My experience? Ask ten language experts the same question and you'll get at least five answers.... But, here are my two cents.
Others are correct by posting that the
word, "hapa", is only the first part of the original, "hapa haole" -- a term that is mostly misunderstood and subsequently, mistranslated.
Firstly, "hapa" is not a Hawaiian
word; it is the Hawaiian pronunciation of the English
word, "half". There are only a few consonants in the Hawaiian language and they do not include "
f." Secondly, the
word, "haole (which is a Hawaiian
word)" translates to "foreign" -- not necessarily "Caucasian". If one were to be called, "hafu gaijin" in Japan that would carry an almost identical meaning: "half-foreign". Yes, language evolves and meanings change but -- strictly speaking -- anyone who is not Hawaiian is "haole". Even
Asians.