Learn the meaning and history of Pidgin Hawaiian-English
Da Pidgin Dictionary is the most complete pidgin resource with 438 entries and is frequently updated with new phrases as pidgin evolves. Hawaiian Pidgin originated in the 19th century on sugarcane plantations as a way for workers from different linguistic backgrounds, including Native Hawaiians, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, and Filipinos, to communicate with each other and their English-speaking supervisors. Over time, this simplified form of communication evolved into a distinct creole language with its own grammar and vocabulary, now widely spoken throughout Hawaiʻi.