Hawaiian Word of the Day: January 20th

By Leilani Poliʻahu

Published January 20, 2025 at 12:00 AM HST

The Hawaiian word for January 20 is heʻe. He’e is the Hawaiian word for octopus.

He’e is the Hawaiian word for octopus. You've probably heard he’e in names such as Waihe’e, a former governor of Hawai’i, or in words like wahahe’e, meaning to lie, literally, slippery mouth.

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Leilani Poliʻahu

See stories by Leilani Poliʻahu

More Episodes

Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: July 4th

Leilani Poliʻahu

Today is the day that the United States celebrates its independence. So our Hawaiian word for today is ea. Ea means "independence, sovereignty, rule, life, air, breath."
Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: July 3rd

Leilani Poliʻahu

Manaʻo means "to think, thought, idea, belief, meaning, opinion, suggestion." We often talk about our manaʻo, and we often share our manaʻo with our friends.