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Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: April 3rd

By Leilani Poliʻahu

Published April 3, 2025 at 12:00 AM HST

Our Hawaiian word for today is mea maʻa mau, meaning a common thing.

Our Hawaiian word for today is mea maʻa mau, meaning a common thing. Be sure to sound the glottal stop or ʻokina when you say maʻa.

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Leilani Poliʻahu

See stories by Leilani Poliʻahu

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Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: May 12th

Leilani Poliʻahu

Our Hawaiian word for today is kī hōʻalu. Kī is the Hawaiian word for “key” and hōʻalu means “to slacken or loosen.” It is the popular Hawaiian term for what in English we call “slack key.”
Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: May 9th

Leilani Poliʻahu

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.