Hapa

In Hawaii, the word refers to any person of mixed ethnic heritage, regardless of the specific mixture.

[1][4][5][6][7] In what can be characterized as trans-cultural diffusion or the wave model, this latter usage has also spread to Massachusetts,[8] Ohio,[9] and Oregon.

It is a transliteration of the English word "half," but quickly came to mean "part," which could be combined with numbers to form fractions.

[22] Many hapa-haole songs had their musical roots in the Western tradition, and the lyrics were in some combination of English and Hawaiian; these songs first gained popularity outside the Territory of Hawaii beginning in 1912–1915,[23] and include titles such as "My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua" and "Sweet Leilani.

[27][28] Still others take a stronger stand in discouraging its usage and misuse as they consider the term to be vulgar and racist.