"It is now one o'clock."

Translation: Kani ka hola ʻekahi.

[RonRGB]

Hola ʻehia kēia? = What time is it? (or) ʻO ka hola ʻehia kēia? = What time is it?

Kani ka hola ʻekahi. = It is now one o'clock.

[rabelon]

Kani is "sound."
Kani ka hola, = "The hour sounds."
Kani ka hola 'ekahi. = "The hour 1 sounds."

[BlockedBlock]

So why isn't "one" translated to "hoʻokahi" here?

What is the reason for "hoʻokahi" not being appropriate in this case?

[sebdotedu]

"ho'okahi" typically is used more for "one" as a quantity. Here, "one" is functioning like an adjective, describing which hour of the day it is, rather than how many hours.

If you state "ho'okahi hola", it would mean "one hour". "Ka hola 'ekahi" is "one o'clock", or more literally "the first hour". Hope this helps! Aloha.