Hawaii - Wikipedia Hawaii ( hə ˈwaɪ i ⓘ hə-WY-ee; [11] Hawaiian: Hawaiʻi [hə ˈvɐj ʔi, hə ˈwɐj ʔi]) is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about 2,000 miles (3,200 km) southwest of the U S mainland One of the two non-contiguous U S states (along with Alaska), it is the only state not on the North American mainland, the only state that is an archipelago, the only state