In Hawaii, the term “hapa” encompasses all persons of equally mixed race. I am half Japanese & half Caucasian. My father is of Japanese ancestry and my mother is of European ancestry. This is a very common occurrence in Hawaii.
It has been very interesting for me to encounter a different response to being “hapa”, here in Okinawa. First of all, most people do not recognize that I am half Japanese. When I share this information, there is an assumption that “Japanese” refers to Japanese nationality. Whereas in Hawaii, “Japanese” refers to Japanese ethnicity. It is also very uncommon for children with bi-cultural parents to have a Japanese father and Caucasian mother. Usually, the mother is Japanese and the father is Caucasian.
ChanomiTalk 
Do you know if the word “Hapa” is an Hawaiian word?
I thought that the word was originated from a Japanese word “hanpa”, meaning being incomplete or not full. But, I’m not sure.
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Yes, it is a Hawaiian word.
[Hawaiian Dictionary(Hwn to Eng)]
hapa
1. nvs. Portion, fragment, part, fraction, installment; to be partial, less. (Eng. half.) Cf. hapahā, hapalua, etc. Ka ʻike hapa, limited knowledge. Ua hapa nā hae, the flags are at half-mast. hoʻo.hapa To lessen, diminish.
2. nvs. Of mixed blood, person of mixed blood, as hapa Hawaiʻi, part Hawaiian. See hapa haole.
3. n. A-minor in music. See lele 7.
It’s interesting to see the similarities with the Japanese language.
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