Word

Hiamoe means sleep. Don’t confuse it with the Hawaiʻi creole English word, moe moe, which is used to mean "sleep" in that pidgin language. Moe moe in Hawaiian means "to lie in ambush or to lurk."

Kīkākila comes from two English words. Kīkā comes from the English word "guitar." Kila is from the English word "steel." Put them together and you get the Hawaiian word for steel guitar.

ʻŌlelo means language, speech, statement, utterance, term, tidings or to speak, tell, say, talk. The Hawaiian language is the ʻōlelo of Hawaiʻi.

Another popular Hawaiian place name that is often mispronounced is Nānākuli. It has stresses on both the first and second syllables. It is that beautiful place on leeward Oʻahu and it means “look” (Nānā) “at me” (kuli).

Mokuʻāina means state, as in the United States.

Our Hawaiian Word of the Day is mokupuni. It means island, from the word moku which means “cut or severed,” and puni which means “surrounded.” So it's a piece of land cut off and surrounded by water. It is commonly used even in English conversation.

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.”

Most of us are familiar with many Hawaiian terms for family members, but don't often use hoahānau, a good Hawaiian word for those born of the same generation. It combines hoa for “companion, friend, partner, or mate,” with hānau for “birth.” Hoahānau can be used for cousin, and comes in pretty handy in Hawaiʻi where we have large families – a nui na hoahānau.

We often hear haole, meaning white person, in a negative connotation, but it is a perfectly good word, and used often in Hawaiian and English conversation. It means foreign, introduced, of foreign origin, or foreign introduction, as plants, pigs, chickens, yes, even people. So in Hawaiian, anyone or anything that is not native to Hawaiʻi is haole, such as koa haole for the foreign scrub brush koa, or ʻāina haole for a foreign land.

Kōkua is one of the Hawaiian words most frequently used in English conversation, but it's often mispronounced. Write it down and put a kahakō or stress mark over the first vowel, then say it aloud. It means help, aid, assistance, relief, assistant, helper, and more.

Poeko means “fluent.” There are not many people who are truly poeko in the Hawaiian language, but the number is increasing. You don't have to be Hawaiian to be poeko in Hawaiian and you don't have to be a native speaker. Many who are poeko have learned Hawaiian as a second language.

Our Hawaiian word for today is lawa, enough. You might hear it from a hula dancer who wants to end the song right then and there, and who tells the singer, “Lawa, enough already.” Or “aʻohe lawa ka Manawa” – “there is not enough time.”

Peʻa means a cross, or to cross. That's just one meaning, and there are many. But think of it when you make an “x” on the paper in a game of tic-tac-toe – that's a peʻa.

Our Hawaiian word for today is kāpae, meaning to throw out, discard. Before you kāpae your old clothing, think about others who might be able to use them. Perhaps you could give them to someone, or to the Salvation Army or Goodwill industries.

Paleʻili is another word for what we used to call a palule-t (a T-shirt). Since so many of us wear t-shirts, it should come in handy.

Wili which means “to wind, twist, crank, screw,” is a word you often hear with regard to leis. And it is but one method of making leis.

Lehiwa means “admirable, attractive, to admire.” It's a beautiful word to know, to use, and to hear. Try it: kuʻu pua lehiwa – my lovely blossom.

Hoʻomākaʻikaʻi means to escort or take someone on a tour, like we often do for visiting friends.

Kula kamaliʻi is how we say pre-school in Hawaiian. Kula means “school,” and kamaliʻi means “children.” Although it literally means small child, kamaliʻi is a word used only in plural form. Remember, in Hawaiian the modifier follows the noun.

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.