Hawaiian Language
Part of the fun and uniqueness of a Hawai‘i vacation is experiencing the wonderful diversity of culture, food and language that surround you. While you're here, listen for the melodic and metaphorical words of Hawaiian, and see if you remember a few to take home and share with your friends.
aloha (ah-loh-hah)
A word of warm greeting or farewell
‘ae (eye)
Yes. "No" would be "a‘ole" (ah-oh-lay)
hale (hah-lay)
House or enclosure. A room would be "lumi" (loo-mee)
hana hou (hah-nah hoh)
Hawaiian way of saying "encore" or "one more time!"
hula (hoo-lah)
The traditional dance form of Hawai‘i. You might see both the ancient hula kahiko (kah-hee-koh) and modern hula ‘auana (ow-ah-nah) during your visit.
iki (ee-kee)
Small or diminutive
kahuna (kah-hoo-nah)
A priest/minister; an expert in their field, profession
kama‘āina (kah-mah-eye-nah)
Used to reference long-time residents of Hawai‘i
kane (kah-nay)
A boy or man, male. You may see this word to identify restroom doors
keiki (kay-kee)
Child, children, babies
kokua (koh-koo-ah)
Help, aid, assist, support, accommodate
lānai (lah-nigh)
A patio, porch, deck/balcony
lei (lay)
One of Hawaii's most famous and beloved traditions, a garland or necklace made of flowers, leaves, shells or other items which is given to someone for a number of reasons: welcome greeting, farewell, birthday, anniversary, promotion, wedding, graduation and other special occasions
lū'au (loo-ow)
A Hawaiian feast. Also used to reference parties, gatherings, or special events
mahalo (mah-ha-loh)
An expression of thanks, gratitude, appreciation
ma kai (ma-kigh)
Heading in the direction towards the ocean (Helpful to know if you happen to ask residents for directions)
ma uka (mow-kah)
Heading in the direction towards the mountains or inland. (Helpful to know if you happen to ask residents for directions.)
mele (meh-lay)
Song or music
nui (noo-ee)
Much, greatly, a lot of something, as "Mahalo nui" or "aloha nui"
‘ohana (oh-hah-nah)
A family or a close group of people related to each other
‘olu‘olu (oh-loo oh-loo)
Please, also pleasant or pleasing
‘ono (oh-noh)
Delicious, flavorful, tasty. Used often to describe Hawaiian and other local/ethnic foods
Paniolo (pah-nee-oh-loh)
Hawaiian cowboy, from the word "espanol," as the first cowboys who came to Hawai‘i were of Spanish vaquero heritage from Mexico
pau (pow)
All finished, done, end
puka (poo-kah)
A hole that goes all the way through something
pupu (poo-poo)
An appetizer, hors d'oeuvre, snack
pu‘u (poo-oo)
Hill or prominence on the land. The word for mountain is "mauna" (mow-nah) as in Mauna Kea (white mountain)
ukulele (oo-koo-leh-lay)
A 4-stringed "mini-guitar" introduced to Hawai‘i by Europeans, literally, "jumping flea"
wahine (wah-hee-nay)
A girl or woman, female. You may see this word to identify restroom doors.
wikiwiki (wee-kee-wee-kee)
Speedy, fast, swift. Used often in terms relating to shuttle/transportation services.
Want to learn more Hawaiian words or look up the translation for English words?
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