imua

The word "imua" literally translates to "forward" or "ahead" in the Hawaiian language, but its cultural weight is much heavier. It is most famously associated with King Kamehameha I, whose legendary battle cry, "Imua e nā pokiʻi a inu i ka wai ʻawaʻawa" (Forward, my younger brothers, and drink of the bitter waters), urged his warriors to fight until the bitter end. Today, it serves as a universal rallying cry across the islands.

Locals use the phrase to encourage perseverance, whether a high school football team is down by ten points, an outrigger canoe crew is exhausted in the Kaiwi Channel, or someone is facing a tough personal hardship. It is highly appropriate in any situation requiring motivation, teamwork, or resilience. While it is a deeply respected historical word, it has also been adopted into everyday local vocabulary to simply mean "keep going" or "push through," making it an essential phrase for anyone living in or visiting Hawaii.

"Brah, just go! Imua!" Kaimana yelled from the back of the oversized flatbed cart, balancing three giant packs of toilet paper and a tray of rotisserie chickens. The Costco Iwilei parking lot on a Saturday was a lawless wasteland, and their crew was currently gridlocked between a lifted Tacoma backing out blind and an aunty aggressively pushing a stroller full of bulk saimin. Kelsey was supposed to be navigating, but she was too busy arguing on speakerphone with her boyfriend about who forgot to bring the insulated bags.

"How I supposed to go imua when this guy is blocking the whole lane?" Lehua screamed back, her knuckles white on the cart handle. She tried to pivot the heavy load, but the front wheels locked up, sending a box of Kirkland macadamia nuts sliding dangerously close to the asphalt. Kaimana lunged to catch it, nearly knocking over the chickens, while Kelsey finally hung up her phone just to yell at a stray shopping cart rolling toward their bumper.

"Everybody shut up and push!" Lehua commanded, abandoning all strategy. She threw her weight against the metal bar, ignoring the honking minivan behind them. "One, two, three, imua!" With a collective, uncoordinated shove, the trio launched the flatbed over the curb and safely onto the sidewalk, completely out of breath and missing one of Kelsey's slippers, but finally victorious.