© 2025 Hawaiʻi Public Radio

Donate

Play Live Radio

Next Up:

0:00

0:00

0:00 0:00

Available On Air Stations

The House has voted to eliminate previously approved funding to public media. Here's what happens next, and how you can help protect HPR and all public media.

Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: July 31st

By Leilani Poliʻahu

Published July 31, 2024 at 12:00 AM HST

Pukikī is the Hawaiian word for the English word “Portuguese” — a group of people who arrived here by the thousands in the late 1800s.

Pukikī is the Hawaiian word for the English word “Portuguese” — a group of people who arrived here by the thousands in the late 1800s.

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Leilani Poliʻahu

See stories by Leilani Poliʻahu

More Episodes

Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: June 13th

Leilani Poliʻahu

Kīkākila comes from two English words. Kīkā comes from the English word "guitar." Kila is from the English word "steel." Put them together and you get the Hawaiian word for steel guitar.
Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: June 12th

Leilani Poliʻahu

Our Hawaiian word for today is papaheʻenalu. Papa can mean a "board or almost any kind of flat surface." Adding heʻe nalu to it makes it a surfboard. Heʻe means "to slide or surf," and nalu means "wave." Put it all together and you get a surfboard.