kaka

"Kaka" is a universal childhood word in Hawaii, primarily used by parents, grandparents, and aunties to warn toddlers about stepping in dog poop or touching something filthy. While its roots likely tie to the Spanish and Portuguese "caca" brought over during the plantation era, it has become fully integrated into local Pidgin as a mild, family-friendly alternative to harsher swear words. Adults will occasionally use it jokingly among themselves to describe a messy situation or literal animal droppings, but it remains most appropriate and common in the context of scolding young children or complaining about a neighbor's unleashed dog.

Bronson was leaning against the tailgate of his lifted Tacoma in the Don Quijote parking lot, making sure everybody walking by noticed his brand new, blindingly white Jordans. He had just dropped three hundred bucks at Pearlridge and was loudly explaining to his cousin how nobody else in Kalihi had this exact colorway. "You gotta have the right stance, ah?" he bragged, puffing out his chest and taking a wide, arrogant step backward to demonstrate his superior posture.

His heel squished into something soft and unforgiving. The boastful smirk melted off Bronson's face as a foul smell drifted up from the asphalt. His cousin doubled over, slapping the truck bed in hysterics. "Ho, Mr. Exclusive!" he wheezed, pointing at the deep brown smear ruining the pristine sole. "All that money just to step right in the stray dog kaka!"