Glossary of Common Hawaiian Vocabulary Commonly Used Words in Hawaiian HAWAIIAN WORD ‘a‘ā ‘ae ahupua‘a ‘āina akamai akua ala ali‘i aloha ‘a‘ole ‘au‘au ‘aumakua ‘aumākua hālau hale hana hānai haole hapa hapa haole heiau hele hoaaloha ho‘olaule‘a hō‘ike hōkū holoholo honu hula hula ‘auana hula kahiko hulihuli humuhumunukunukuāpua‘a
MEANING A type of sharp jagged lava rock (in contrast to pāhoehoe) Yes; to say yes Land division usually extending from the uplands to the sea Land, earth; especially Hawaiian ancestral land Smart, clever, intelligent God, goddess Path, road, trail Chief, chiefess, noble; royal, aristocratic Love, affection; greeting, salutation; Hello! Good-‐bye! No, not To bathe Ancestral spirit, family or personal god (unique singular form) Family or personal gods (unique plural form) Traditional hula school; long house for canoes House, building Work, job, labor A child adopted according to Hawaiian traditions; to raise, rear, feed, adopt A non-‐Native Hawaiian, especially those of Caucasian ancestry (a sensitive word, however, not derogatory) Part, half; a reference to those of mixed ancestry A person of mixed Native Hawaiian and Caucasian ancestry; also a type of music mixing Hawaiian and English lyrics Pre-‐Christian place of worship To go Friend, companion Celebration To show; a show Star To travel around for enjoyment; also used as a reference for fishing Turtle The dance of Hawai‘i Modern hula; informal without ceremony or offering; accompanied by singing and the playing of stringed instruments such as the ‘ukulele Traditional hula, performed to chants and accompanied by percussion instruments Rotisserie or “end-‐over-‐end,” as in chicken cooked this way The State fish; a type of triggerfish
i‘a imu kahakō kahu kai kālā kama‘āina kamali‘i kāne kanikapila kapa kapu keiki Kepanī koa kōkua kolohe kuleana kumu kupuna kūpuna lānai lani laulima lei lo‘i lōkahi lū‘au ma‘ema‘e mahalo maika‘i ma kai makana makua mākua mālama malihini mana‘o manapua manini manō
Fish or any marine animal, as eel, oyster, crab, whale An underground oven, as often seen at lū‘au A macron indicating a long vowel sound in Hawaiian language Guardian, caretaker; pastor Sea, sea water; seaward direction Money, dollar Native-‐born; acquainted, familiar; commonly refers to a long-‐time resident of Hawai‘i Little children Male A Pidgin reference to a musical jam session (literally in Hawaiian “let the instruments sound”) A blanket including quilts; often used in Hawai‘i Creole English to refer to bark cloth made from wauke or māmaki plants Sacred, taboo, forbidden; no trespassing Child, offspring A person of Japanese ancestry Warrior; a native tree with wood used to build canoes and other valuable items Help, aid, assistance, relief Mischievous, naughty Responsibility; privilege; a traditional land holdings of Native Hawaiians Teacher Grandparent, ancestor (unique singular form) Grandparents, ancestors (unique plural form) Porch, patio, or balcony Sky, the heavens; also used to refer to ali‘i (chiefs) Cooperation Flowers, leaves, shells, or feathers that are strung and/or entwined and given as a symbol of affection Taro patch; irrigated terrace, especially for taro Unity, agreement, harmony Hawaiian feast; edible young leaves of the taro plant Clean, pure, attractive, chaste; cleanliness, purity Thanks, gratitude, respect Excellent Toward the ocean, towards the sea A gift, present Parent, any relative of the parents’ generation (unique singular form) Parents, any relatives of the parents’ generation (unique plural form) To take care of, preserve, protect, maintain A newcomer, visitor; new, unfamiliar, of foreign origin Thought, idea, belief, opinion Chinese pork bun (derived from mea‘ono pua‘a meaning “pork cake”) A type of fish; also a slang term for stingy and small Shark
manu manuahi ma uka mele menehune moana moku mo‘o mo‘opuna nalu nani niu nui ‘ohana ‘okina ‘ōlelo ‘ōlelo pa‘i‘ai oli ono ‘ono ‘ōpala ‘ōpū pāhoehoe Pākē pali paniolo pau pilikia Pilipino pōhaku pōmaika`i pū pua‘a Pukikī pule pūpū u‘i wa‘a wahine wāhine wai wikiwiki
Bird Free, gratis Inland, upland, toward the mountains Chant or melodic song for hula dancing; poem, poetry In Hawaiian oral literature, a race of small people who are believed to work during the night building roads, fishponds, and temples Ocean A district of an island; a small offshore island; also; poetic reference to large islands Lizard; supernatural dragon-‐like water spirit Grandchild Wave, surf Beautiful, pretty Coconut Big, large, great, or important Family, kin group, relative Symbol representing the glottal stop in Hawaiian language; only used in front of vowels Language, speech; to speak, say, tell, converse; oral, verbal Hawaiian for "Pidgin,” the language linguists call Hawai'i Creole English; also the broken Hawaiian from which Pidgin developed Chant; especially with prolonged phrases chanted in one breath A type of fish Delicious, tasty, savory; to relish, crave Garbage, trash Stomach, abdomen Smooth, ropey lava (in contrast to ‘a‘ā) A person of Chinese ancestry Cliff, a steep hill or slope Hawaiian cowboy Finished, ended, all done Troubles, nuisance, difficulty A person of Filipino ancestry Stone, rock Good fortune, blessing Conch shell instrument similar to a trumpet Pig, boar A person of Portuguese ancestry Prayer, incantation, blessing, grace; to pray, worship, ask for a blessing Mollusk, shell Handsome, pretty, beautiful Canoe Female, woman, lady (unique singular form) Females, women, ladies (unique plural form) Water, usually fresh water Fast or speedy
Common Hawaiian Phrases HAWAIIAN PHRASE Aloha A hui hou Aloha Kakahiaka Aloha ‘auinalā Aloha ahiahi Aloha ‘āina Aloha au iā ‘oe Aloha nui loa Pehea ‘oe? Maika‘i nō au Mahalo Mahalo nui loa ‘A‘ole pilikia E komo mai Hana hou Hau‘oli Hau‘oli Lā Hānau Hau‘oli Makahiki Hou Mele Kalikimaka Mele Kalikimaka a Hau‘oli Makahiki Hou
MEANING Hello, goodbye, love Unit we meet again, goodbye Good morning Good afternoon Good evening Love of the land; demonstrated through nurturing and care I love you (referring to you singular) Very much love How are you? I am fine Thank you Thank you very much You’re welcome, no problem Welcome! Enter Encore, do it again Happy, glad, joy Happy Birthday Happy New Year Merry Christmas Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Hawaiian Foods HAWAIIAN FOOD haupia kalo kālua pig laulau
limu lomi salmon lū‘au pa‘i‘ai poi poke pūpū squid lū‘au
DESCRIPTION A dessert similar to jello made with coconut milk Taro, a kind of aroid cultivated for food Pork cooked in an imu (underground oven) A traditional Hawaiian dish containing pork, beef, salted fish, and taro leaves, which is wrapped in tī leaves and is either cooked in an imu or steamed Seaweed A Hawaiian dish made of tomatoes, onions, and salmon The edible leaves of the taro plant as used in laulau and in squid lū‘au Poi in its undiluted form The Hawaiian staple food; made from cooked taro, pounded into pa‘i‘ai, then thinned with water A Hawaiian dish made of raw cubed fish and seasonings; eaten as an appetizer Snacks, appetizers, hors d’oeuvres A dish made from octopus (called “squid” in Pidgin), coconut milk, and lū‘au (taro leaves).
Basic Numerical Terms
Major Airport Cities ISLAND O‘ahu Maui Hawai‘i Kaua‘i Moloka‘i Lāna‘i
AIRPORT CITY Honolulu (HNL) Kahului (OGG) Hilo (ITO), Kona (KOA) Līhu‘e (LIH) Ho‘olehua (MKK) Lāna‘i City (LNY)
NUMBER One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten
Hawaiian Channels CHANNEL NAME ‘Alenuihāhā ‘Alalākeiki ‘Au‘au Pailolo Kalohi Kaiwi (Moloka‘i Channel) Kaulakahi Ka‘ie‘ie Waho
LOCATED BETWEEN Hawai‘i Island and Maui Kaho‘olawe and Maui Lāna‘i and Maui Moloka‘i and Maui Lāna‘i and Moloka‘i O‘ahu and Moloka‘i Ni‘ihau and Kaua‘i Kaua‘i and O‘ahu
Ali‘i Names ALI‘I Pai‘ea Liholiho Kauikeaouli Alexander Liholiho Lot Kapuāiwa William Charles Lunalilo David Kalākaua Lydia Kamaka‘eha
MONARCH Kamehameha I Kamehameha II Kamehameha III Kamehameha IV Kamehameha V King Lunalilo King Kalākaua Queen Lili‘uokalani
Calendar Terms DAY Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday MONTH January February March April May June July August September October November December
HAWAIIAN TERM ‘Ekahi ‘Elua ‘Ekolu ‘Ehā ‘Elima ‘Eono ‘Ehiku ‘Ewalu ‘Eiwa ‘Umi
HAWAIIAN TERM Lāpule Po‘akahi Po‘alua Po‘akolu Po‘ahā Po‘alima Po‘aono HAWAIIAN TERM Ianuali Pepeluali Malaki ‘Apelila Mei Iune Iulai ‘Aukake Kepakemapa ‘Okakopa Nowemapa Kekemapa
General Island Place Names HAWAI‘I Hilo Kohala Ka‘ū Puakō
KAHO‘OLAWE Hakioawa Kanapou Kaulana Kūheia
MAUI Hāna ‘Īao Kahului Lahaina
LĀNA‘I Kānepu‘u Kaunolū Kō‘ele Mānele
MOLOKA‘I Ho‘olehua Kalaupapa Kaunakakai Mo‘omomi
O‘AHU Honolulu Kailua Waikīkī Hale‘iwa
Also Known As HAWAIIAN NAME Mokuola ‘Ohe‘o Kaiolohia Keahiakawelo (The Fire of Kawelo) Kumimi ‘Ehukai Lē‘ahi Mānana Mokoli‘i Island Moku‘ume‘ume Makana
ALSO KNOWN AS Coconut Island Seven Sacred Pools Shipwreck Beach Garden of the Gods 20 Mile Beach Pipeline Diamond Head Rabbit Island Chinaman’s Hat Ford Island Bali Hai
ISLAND Hawai‘i Maui Lāna‘i Moloka‘i O‘ahu Kaua‘i
KAUA‘I Hanalei Kapa‘a Kekaha Līhu‘e
NI‘IHAU Keawanui Ki‘eki‘e Pāhau Pu‘uwai
