In the Hawaiian language and in Hawaiian Pidgin, a hapa is an individual of mixed ancestry, especially someone born in Hawaii. Used without qualification, it is often taken to mean "part-Hawaiian, part white". In the Hawaiian language, it can also simply mean half, part, or fragment.

Hapa can also be used as an adjective to describe anyone of mixed racial heritage. Another term used in the Hawaiian islands for someone of very mixed racial heritage is "chop suey". (This word was once common, but is less used these days.) Both terms are used descriptively and few Hawaiians consider them as slurs.

The word "hapa" is now used in the mainland United States to describe a person of partial Asian ethnicity. However, some Native Hawaiians dispute this usage, claiming that the word should only be used to describe people of partial Hawaiian ancestry.

The terms haole and popolo are often used as racial or ethnic slurs, sometimes descriptively. One should be careful using these terms.

Hapa-haole can also be used to describe anything hybrid. One common use is as the name of a type of Hawaiian music. The tune and styling are typically Hawaiian, but the lyrics are in English, or mostly in English.

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