Hawaiian Words

Hawaiian isn’t too hard to pronounce if you know the rules. First, each syllable is either a vowel by itself or a vowel and a consonant. Example – aka is pronounced ah-kah… There are some glottal stops that change the meaning and pronunciation, but I'll try to just give you a few easy ones.

You can break down the words just by combining the consonant with the vowel and if there is a vowel left over, pronounce it by itself. So that famous State fish of Hawaii? Humuhumunukunukuapua’a is pronounced:
Hu•mu•hu•mu•nu•ku•nu•ku•a•pu•a’•a
(or - Hoo moo hoo moo noo koo noo koo ah poo ah ah)

And – you need to know how the vowels are pronounced.
We do our vowels a little differently:

Vowel Pronunciation
a ah
i ee
u oo
e eh
o oh

You will also notice that there are fewer consonants. No b, c, d, f, g, j, q, r, s, t, v, x or y --- the W is sometimes pronounced as a ‘v’. You will hear Hawai’i pronounced Hah vah ee sometimes.

Hawaiian English
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A Hui Hou Till we meet again

Malama Pono                    Take good care
Aloha me pumehana        Warm love
Kinaole                              Do it right the first time, every time, in the right way

E Piha Keia La Mea
Ke Aloha Ame Ka Pono      May Your Day be Filled with Love and Goodness

Hau`oli La Hanau               Happy Birthday
Hau`oli Makahiki Hou        Happy New Year
Mele Kalikimaka                 Merry Christmas

`Ae        Yes
Ahiahi        Evening
Aia i hea?        Where?
`Aina        Land
Akamai        Knowledgeable
`Akau        North
Aku        Away from me (directional)
Ali`i        Hawaiian royalty
Aloalo        Hibiscus
Aloha        Greetings, hello, good-bye, affection, love
`A`ole        No
`Apopo        Tomorrow
A`u        Swordfish, marlin
Auinala        Afternoon
`Aumakua        Family god
Awa        Passage, channel, harbor
Awakea        Noon
Ha`aha`a        Humbleness
Ha`awina        Lesson
Hala        Pandanus tree
Hala-kahiki        Pineapple
Halau        School
Hale        House
Haleakala        House of the rising sun
Hana        Activity, labor
Hana hou        to do it again
Hanai        Informally Adopted child or person
Hanau        To give birth
Hapa        Part, a portion
Hapai        To carry; pregnant
Hau        A Hawaiian hibiscus; used as natural fencing
Haumana        Student
Hau`oli        Happy
He aha        What
Heiau        Hawaiian worship site
Hele        To go, to come
Hele aku        Go away
Hele mai        Come here
Helu        Number
Hikina        East
Himeni        Hymn

Hoaloha        Friend
Hola        Hour
Holoholo        to go somewhere , to walk around

Honu        Turtle
Ho`okipa        To extend hospitality
Ho`okupu        Gift from the land
Ho`olaule`       a Celebration
Ho`olele        To embark
Ho`olohe T       o listen
Ho’omalimali        to schmooze
Ho`oninau        To ask
Ho`oponopono To set things right, amend, rectify
Hou        New, again
Hui        Organization
Hula        Dance
`Ilio        Dog
Imu        Cooking pit/ underground oven
Ipo        Lover, boy/ girlfriend
Iwi        Bones
Kahakai        Beach
Kahawai        Stream
Kaho`olawe        The act of taking
Kahu        pastor
Ka`i        to walk/ lead
Kai        Ocean
Kaikamahine        Daughter
Kaikunane        Brother
Kaikuahine        Sister
Kako`o        Apprentice
Kakou        Us

Kalani        Chief
Kalua        To bake in a ground oven
Kalo        Taro
Kama`aina        Native-born
Kanaka        Human
Kanaka maoli        Native Hawaiian
Kane        Man
Kapu        Forbidden, sacred, taboo, no trespassing
Kau kau        Food (actually this is a Chinese word, but is used frequently in Hawaii)

Ke Akua        God
Keia la        Today
Keiki        Child
Keiki        kane Son
Kekoa        Warrior
Kekona        Second (fraction of a minute)
Kela 'apopo        Tomorrow
Kokua        Help
Kona        Leeward, from the South
Ko`olau        Windward, from the North
Kukakuka        Let's talk story
Kukui        Candlenut tree
Kula        School
Kuleana        Right, claim, property, interest, responsibility
Kumu T       eacher
Kupuna        Elder, ancestor
Ku’uipo        Sweetheart
La hanau        Birthday
Lanai        Porch, patio
Lani        Heaven
Laulima        To work together
Lomi lomi        Traditional Hawaiian massage
Lono        Deity of agriculture, peace
Lua        Hole with a bottom, crater, also bathroom
Mahalo        Thank you
Mahina        Moon, month
Mahinahina        Feminine-like
Mai        To come
Maika`i        Good
Maka        Eyes
Makahiki        Hou New Year
Makai        Ocean-side
Makamaka        Colleague
Makana        Gift
Makani        Wind
Make        Dead
Makemake        Miss, desire
Makua        Parent
Makuahine        Mother
Malama        To care for, preserve
Malihini        Visitor
Mana        Spiritual power
Mana`o        Thought, belief
Mano        Shark
Ma uka        Toward the mountain
Mele        Chant, song
Menehune        Mythological Hawaiian elf
Moa        Chicken
Moana        Ocean
Moe moe        Sleep
Moku        Island
Mo`olelo        History, tradition, journal
Na        The (Plural)
Nai`a        Dolphin
Nani        Beautiful
Nui        Big, large
`Ohana        Family, relative
`Olelo        Words, to speak
Oli        Chant
`Olu `olu        Please
Ono        A large mackerel type fish
`Ono        Delicious
Pali        Cliff
Paniolo        Cowboy, cowgirl
Pau        Finished, complete, over, after

Pilikia        Trouble
Pilikua        Husband (that's why we say the only difference between husband and trouble is "i" and "u")
Po        Night
Pohaku        Rock
Poho        Out of luck, damaged, lost
Pokani        Dark, star-less night
Pono        Moral, upright, excellence, in balance
Pua        Flower
Pueo        Owl
Puka        Hole, perforation
Pule        Prayer
Pumehana        Warmth, affection
Ua        Rain
`Uhane        Spirit, ghost
`Uku        Flea (that instrument you hear about - ‘uku lele means “dancing flea”)
Wahine        Woman
Wiki        Quick, fast (the new WikiPedia that you find online is named from this word)

Source: Hawaiian Dictionary, Revised Edition, 1986. University of Hawaii Press

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Ua mau ke ea o ka `aina i ka pono. The life of the land is preserved in righteousness.
Motto of Hawai`i.


`Onipa`a Stand firm.
Motto of Queen Lili`uokalani.