A Short Lesson in Hawaiian!

Want to learn a bit of Hawaiian because you are visiting, or are lucky enough to live in the Islands? It really isn't difficult to acquire at least a nodding acquaintance with a language that ties in so graphically to Hawaiian culture and heritage. Here are a few basic rules and a word list designed to help you with the pronunciation and meaning of place names and frequently-used phrases.


First of all, if you know any Spanish, Hawaiian will seem easier to pronounce because of the similarity in vowel sounds. We can glibly rattle off the vowels in English...a,e,i,o,u...but the Hawaiian equivalents are:

• a like in father
• e like in set
• i like in ee in see
• o like the o in pole
• u like in oo of moon

Now, there are variations on the above themes when there are accents or other diacritical markings, but you won't go too far wrong with the rules above. Take the word 'aloha. ' It is easy to learn the pronunciation of 'a' and 'o' by saying this lovely Hawaiian word that means hello, goodbye, peace, and love, all rolled up together. 'Aloha nui loa (new ee low a)' expands on the theme, 'nui' meaning' much, great' and' loa' meaning 'very. ' If you sign your letters with "love", or "affectionately", try using the Hawaiian phrase Aloha Nui Loa instead...Very Much Aloha.

Mahalo, 'meaning'Thank you,' should be another familiar word. You will hear that word on flights to and from the Islands, in many stores as you pay for purchases, and on all the occasions when that response is in order. Have you wondered what people meant when they asked you if you were 'pau'? That's Hawaiian for 'done,' or 'finished. ' It's a tricky word, however, that has four different spellings with as many meanings. Note that the word meaning 'done' has no diacritical markings and all the letters are together. It sounds like "pow."

'Mele Kalikimaka 'and 'Hauoli Makahiki Hou' are the equivalents of 'Merry Christmas' and 'Happy New Year, 'greetings you should know if you are in Hawaii for these holidays. Remember to pronounce every single vowel, and don't run any together. The accent or stress is generally on the second to last syllable unless otherwise accented.

Place names are usually difficult for newcomers unless they apply the simple rules given above. There are some really long titles but they will become simple to pronounce if you concentrate on those vowels and the stressed syllable. Let's look at the name for a popular tourist attraction, 'Place of Refuge National Park ' in Honaunau. The Hawaiian name is 'Pu'uhonua O Honaunau. Pu'u = poo oo. Nau = now.

Here are a few more tips. Restrooms often have the Hawaiian equivalent of 'Men' and 'Women' on the doors. Best to learn that the gentlemen use the one marked 'Kanes' and the ladies head for the one marked 'Wahines.' When getting directions, you may hear someone say 'mauka 'or 'makai.' The first, means toward the mountains and the second means on the ocean side. What better way to describe places on an island!

Good luck with your new language skills. Don't be afraid to try them out. Hawaiians and others who are fortunate enough to have lived here a while appreciate the attempt to establish communication in the first language spoken in these beautiful islands of Hawaii.

Visit the Ulukau Hawaiian Dictionary

Mahalo to my friend Aurora for providing us with this lesson in Hawaiian.
-Konabob

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