Shaka
//ˈʃɑːkə// noun
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A greeting gesture in which the thumb and little finger are extended while curling the three middle fingers in a semi-fist, used to express a variety of positive meanings including all right, hello and goodbye.
"Greet someone with the slang, “Howzit?” and say goodbye with a flash of the “shaka” sign (fist closed, thumb and pinky extended) and you have established your credibility with Hawaii natives."
Example
More examples"Greet someone with the slang, “Howzit?” and say goodbye with a flash of the “shaka” sign (fist closed, thumb and pinky extended) and you have established your credibility with Hawaii natives."
Etymology
Origin uncertain. Shaka is not a word in the Hawaiian language, which lacks the /ʃ/ sound.
Related phrases
More for "shaka"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.