June 18th: Kepanī

By Leilani Poliʻahu

Published June 18, 2026 at 12:00 AM HST

Many of our visitors to Hawaiʻi come from Japan, and we call them kepanī. It is, as you may have guessed, a transliteration of the English word Japanese.

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Leilani Poliʻahu

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Hawaiian Word of The Day

June 17th: Akamai

Leilani Poliʻahu

Akamai, for smart, is one of the first Hawaiian words many people learn. It also means "clever, expert, skillful." If you see someone doing something very clever, it's okay to say Akamai ʻoe or you're very smart.
Hawaiian Word of The Day

June 16th: Mōʻī

Leilani Poliʻahu

Mōʻī means "king, sovereign, monarch." And mōʻī followed the word wahine means "queen." The word mōʻī is of recent origin, and may be used by itself to mean a monarch of either gender.