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August 27th: Pau

Pau is one of the most commonly used, and misused, of Hawaiian words. Pau kahana – the work is finished. Yes, pau means finished, ended, all done, final, even consumed and destroyed. Work is finished, so you can say “pau kahana.” But don?t say “I'm pau,” that would mean you are dead or finished. And don't ask, “Are you pau?”

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