make funny

The phrase "make funny" is widely used across Hawaii by locals of all ages to describe teasing, joking around, or not taking a situation seriously. It is an adaptation of the English "making fun," but in Pidgin, it functions more broadly as a verb phrase for any kind of playful deception or messing around. It is most commonly heard in the negative—such as "no make funny"—when someone is trying to establish that they are being serious, or when an elder is scolding a child for acting up during a serious moment. While perfectly appropriate in casual, everyday conversation among friends and family, it is generally avoided in formal or professional settings where standard English is expected.

Brittany was standing in the middle of Misaki's Grocery in Kaunakakai, staring at her phone as the group chat absolutely melted down. Makana had just sent a blurry photo of what looked like a wild axis deer standing directly on the hood of his lifted Tacoma, claiming it jumped straight out of the kiawe brush while he was parked on the west end.

"Stop make funny, I stay serious," Makana texted, followed by five siren emojis. "The buggah just looking at me through the windshield!" Wendy immediately replied with a string of skull emojis, accusing him of photoshopping the whole thing because he was bored waiting for his shift to start.

"I swear, no make funny with me right now," Makana typed back, the chaotic energy radiating through the screen. Brittany snorted out loud next to the produce section, drawing a weird look from the cashier, before typing, "Brah, just honk the horn before he dents your hood."