pupu

noun

pu·​pu ˈpü-ˌpü 

variants or less commonly pūpū

plural pupu or pupus also pūpū or pūpūs

: an hors d'oeuvre served especially in Hawaiian and Chinese American restaurants sometimes in an assortment sold as a single menu item

… a colorful buffet of savory pupus and tasty sweets.

—Léo Azambuja

… offering seafood, pupu … and mounds of glorious poke.

—The Honolulu Advertiser

The pupus: … two tangy chicken yakitori; four crisp, juicy and well-seasoned chicken wings; … two heavily fried shrimp; two barbecued ribs; two spring rolls and two eggs rolls.

—Monica Eng

The after-work crowd gathers here for potent margaritas and yummy pūpū.

—Fodor's Hawai'i 2005

—often used before another noun

a pupu menu

The pupu platter … includes your choice of five items. Select from mini ahi patties …, maki sushi, garlic chicken, shrimp tempura and more.

—Kelli Shiroma Braiotta

… the pupu plate …, a platter for two featuring egg rolls, fried shrimp, fried wontons …

—Jess Harter

Examples of pupu in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Guests share pupu platters and drink rum cocktails beneath the glow of colored lamps. — Tracey Teo, AJC.com, 23 July 2026

American Chinese cuisine and old school Tiki bars crashed together in 2022 at Wusong — a castle of cocktails, a vault of vintage decor, a palace of pupu platters (try the vegetarian version). — Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025

South Asian and Chinese dishes like pupu platters and Peking duck. — John Dolen, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2024

Consider the pupu platter California’s tiki bars and tiki drinks have gone in and out of style for decades. — Laurie Ochoa, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2023

The Benedetts will also offer plate lunches, poke, pupu platters as well as several vegetarian and vegan options. — Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 25 May 2023

They’ll be paired with food items that include lobster mango fritters, kalua pork tostones, Hawaiian lamb chops pupu and shrimp and scallop spring rolls. — San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 July 2022

The easy critique is to label Naugles a culinary retcon that deserves to stay in the graveyard of bad restaurant ideas, like Sambo's and pupu platters. — Gustavo Arellano, latimes.com, 10 July 2019

Word History

Etymology

Hawaiian pūpū appetizer

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above