Hawaiian Word of the Day: April 4th

By Leilani Poliʻahu

Published April 4, 2024 at 12:00 AM HST

Most of us have seen the Hawaiian word ʻōpala, and know it to mean rubbish or garbage, so by adding the causative prefix hoʻo, we can make it mean “to litter.” The new word is hoʻōpala.

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Leilani Poliʻahu

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Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: May 1st

Leilani Poliʻahu

Since May Day is Lei Day in Hawaiʻi, there are many lei day pageants happening at this time of the year. Most include a royal court, and a hōʻike — a show! Hōʻike means “to show.”
Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: April 30th

Leilani Poliʻahu

Our Hawaiian Word of the Day is moku. We often use moku to mean a district, an island, severed portion, or fragment, or as the root for other common words such as mokuahi for steamship, mokuʻāina for state, mokulele for airplane, or a mokuluʻu for a submarine, a diving ship. But the first use of moku means to be cut, severed, amputated, broken in two. There are many opportunities every day to use that common word, moku.