# Have you ever heard of Wawawai?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-wawawai/581651>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [May 12, 2011, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-wawawai/581651 "2011-05-12T13:54:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-wawawai/581651/21 "2011-05-13T10:02:38Z")

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> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#):
>
> That’s a Polynesian derivative of the word “crudite”. It means tapa root/coconut meat combo platter.

Ah, the [PuPu platter!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pu_pu_platter#In_Hawaiian_cuisine)

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**Author:** ![Lucky\_13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucky_13/32/13209_2.png) [@Lucky\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_13)\
**Post date:** [May 14, 2011, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-wawawai/581651/22 "2011-05-14T05:52:58Z")

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It makes me think of a variety show from the Philippines I saw years ago called something like"Wow Wow Wee." I think I would have enjoyed it more if I spoke Tagalog.

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**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-wawawai/581651/23 "2011-05-16T09:11:47Z")

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Rats! Came here too late, since **Knorf** already answered the question. But I knew about this place. Didn’t know the pronunciation, so it’s probably best that he answered it after all.

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**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2011, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-wawawai/581651/24 "2011-05-16T10:07:54Z")

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> [@Knorf](#):
>
> Not only do I know it, I am familiar enough to get sick of people pronouncing it incorrectly.
> 
> It’s “wa-WA-wee.”
> 
> (It’s a name from the Nez Perce, if I recall correctly.)
> 
> The common mis-pronunciation which has become a bit too well-established is “wa-WHY.”

Huh. I would have said waWAwhy /waˈwawaɪ/. In pretty much any transliterated langurage I can think of, \<ai\> corresponds with what American English calls the long \<I\>. It’s even /aɪ/ in IPA.

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**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-heard-of-wawawai/581651/25 "2011-05-17T01:02:08Z")

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**YES!** Camping trip with friends one weekend before school started. First time I ever drank actually. 😉

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