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Hawaii state symbols

Hawaii has 29 official state symbols. The flag dates from the Hawaiian Kingdom, and the newest symbol is the ʻōpae ʻula, a tiny red shrimp adopted in 2025. Hawaii's list stands out for its native species, its Hawaiian names and its cultural symbols, from the hula to the shaka and the legally defined Aloha Spirit.

29 official designations · every law checked October 23, 2026

Native species first

Many of Hawaii’s symbols are plants and animals found nowhere else on Earth. The nēnē, the state bird since 1988, is a goose that evolved in the islands. The state flower, adopted the same year, is the maʻo hau hele, a native yellow hibiscus that is now endangered in the wild. In 2022 the legislature added the ʻōhiʻa lehua, a native tree with red pom-pom flowers, as the state endemic tree, while keeping the kukui, or candlenut, brought by early Polynesian settlers, as the state tree it has been since 1959.

The animals are equally local. The Hawaiian monk seal, one of the world’s most endangered seals, became the state mammal in 2008; the ʻōpeʻapeʻa, or Hawaiian hoary bat, the islands’ only native land mammal, became the state land mammal in 2015; and the humpback whale, which spends the winter in Hawaii’s waters, has been the state marine mammal since 1979. In 2024 Hawaii adopted official snails for each of the main islands plus the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, nine species in all, many of them rare. In 2025 it added the ʻōpae ʻula, a small red shrimp that lives only in Hawaii’s anchialine pools, brackish ponds near the shore.

The fish with the famous name

The state fish is the humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa, a reef triggerfish, adopted in 2006. Its long Hawaiian name, often translated as “triggerfish with a snout like a pig,” is a favorite tongue-twister for visitors, and the fish can grunt like a pig when it is caught.

Culture written into law

Hawaii has turned much of its culture into official symbols. The hula is the state dance. Surfing is the official individual sport and outrigger canoe paddling the official team sport. The ʻukulele is the official modern instrument and the pahu drum the official traditional one, both adopted in 2015. In 2024 the shaka, the hand sign with thumb and little finger extended, became the official state gesture, and the law describes how to make it.

Most unusual of all is the Aloha Spirit, defined by a 1986 statute. The law describes aloha through five virtues: akahai, kindness; lōkahi, unity; ʻoluʻolu, agreeableness; haʻahaʻa, humility; and ahonui, patience. It says that legislators, the governor and judges may consider the Aloha Spirit in exercising their powers.

Island by island

Since 2000 each of the eight main islands has had its own official color and flower or lei material. Hawaiʻi Island is red, with the ʻōhiʻa lehua; Maui pink, with the lokelani rose; Oʻahu golden yellow, with the ʻilima; Kauaʻi purple, with the mokihana; Molokaʻi green, with the kukui blossom; Lānaʻi orange, with the kaunaʻoa; Niʻihau white, with its pūpū shells; and Kahoʻolawe gray, with the hinahina.

The main symbols

The flag, the nēnē and the yellow hibiscus each have their own page. The state song, “Hawaiʻi Ponoʻī,” was written by King Kalākaua, with music by Henri Berger, and served as the kingdom’s anthem before it became the state song in 1967.

1 1840s 1870s 1900s 1930s 4 1 1960s 2 5 2 1990s 6 3 5 2020s
Official symbols adopted per decade. The busiest decade was the 2000s, with six.

Flag, seal, song, motto and nickname

Animals

Plants and fungi

Earth and sky

Food and drink

Songs, words and language

Culture and history

Questions about Hawaii's symbols

What is the Hawaii state fish?
The humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa, or reef triggerfish (Rhinecanthus rectangulus), adopted in 2006.
What is the Hawaii state mammal?
Hawaii has three: the Hawaiian monk seal is the state mammal (2008), the humpback whale the state marine mammal (1979) and the Hawaiian hoary bat the state land mammal (2015).
What is the Aloha Spirit law?
A 1986 law that defines the Aloha Spirit through five Hawaiian virtues, akahai, lōkahi, ʻoluʻolu, haʻahaʻa and ahonui, and says state officials and judges may consider it in their work.
Does each Hawaiian island have its own flower?
Yes. Since 2000 each of the eight main islands has an official flower or lei material and an official color. Oʻahu's flower is the ʻilima and its color golden yellow, for example, while Maui's is the lokelani and pink.
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