Where does “hāhā” come from?
hāhā (Hawaiian) comes from Hawaiian hā, from Proto-Polynesian fa, from Proto-Oceanic pat, from Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian pat, from Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian pat, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian əpat, from Proto-Austronesian Səpat — four.
Ancestry of “hāhā”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Hawaiian | hā | four; fourth; breath, life |
| 2 | Proto-Polynesian | fa | four |
| 3 | Proto-Oceanic | pat | four |
| 4 | Proto-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | pat | four |
| 5 | Proto-Central-Eastern Malayo-Polynesian | pat | — |
| 6 | Proto-Malayo-Polynesian | əpat | four |
| 7 | Proto-Austronesian | Səpat | four |