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
…………………………………. ………………………………….

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 akun ~ 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 ~ Teacher
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.