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Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: April 7th

By Leilani Poliʻahu

Published April 7, 2025 at 12:00 AM HST

Lawelawe means "to serve, work for, minister to, tend, attend to."

Lawelawe means "to serve, work for, minister to, tend, attend to." When you serve dinner, that's what you're doing, lawelawe.

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: August 20th

Leilani Poliʻahu

Yesterday we told you about mauka, a direction meaning “at the upland.” Today's Hawaiian Word of the Day is makai, meaning “at the sea” the opposite direction of mauka. It is actually two words: ma meaning “at” and kai meaning “sea.”
Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: August 19th

Leilani Poliʻahu

One of the first words new residents in Hawaiʻi learn is mauka, meaning inland or upland. It is one of the most commonly used Hawaiian terms, since we don't give directions as many other folks do. It is actually two words: ma meaning “at,” and uka for “upland.”