Nui means “big, greatest, grand, important” as in aliʻi nui. Hale nui would be a big house, and mea nui would be an important thing. Used as an adjective, it follows the noun. It can also mean “many or a group.”
Hawaiian Word of the Day: November 10th
![Nui means “big, greatest, grand, important” as in ali'i nui.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d6c1f03/2147483647/strip/true/crop/901x751+0+0/resize/880x733!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F66%2Fa0%2Fc39fd25e4b9d85d2fa622fb49214%2Fnovember-10.png)