Hawaiian Word of the Day: June 20th

By Leilani Poliʻahu

Published June 20, 2024 at 12:00 AM HST

Kula has a number of meanings including: "plain, field, or open pasture." It also means "a source" and it is Hawaiian for the English word "gold." But perhaps the best-known usage in English is to mean "school." Say it with a modifier, such as kula kiʻekiʻe, a high school.

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Leilani Poliʻahu

See stories by Leilani Poliʻahu

More Episodes

Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: May 7th

Leilani Poliʻahu

ʻElemakule means old man or to become an old man. Although ʻelemakula also means “old,” use it only for males – there's another word, luahine, for old women. And don't use ʻelemakule as a general term for old or things that are old – there are other words for that too, such as kahiko. Use ʻelemakule only for old men.
Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: May 6th

Leilani Poliʻahu

One of the most commonly mispronounced place names in Hawaiʻi nei is Līhuʻe, the name of a city and district on Kauaʻi. It means “a cold chill,” and that's the feeling most Hawaiian speakers feel when they hear this beautiful name mispronounced. Write it out with a kahakō over the first vowel, and an ʻokina before the last one. Then say it.