance that holds us together
What it means
Lōkahi is unity, harmony, agreement, accord. The Pukui-Elbert Hawaiian Dictionary defines it simply: “unity, agreement, accord, unison, harmony; agreed, in unity.” Three syllables, one whole idea — the parts holding together.
The word reaches further than its translation, though. It names a way of moving in the world where people, place, and purpose stay in tune — where what’s inside you, what’s around you, and who’s beside you are not pulling against each other.
In its causative form hoʻolōkahi, lōkahi becomes a verb: to bring about unity, to make peace, to put back into agreement what had drifted apart. And in manaʻo lōkahi — literally “thought in unity,” meaning unanimous — you can hear how Hawaiian carries the value right inside the grammar.
How to use it
Lōkahi works both as a value you live by and as a building block inside longer Hawaiian phrases. A few documented uses:
hoʻolōkahi
To bring about unity; to make peace; to put back into agreement what had drifted apart. Used when an ʻohana heals after a hard stretch, or when a community comes together to fix something that broke between them.
manaʻo lōkahi
Literally “thought in unity” — unanimous. The phrase you reach for when a group lands on a decision together with no one holding back.
Lōkahi in the Aloha Spirit Law
Lōkahi is one of the five virtues named in Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes §5-7.5, the Aloha Spirit Law signed in 1986. The statute defines it directly: “Lōkahi, meaning unity, to be expressed with harmony.” The L in A-L-O-H-A.
Why this word matters
Hawaiian culture has long taught that wellness doesn’t live in one place. You can be physically strong and still feel out of balance. You can be spiritually steady and still find yourself at war with the people around you. Lōkahi is the word for what happens when those pieces stop fighting each other.
Lōkahi isn’t agreeing on everything. It’s the discipline of staying in tune with what’s around you even when the parts don’t perfectly match.
The Lōkahi Triangle — a model rooted in traditional Hawaiian wellness — pictures it as a three-cornered balance: the self, the people and ʻāina around you, and the spiritual ʻaumākua and beliefs behind you. When all three corners are present, you have lōkahi. When one collapses, the whole thing tilts.
That’s why the word shows up in so many places where Hawaiʻi describes its best self. In the Aloha Spirit Law it’s named alongside ʻakahai, ʻoluʻolu, haʻahaʻa, and ahonui — kindness, agreeableness, humility, patience — the five qualities that spell ALOHA. Without lōkahi, the other four can drift. With it, they hold together.
For a brand built around piko — the place where you’re connected — lōkahi is the next breath of that idea. Piko names the connection. Lōkahi is what you do with it.
Sources
Pukui & Elbert, Hawaiian Dictionary (rev. 1986), entries for lōkahi, hoʻolōkahi, and manaʻo lōkahi — accessible at wehewehe.org. University of Hawaiʻi System News, “Hawaiian Word of the Week: Lōkahi” (Jan 2024). Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes §5-7.5, “Aloha Spirit” (1986).