kaona

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English[edit]

Noun[edit]

kaona

  1. A hidden or secondary meaning in Hawaiian poetry that can only be understood in cultural context, or the use thereof.
    • 2004 September 7, Noenoe K. Silva, Aloha Betrayed: Native Hawaiian Resistance to American Colonialism, Duke University Press, →ISBN, page 8:
      Without the knowledge of cultural codes in Hawaiian, foreigners who understood the language could still be counted on to miss kaona