dat

The word "dat" is a fundamental building block of Hawaiian Pidgin (Hawaiian Creole English), universally used by locals of all ages and backgrounds in place of the English word "that." It reflects the linguistic tendency in Pidgin to substitute the "th" sound with a hard "d" or "t" sound, a phonetic shift common in many creole languages worldwide. It is appropriate in almost any casual or everyday setting, from ordering food at a drive-inn to talking story with neighbors. While perfectly acceptable in local daily life, speakers typically switch to the standard English "that" in formal, academic, or professional environments where standard English is expected.

We was sitting on the tailgate at Kam Three, watching the sun dip right behind the horizon. Uncle Kimo pointed his plate lunch fork out toward the water and nodded. "Look at dat sunset, stay unreal," he mumbled, his mouth still half full of mac salad and kalua pig.

I had to agree. The sky was painted in crazy shades of purple and orange, the kind you only see after a long, hot summer day. "Yeah, dat is one solid view," I told him, grabbing another musubi from the cooler. We didn't need to say much else; dat moment was exactly why we never wanted to leave the island.