March 24th: Kāpiki

By Leilani Poliʻahu

Published March 24, 2026 at 12:00 AM HST

Our Hawaiian word for today is something we all like to eat, often with kālua pig. Kāpiki means cabbage. The next time you order kālua pig and cabbage, call it kāpiki.

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Leilani Poliʻahu

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Hawaiian Word of The Day

March 23rd: Puana

Leilani Poliʻahu

For the caller who wanted to know what puana meant, as in the line so commonly used in the last verse of a song. In that case, puana means the attack or beginning of a song. Haʻina ʻia mai ana ka puana just means to start to tell the summary — refrain of the song.
Hawaiian Word of The Day

March 20th: Mea

Leilani Poliʻahu

If you listen to Hawaiian speakers, you often hear the word mea. Mea just means “thing,” and it can be used in so many different ways, usually with a modifier. A mea hula is a dancer, a mea nui is a large or important thing, and a mea oli is a chanter.