Hawaiian Word of the Day: December 12th

By Leilani Poliʻahu

Published December 12, 2024 at 12:00 AM HST

Need a very generic Hawaiian word for a tool or apparatus that you might call a doohickey in English? Try hāmea, a new Hawaiian word, and a great new word for that little thing you use, but can't remember what to call it.

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Leilani Poliʻahu

See stories by Leilani Poliʻahu

More Episodes

Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: August 13th

Leilani Poliʻahu

Our Hawaiian Word for today is a beautiful Oʻahu place name, Kaʻaʻawa. It is often used as an example of a Hawaiian word with so many vowels in a row. But if you spell and pronounce it correctly, you will note that every vowel is separated by a consonant sound, the glottal stop or ʻokina. And it means the wrasse fish.
Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: August 12th

Leilani Poliʻahu

Oʻahu is the name of the third largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago. Although it is often disputed, many say it means “the gathering place.” The main thing is to pronounce it correctly.