The official Hawaii abbreviation is HI, which mail carriers, shipping systems and government forms all treat as the state's standard short form. Use it on envelopes, shipping labels, online checkout pages and any form field with room for just two letters.
Unlike long names such as California or Massachusetts, Hawaii has no widely used traditional abbreviation with a period. In sentences, news stories and formal writing, the name is simply written out in full.
Quick facts
Postal code
HITraditional abbreviation
None in common use; write HawaiiNews style
Spelled out, even after a city nameHawaiian spelling
Hawaiʻi, with the ʻokina markStatehood
1959, the 50th stateNot to be confused with
IA (Iowa), ID (Idaho), IL (Illinois), IN (Indiana)
Hawaii abbreviation options at a glance
| Form | Where it belongs | Example |
|---|---|---|
| HI | Mail, forms, labels, databases | Hilo, HI 96720 |
| Hawaii | Sentences, articles, letters, signs | We moved to Maui, Hawaii, last spring. |
| Hawaiʻi | State agencies, local writing, cultural contexts | The University of Hawaiʻi |
The two capitals HI take no period and no space. Writing "H.I." or "Hi" on mail is not standard and can confuse sorting machines.
What is the abbreviation for Hawaii on an envelope?
On mail, HI sits between the city name and the five digit ZIP. The Postal Service prefers addresses in capitals with no punctuation, but normal capitals work fine.
A package label:
MALIA KAHALE
4 ALOHA LN
HONOLULU HI 96815
The code HI tells carriers the parcel is headed to the islands. Most ZIP codes in the state begin with 967 or 968.
Online checkout forms work the same way. If a drop down list shows state names, pick Hawaii; if it shows codes, pick HI.
Why style guides spell out Hawaii
Older traditional abbreviations such as Calif. or Mass. were made to save space on long names. Hawaii is only six letters, so there was little to gain. The news style most American papers follow lists Hawaii among a small group of states it never shortens, along with names like Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Ohio, Texas and Utah.
That means a reporter writes "Kailua-Kona, Hawaii" in a dateline and "a family from Hawaii" in a sentence. The code HI shows up only in addresses, charts or tables where space is tight.
Hawaii or Hawaiʻi: the spelling question
The Hawaiian language uses a mark called the ʻokina, which looks like a small backward apostrophe and marks a brief stop in the voice. In Hawaiian the name is Hawaiʻi. The state government and many local writers use this spelling, while national style guides and most forms use plain Hawaii. Both are correct; the postal code is HI either way, since the code has no punctuation.
Codes people mix up with HI
Several states start with a vowel sound or share a letter with HI, and a quick typo can send mail far away.
- HI: Hawaii. Not "HA" or "HW," which are not state codes.
- IA: Iowa, an easy flip of the I.
- ID: Idaho.
- IL: Illinois.
- IN: Indiana.
A handy check: the code pairs the opening H with the closing I of the name, not the first two letters. Every other state code appears on our state abbreviations list.
A few facts behind the code
Hawaii joined the union in 1959 as the 50th state. Its two-letter code came a few years later, when the Postal Service set up the modern codes alongside ZIP codes. The state also has its own time zone, Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time, often written HST, and it does not move its clocks for daylight saving time. That is why the time gap between Honolulu and the mainland changes during the year.
Questions people ask
What is the abbreviation for Hawaii in two letters?
It is HI. Use it in addresses and on any form that asks for a two-letter state code.
Is Hawaii abbreviated HA or HW?
Neither. The only official code is HI. HA and HW are not assigned to any state.
Does Hawaii have a traditional abbreviation like Calif. or Fla.?
Not one in common use. Style guides write the name out in full in sentences and use HI only in addresses.
Should I write Hawaii or Hawaiʻi?
Both are accepted. Hawaiʻi, with the ʻokina, follows the Hawaiian language and is used by the state; Hawaii is the common form in national writing and on forms.
What does HST mean for Hawaii?
HST stands for Hawaii Standard Time, part of the Hawaii-Aleutian time zone. Hawaii stays on standard time all year.