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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. -
Another popular place name that is often mispronounced is Maʻalaea, a bay, village, and small boat harbor on Maui. It is probably a contraction from maka ʻalaea which relates to the yellow, or red color of the Earth's beginning.
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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.” -
Wai means “water.” Wai is a very important thing to Hawaiians, and for that reason is included in many names – both place names, such as Waimānalo, Waikīkī, and Waiehu. And in many family and given names. Wai can be used for any type of liquid except sea water.
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Hoʻolele means “to cause to fly.” And coupled with leo – for voice – it means “broadcast,” as we do these Hawaiian words every day on Hawaiʻi Public Radio. Hoʻolele leo – causing the voice to fly.
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Most of you will remember that ʻaʻole means no. And many people are confused when they hear ʻaʻohe. No, it's not a mispronunciation. ʻAʻohe means no, too, but it is generally used to mean none.
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Our Hawaiian word for today is, hoa aloha. Although aikāne is probably commonly used by non-native speakers to mean “friend.” Hoa aloha is the preferred Hawaiian word.
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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.
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Pehea ʻoe – How are you? Pehea means “how” and ʻoe means “you.” We often hear this greeting even from those who do not speak Hawaiian. Pehea ʻoe? – How are you? Maikaʻi nō – Fine.
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Maka means: eye, eye of the needle, face, countenance, even the lens of a camera. It can also mean beloved one, favorite person. Kuʻu maka is somewhat like saying “the apple of my eye.”
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Our Hawaiian Word of the Day is ʻokakopa. Yes, it is a borrowed word and it means October. All of our month names are borrowed from English, which borrowed them from other languages.
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Kuene means: waiter, waitress, steward, treasurer, to wait on a table, to put to order, to arrange or to lay out. We most often use kuene for those who wait on us in restaurants.
