List of Hawaii state symbols

Map of the state of Hawaii and the rest of the United States of America

The state of Hawaii has adopted numerous symbols.

Insignia

Further information: List of U.S. state, district, and territorial insignia

Type	Symbol	Description	Year	Image	Source
Flag	The Flag of Hawaii	Adopted in the mid-19th century by the Hawaiian Kingdom, it became the official state flag when Hawaii was admitted as the 50th state of the United States in 1959.	1845		[1]
Seal	The Great Seal of the State of Hawaii	Based on the Royal Arms of the Kingdom of Hawaii used during the reigns of Kamehameha III, Kalākaua and Liliʻuokalani, designed by the College of Arms in London in 1842 and officially adopted in 1845	1845		[2] [3]
Motto	"Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono" ("The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness")	Spoken by Kamehameha III, the King of Hawaii, on July 31, 1843, when the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Hawaii was returned by the British through the restorative actions of Admiral Richard Darton Thomas, following the brief takeover by Lord George Paulet.	1843		[4] [5]
Popular name	"The Aloha State"	A nickname based on the word aloha , commonly used as a greeting in the Hawaiian language.	1959		[6]

Species

Type	Symbol	Description	Year	Image	Source
Bird	Nēnē Branta sandvicensis	Also known as the Hawaiian goose	1988		[7]
Endemic tree	ʻŌhiʻa lehua Metrosideros polymorpha	A species of flowering evergreen tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, that is endemic to the state.	2022		[8]
Fish	Humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa Rhinecanthus rectangulus	Also known as the reef triggerfish	2006		[9]
Flower	Pua aloalo or maʻo hau hele Hibiscus brackenridgei A. Gray	Also known as the native yellow hibiscus	1988		[10]
Insect	Pulelehua Vanessa tameamea	Also known as the Kamehameha butterfly	2009		[11]
Land mammal	ʻŌpeʻapeʻa Lasiurus cinereus semotus	Also known as the Hawaiian hoary bat	2015		[12]
Limu (algae)	Limu kala Sargassum echinocarpum		2023		[13]
Mammal	ʻĪlioholoikauaua [a] Neomonachus schauinslandi	Also known as the Hawaiian monk seal	2008		[14]
Marine mammal	Koholā [a] Megaptera novaeangliae	Also known as the humpback whale	1979		[15]
Plant	Kalo Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott	Also known as taro	2007		[16]
Shrimp	‘Opae ‘ula Halocaridina rubra	Also known as the red shrimp	2025		[17]
Snails (kāhuli)	Succinea konaensis Lyropupa striatula Pleuropoma laciniosa kahoolawensis Auriculella lanaiensis Laminella venusta Kaala subrutila Erinna newcombi Collonista verruca Endodonta christenseni	Nine endemic snail species, one for each of the main Hawaiian islands	2024		[18] [19]
Tree	Kukui tree Aleurites moluccanus	Also known as the candlenut tree	1959		[20]

Geology

Type	Symbol	Description	Year	Image	Source
Gemstone	ʻĒkaha kū moana [a]	Also known as the black coral	1987		[21]

Culture

Type	Symbol	Description	Year	Image	Source
ʻAuana (modern) [22] musical instrument	ʻUkulele	A type of lute popularized in Hawaii	2015		[23]
Dance	Hula	A traditional dance and chant of Native Hawaiians	1999		[24]
Gesture	Shaka sign	A friendly gesture associated with Hawaii and surf culture	2024		[25]
Individual sport	Heʻe nalu [a]	Also known as surfing	1998		[26]
Kahiko (traditional) [22] musical instrument	Pahu	Drums in Hawaiian culture	2015		[23]
Language	Hawaiian and English		1978		[27] [28]
Song	"Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī"	It previously served as the national anthem of the independent Hawaiian Kingdom during the late 19th century, as well as the Republic of Hawaii, and has continued to be Hawaii's official anthem ever since annexation by the United States in 1898.	1876		[29]
Spirit	The Aloha Spirit	"The coordination of mind and heart within each person"	1986		[30]
Team sport	Heihei waʻa [a]	Also known as outrigger canoe paddling	1986		[31]

Others

• 
  State quarter for Hawaii
• 
  State tartan for Hawaii (unofficial) ^[32]

Island colors and flowers or lei materials

Island	Color	Flower or lei material	Image
Hawaiʻi (Big Island)	Red	ʻŌhiʻa lehua
Kahoʻolawe	Gray	Hinahina
Kauaʻi	Purple	Mokihana Berry
Lānaʻi	Orange	Kaunaʻoa
Maui	Pink	Lokelani
Molokaʻi	Green	Pua Kukui
Niʻihau	White	Pūpū Shells
Oʻahu	Yellow	Puaʻilima
Sources: [33] [34]

Notes

1. This word or term is not explicitly mentioned in the Hawaii state statute officially designating the referenced symbol.

References

1. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-19 (Description of the Hawaiian flag)" . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
2. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-5 (State seal, description)" . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
3. Berg, Annemarie (1979). Great State seals of the United States . Dodd, Mead and Company. p.  41. ISBN   978-0-396-07705-3.
4. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-9 (State motto)" . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
5. Hokowhitu, Brendan; Moreton-Robinson, Aileen; Tuhiwai-Smith, Linda; Andersen, Chris; Larkin, Steve (30 December 2020). Routledge Handbook of Critical Indigenous Studies. Routledge. Chapter 21. ISBN   978-0-429-80237-9 . Retrieved 26 November 2021.
6. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-7 (State popular name)" . Retrieved July 1, 2025.
7. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-17 (State bird)" . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
8. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-8.5 (State endemic tree)" . Retrieved July 2, 2025.
9. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-11.5 (State fish)" . Retrieved July 2, 2025.
10. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-16 (State flower and individual island flowers)" . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
11. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-11.3 (State insect)" . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
12. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-12.2 (State land mammal)" . Retrieved November 7, 2017.
13. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-15.7 (State limu)" . Retrieved July 3, 2025.
14. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-12.5 (State mammal)" . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
15. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-12 (State marine mammal)" . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
16. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-15.5 (State plant)" . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
17. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-___ (State shrimp) / Act 71, Session Laws of Hawaii 2025" (PDF). Retrieved July 2, 2025.
18. Bender, Maddie. "How a Hawaiian High School Student Inspired Nine New State Animals". Smithsonian Magazine . Retrieved 2025-02-27.
19. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-11.2 (State snails)" . Retrieved July 2, 2025.
20. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-8 (State tree)" . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
21. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-15 (State gem)" . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
22. Hawaii State Legislature. "Act 6, Session Laws of Hawaii 2015" (PDF). Retrieved July 2, 2025.
23. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-10.5 (State musical instrument; 'auana; kahiko)" . Retrieved November 7, 2016.
24. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-21 (State dance)" . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
25. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-23 (State gesture)" . Retrieved July 2, 2025.
26. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-13.5 (State individual sport)" . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
27. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-6.5 (State language)" . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
28. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 1-13 (Official languages)" . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
29. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-10 (State song)" . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
30. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-7.5 ("Aloha Spirit")" . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
31. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-14 (State team sport)" . Retrieved November 7, 2014.
32. "Hawaiian tartan". Scottish Register of Tartans. National Records of Scotland. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
33. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-16.5 (Official island colors)" . Retrieved September 28, 2020.
34. Hawaii State Legislature. "Haw. Rev. Stat. § 5-16 (State flower and individual island flowers)" . Retrieved September 28, 2020.

External links

• Hawaii State Symbols