People in Hawaii use it as a way to greet each other hello, or to wish each other a great morning. It's also used when they're parting ways and bidding farewell.
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Pick up a few local wordsThe two most important native words that you will likely hear all the time are Aloha and Mahalo. Aloha means both “hello,” and “goodbye,” and is used as a greeting when seeing someone for the first time and wishing them well at parting.
What is a Good Response to Mahalo? Expressing gratitude is an important value in Polynesian cultures, but so is humility. A common response to mahalo is a'ole pilikia, which means “no problem”.
But, the increase in tourism has resulted in problems such as overcrowding, littering, an overextension of our rescue and emergency resources & damage to the fragile ecosystem. Some Native Hawaiians may feel that tourists do not show enough respect for the environment.
Don't worry about it too much, the locals don't care what you say back as long as your being respectful of their culture and Hawaiian language customs. Sidenote: According to Wikipedia, Mahalo is a Hawaiian word meaning thanks, gratitiude, admirtaion, praise, esteem, regards and respects.
And not all residents greet one another with Aloha. Remember, most of the population are not Kanaka Ma'oli (native Hawaiian). Hello, hi, or more often “howzit” is appropriate. Howzit especially is a typical greeting among those of us who have grown up here.
Hello, hi, or more often “howzit” is appropriate. Howzit especially is a typical greeting among those of us who have grown up here. I personally don't necessarily greet folks with Aloha unless I know them well. I will often leave with an Aloha and Mahalo (thank you).
Story By Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi. “Hang loose,” “Right on,” “Thank you,” “Things are great,” “Take it easy” – in Hawaii, the shaka sign expresses all those friendly messages and more. As kamaaina know, to make the shaka, you curl your three middle fingers while extending your thumb and baby finger.