thumb|Flowers arranged to make the word aloha thumb|A license plate from Hawaii bearing the word aloha Aloha ( , Hawaiian: [əˈlohə]) is the Hawaiian word for love, affection, peace, compassion and mercy, that is commonly used as a greeting. It can be used to welcome or bid farewell to someone also. It has a deeper cultural and spiritual significance for native Hawaiians, who use the term to define a force that holds together existence.