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Many people mistakenly believe
the Hawaiian language is a primitive communication that can
express only a few ideas. However, comprehensive Hawaiian
dictionaries contain well over 26,000 entries to describe the
beauty, culture, history and geography of Hawaii. The
"Instant Hawaiian" pocket guide by Scott Burlington
indicates there are 33 ways to indicate a cloud, depending the
type of cloud you're referencing.
Would you like to know a little more about the Hawaiian
Language? Perhaps recognize or even speak a few Hawaiian
words while you're on vacation? Here are some basics:
There are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian Alphabet.
A,
E, H, I, K, L, M, N, O, P, U & W
Think that makes it easy? Think again. Well, it’s not THAT
bad. You’ll have it mastered in no time.
The consonants (H, K, L, M, N, P & W) sound pretty much
the same as in English. However, the vowels are different.
a sounds
like [ah] as
in above
[ah
buv ].
e sounds
like [eh] as
in bet
[beht
].
i sounds
like [ee] as
in be
[bee].
o sounds
like [oh] as
in obey
[oh
bei ]
u sounds
like [oo] as
in rule
[rool].
There are also elongated vowels (a vowel with a line over it,
like: é) When you see an elongated vowel, you put more emphasis
on the sound. I, O & U sound much the same, with more
emphasis. A & E have a somewhat different sound:
à Instead
of ah, as
in above, it
sounds like
[AH] or
[AW] "Ahh! This is heaven."
è Instead
of eh, as
in bet, it
sounds like
[EY] or
[AY] as in
"Hooray!"
Hawaiian words often have two vowels together in a word. This
is called a Dipthong.
Diphthong:
[pronounced dip' thong] is a
vowel sound made up of two vowel sounds pronounced together,
such as ou
in house,
oi
in noise.
As a general rule, vowels are pronounced separately EXCEPT
when they appear as
diphthongs. The
first
vowel is always emphasized, but
the two vowels are joined as
closely as in English. They
still each have a distinct sound, but
they are run together and
spoken
in a
single syllable.
"ai"
sounds like the "i"
in ice,
but you can slightly hear the “ah” before the i
"ae"
sounds like I
or eye.
You can barely hear the “eh” at the end
"ao"
sounds like "ow"
in how,
but without a nasal twang. (a-ow, run together)
"au"
sounds like the "ou"
in house
or out,
but without a nasal twang. (ah-ou, run together)
"ei"
sounds like "ei"
in chow mein
or in eight.
(eh-ee, run together)
"eu"
has no equivalent in English; "eu"
sounds like "eh-oo",
run together,
as a single syllable.
"iu"
sounds like the "ew"
in few.
(ee-oo, run together)
"oi"
sounds like the "oi"
in voice
or boy
(oh-ee)
"ou"
sounds like the "ow"
in bowl.
(oh-oo, run together)
"ui"
is an unusual sound for English-speakers, sort of like the
"ooey"
in gooey,
but pronounced as a single syllable.
Hawaiian Words
E ho`oma`ama`a,
[eh
hoh oh mah' ah mah' ah]
e ho`oma`ama`a,
e ho`oma`ama`a!
(Practice, practice, practice!)
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KA `ÔLELO HAWAI`I
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(HAWAIIAN):
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KA `ÔLELO HAOLE (ENGLISH):
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A hui hou!
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[ah hui hou!]
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Good bye! See you later!
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aikâne
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[ai KAH' neh]
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friend, pal, buddy; friendly
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Aloha
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[ah loh' hah]
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love, greetings, goodbye, mercy, affection,
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ânuenue
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[AH' noo (w)eh noo (w)eh]
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rainbow
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E komo mai!
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[eh ko' mo mai!]
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Welcome!
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hale
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[hah' leh]
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house, building, institution, lodge, station,
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hana
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[hah' nah]
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work, job, activity; do
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haole
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[hao' leh]
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white people, Caucasian; foreign or foreigner
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hau`oli
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[hau' oh lee]
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happy, glad, joyful; happiness, enjoyment,
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hiamoe
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[hee' (y)ah moh' (y)eh]
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to sleep
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Kâ !
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[KAH'!]
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Oh! How silly! Shoot! #*%@ !
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kai
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[kai]
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sea, sea water
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kâne
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[KAH' neh]
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male, husband, man
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Kaua`i
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[kau' (w)ah ee]
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Northernmost of the major Hawaiian islands.
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keiki
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[kei' kee]
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child
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kupuna
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[koo poo' nah]
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grandparent, elders, ancestors
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lânai
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[LAH' nai]
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porch, veranda, patio
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Lihue
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[LEE' hue]
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City on Kaua`i. It means "cold chill".
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lû`au
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[LOO' au]
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feast
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mahalo
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[mah hah' loh]
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"thanks", gratitude
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nani
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[nah' nee]
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beautiful, pretty; beauty
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nui
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[nui]
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large, big, important, much, great
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`ohana
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[oh hah' nah]
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family, immediate and/or extended
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ua
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[oo' (w)ah]
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rain
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pali
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[pah' lee]
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cliff, precipice
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pau
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[pau]
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finished, done
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pono
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[poh' noh]
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right, moral; goodness, correct, proper;
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pua
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[poo' (w)ah]
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flower
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wahine
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[wah hee' neh]
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woman, wife, female, Mrs.
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wai
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[wai]
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fresh water
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Wikiwiki!
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[wee’ kee wee’ kee]
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Hurry up! Quickly! To hurry up, very quick.
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If you would like to
learn more about the Hawaiian language, you can affordably buy a Hawaiian
language guide
book as the New Pocket Hawaiian Dictionary or the
little Instant Hawaiian guide, which will give you the
meanings and pronunciation for many Hawaiian words.
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