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Hawaiian word · verb

kau

“to place, to set; season”

Say it

KOW

In names

2 names

1 girl · 0 boy · 1 unisex

What does kau mean in Hawaiian?

Kau is to put something in position, to set it up high — and by extension the season, the time when something is set in place.

Kau specifically names the warm half of the Hawaiian year, roughly May to October, as against hoʻoilo, the wet season. The word also describes the sun resting at a point in the sky, which is how the two senses connect.

Say it KOW. Every vowel is pronounced, and the capitalized syllable takes the stress. The pronunciation guide covers the rules.

On this site kau is part of 2 names: 1 begin with it, 0 end with it, and 1 carry it elsewhere. Most are girl names, and all of them sit in the group of Hawaiian names meaning sun.

Names that start with kau (1)

Kau comes first, and the second word says what kind.

  • Nature

    Kauwela

    “summer, the warm season”

    Pronounced kow-VEH-lahkau + wela

    Unisex

Other names with kau (1)

Kau sits in the middle of a longer name, or is the whole of it.

  • “the beloved child, the lei placed before the eyes”

    Pronounced kah-lay-kow-MAH-kahka + lei + kau + maka

    Girl

Sources the Pukui and Elbert Hawaiian Dictionary, Place Names of Hawaii, Nānā i ke Kumu, wehewehe.org, Wiktionary's Hawaiian given names and U.S. Social Security baby-name records. How this site is compiled · Send a correction

Questions people ask

What does kau mean?

Kau means to place, to set; season. Kau is to put something in position, to set it up high — and by extension the season, the time when something is set in place..

How do you pronounce kau?

KOW. Every vowel is a separate sound and the stressed syllable is written in capitals.

Is kau a Hawaiian name on its own?

Kau is not usually given as a name by itself, but it is part of 2 names on this site, such as Kaleikaumaka, Kauwela.

All Hawaiian words used in names