Hawaiian Language
Learn the words of the Hawaiian islands
A hui hou Until we meet again
Aloha Love, affection; greeting, salutation; Hello! Good-bye!
E Komo Mai Welcome! Enter
Haole A foreigner; Pidgin slang – Caucasian
Hau‘oli lā Hānau Happy Birthday
Honu Turtle
Hula The dance of Hawaii
Humuhumunukunukuapua'a The unofficial State fish, A Triggerfish
Imu An underground oven you will see at a luau
Kai Sea, sea water; seaside
Kāne A man or boy
Kama‘āina Common reference for a long-time resident of Hawai'i
Keiki Child, offspring, or children
Lanai A porch, patio, or balcony
Lei A necklace given as a symbol of affection or welcome
Mahalo Thank you
Mahalo nui loa Thank you very much
Makai Toward the ocean
Mauka Inland, upland, toward the mountains
Mele Kalikimaka Merry Christmas
‘Ohana Family, relative, kin group; related
‘Ono Delicious or tasty, and also a large mackerel type of fish
‘Ōpala Garbage, trash
Poi A purple paste made from pounded taro root
Puka Hole
Pūpū Snacks or appetizers
Wahine Woman, lady
Local Pidgin expressions:
While most people from Hawaii don’t have an accent, there are a variety of words and phrases from the Hawaiian language or from a combination of languages developed during plantation days that are still frequently used today. These might leave visitors a little confused, to say the least.
Broke Da Mout A term used when talking about ono grinds… is used
when your food is so good it basically "broke your mouth."
Choke A slang term that means "a lot of something."
Da kine Often used as a placeholder word with no true definition,
da kine is often used as the English equivalent to
whatchamacallit or that thing we were talking about.
Grindz Food
Howzit Essentially means, "what's up" or "how's it going?"
Ono Means delicious when referring to food
No can Quite literally, "I can’t.": it’s not possible, cannot.