Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
spoken by approximately 8,000 people, not counting the tens of thousands of locals who
pepper their daily speech with intermittent Hawaiian words.
While English is the official language of tourism and daily life, the following list
provides a basic vocabulary of words you are likely to hear. You might even discover
some Hawaiian words that are so perfectly expressive they'll become regular parts of your
vocabulary.
'a'a:
rough clinker lava; 'A'a has become the correct geological term to describe this type
of lava found anywhere in the world.
'ae:
yes
ahupua'a:
pie-shaped land divisions running from mountain to sea that were governed by
konohiki,
local
ali'i
who owed their allegiance to a reigning chief
aikane:
friend; pal; buddy
'aina:
land; the binding spirit to all Hawaiians. Love of the land is paramount in traditional
Hawaiian beliefs.
akamai:
smart; clever; wise
akua:
a god, or divine
ali'i:
a Hawaiian chief or noble
aloha:
the most common greeting in the islands; can mean both hello and good-bye, wel-
come and farewell. It can also mean romantic love, affection, or best wishes.
anuenue:
rainbow
'a'ole:
no
'aumakua:
a personal or family god, often an ancestral spirit
auwe:
alas; ouch! When a great chief or loved one died, it was a traditional wail of mourn-
ing.
halakahiki:
pineapple
halau:
school, as in hula school
hale:
house or building; often combined with other words to name a specific place, such
as Haleakala (House of the Sun).
hana:
work; combined with
pau
means end of work or quitting time
hanai:
literally “to feed.” Part of the true aloha spirit. A
hanai
is a permanent guest, or an
adopted family member, usually an old person or a child. This is an enduring cultural
phenomenon in Hawai'i, in which a child from one family (perhaps that of a brother or
sister, and quite often one's grandchild) is raised as one's own without formal adoption.
haole:
a word that at one time meant foreigner, but which now means a white person or
Caucasian
hapa:
half, as in a mixed-blooded person being referred to as
hapa haole
