Aloha (pronounced [əˈlo.hə]) in the Hawaiian language means affection, peace, compassion, and mercy. Since the middle of the 19th century, it also has come to be used as an English greeting to say goodbye and hello
The word is found in all Polynesian languages and always with the same basic meaning of "love, compassion, sympathy, kindness."
Its use in Hawaii has a seriousness lacking in the Tahitian and Samoan meanings.
Mary Kawena Pukui wrote that the "first expression" of aloha was between a parent and child.
