Hapa
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A person of mixed ethnic heritage, especially half East or Southeast Asian or Pacific Islander and half white. California, Hawaii
"It's what my fiancé and I call ourselves, and how we think of the children we might have: second-generation hapas. But as the term grows in popularity, so does debate over how it should be used. Some people argue that hapa is a slur and should be retired."
- 2 A mesh cage-like structure placed in the water to hold fish.
"Usually one female is placed into a hapa with two males to insure that fertilization occurs."
Example
More examples"It's what my fiancé and I call ourselves, and how we think of the children we might have: second-generation hapas. But as the term grows in popularity, so does debate over how it should be used. Some people argue that hapa is a slur and should be retired."
Etymology
Borrowed from Hawaiian hapa, from English half.
Related phrases
More for "hapa"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.