also: ほうい · ほおい · ほほい
interjection
hey!; over here!
Used to call out to someone far away, like shouting 'hey!' or 'over here!' to get attention.
ほーい、そこの君、ちょっと待って！
Hey, you over there, wait a moment!
山で迷子になったとき、「ほーい」と叫んだ。
When I got lost in the mountains, I shouted 'over here!'
interjection
Only with reading ほーい / ほうい / ほおい
Casual, familiar acknowledgment like 'OK', 'gotcha', or 'yep'. Used in informal conversation.
「これ、やっといて」「ほーい」
"Do this for me." "Gotcha."
「明日集合ね」「ほーい、わかった」
"We're meeting tomorrow, right?" "Yep, got it."
The origin is uncertain; it is likely a natural exclamation or variation of おーい or ほい.