Huakaʻi is Hawaiian for trip, voyage, journey, mission, procession, even a parade. It doesn't have to be a long voyage or flight. A trip to Maui is a huakaʻi, just as a trip to Japan is a huakaʻi. Next time you plan a trip, call it a huakaʻi.
Akahele means “slow or moderate, cautious, prudent.” So when someone tells you “e akahele ʻoe” it means “be careful.” Be careful when you are driving this holiday.
Hiapo means first born. It is used often in Hawaiian to describe the eldest child, the first born. Like many cultures, there is a special significance attached to being the first born, or hiapo, in a Hawaiian family.
Our Hawaiian Word of the Day is mana. Mana means “supernatural, or divine power, miraculous power, authority.” We often talk about people who have special mana, or powers. A leo mana is a voice of authority that is obeyed.
Almost everyone knows that a doorway is a puka. But how do you say door? Try pani puka. Pani puka is the thing that closes, blocks, or covers an opening. Puka is the doorway, ke pani puka is the door itself.
Our Hawaiian word for today is kēhau for “dew.” Kēhau is often seen on the grass in the higher elevations, and the word kēhau comes up often in Hawaiian songs and chants. Kēhau is also a popular given name.
Our Hawaiian word for today is a famous Kauaʻi place name, Waiʻaleʻale. It means “rippling, or overflowing water.” Waiʻaleʻale is the highest mountain on Kauaʻi, and boasts an annual rainfall of more than 475 inches a year.
Hemolele most often heard in conjunction with things religious, means “perfect, faultless, flawless, holy, immaculate, saintly.” As in ka ʻUhane Hemolele, the Holy Spirit.
Nui means “big, greatest, grand, important.” As in aliʻi nui. Hale nui would be a big house. And mea nui would be an important thing. Used as an adjective it follows the noun. It can also mean “many or a group.”
While you most often hear Palani as the Hawaiian transliteration of the name Frank or Frances. It also means France or French. We don't have a lot of Palani in Hawaiʻi, but there are many in Tahiti.
Kiʻi means “picture, a photo, a doll, statue, any image.” It also means “to fetch something” and both are common usage. Such as E kiʻi ʻoe ke kiʻi – fetch the picture.
As most of you know, hapa means “half,” and nui means “larger.” So hapanui, the “larger half,” means majority. Non-Hawaiians account for more than half of the people of Hawaiʻi, so they are the hapanui.
If you listen to the weather forecasts, you will often hear the name ʻAlenuihāhā, our Hawaiian word for today. It is the name of the channel between Hawaiʻi and Maui, and is often mispronounced. It means “great billows smashing.”
One of the Hawaiian words first learned by most non-Hawaiians is wahine for “woman.” Kāne for “man” and wahine for “woman” are often painted on restroom doors. It also means “lady, wife, female, queen in a deck of cards” and even femininity.
Our Hawaiian word for today is ʻAuina lā. ʻAuina means “descending” and lā means “sun.” So the afternoon when the sun is setting is called the ʻauina lā. Aloha ʻauina lā is a good afternoon greeting.
Our Hawaiian Word of the Day is waiū, for “milk.” Literally, it means “breast liquid” and can also be used to mean “breast.” Waiū that's “milk” in Hawaiian.
We used to see so many signs that read “kapu” that people joked about Kapu being a Hawaiian who owned all that land. Actually, kapu, means taboo, prohibition, or even sacredness, or forbidden. And yes, on those signs it has come to mean “keep out.”
Kulanui literally means “big school.” Kulanui once meant “high school,” but today a kulanui is a university or college. The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is ke kulanui o Hawaiʻi ma Mānoa.
Our Hawaiian word for today is another borrowed word, kepakemapa. And yes, it’s the Hawaiian word for “September.” Like other names of the months, it was borrowed from English.
Nahu means to bite. And it can be the bite of anything – from an insect that bites, to the bite of a dog, or even the bite you take out of a piece of cake.
ʻOno is another of those very frequently used Hawaiian word understood by most people, even those who do not speak the language. ʻOno means delicious. Be sure to start it with that glottal stop, because ono without the glottal stop, is the popular and tasty fish known in English as the wahoo.
Kahakai means beach, sea shore, sea coast, seaside, or strand. Ke kahakai o waikīkī is Waikīkī Beach, but it works just as well as a generic term: e helekako i kahakai – let's go to the beach.
Poʻe means people, persons, even an entire population. The Hawaiian people are called kapoʻe Hawaiʻi. Poʻe can also be used as a plural marker when talking about people, as in kaʻu poʻe keiki – my children.
The muʻumuʻu is often called the “Mother Hubbard” or loose-fitting dress. Don't confuse it with mumu which is a thud-like sound. The dress is a muʻumuʻu.
Most people know the ipu is a musical instrument made out of a gourd. But ipu is a general word for any type of container such as a dish, mug, calabash, pot, cup, bowl, basin, or even a utensil. Ipu is a very handy word to know.
