hauna

The word "hauna" is a direct borrowing from the Hawaiian language, meaning a bad odor or stench. In local Hawaii culture, it is universally used by people of all ages to describe anything that smells foul, from a forgotten piece of bait in a fisherman's bucket to a teenager's gym bag. While "pilau" is another common word for stinky, "hauna" is often specifically associated with the smell of rotting fish, stagnant water, or bodily odors. It is appropriate for casual conversation among friends and family, but using it in formal settings or to describe someone's cooking can be considered highly offensive. The phrase "hauna pilau" is sometimes used to emphasize an exceptionally terrible stench, combining two powerful words for maximum effect.

Kekoa slammed the tailgate of his lifted Tacoma, the wind whipping across the cliffs at South Point. He had been out since two in the morning, battling the currents, but the massive eighty-pound ulua taking up half the truck bed was proof he was still the undisputed king of the ledge. He leaned against the bumper, arms crossed, waiting for the younger boys to walk past with their pathetic little whipping poles.

"Eh, Kekoa, what is that?" one of the teenagers yelled over the howling wind, pinching his nose. "Brah, your truck is so hauna! Smells like something died in the sun."

Kekoa just laughed, a deep, booming sound that carried over the crashing waves below. "That hauna smell is the smell of victory, boy! You wouldn't know nothing about that, catching those tiny menpachi. When you pull up a monster that bends your pole in half, you earn the right to stink up the whole parking lot."