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Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: May 13th

By Leilani Poliʻahu

Published May 13, 2024 at 12:00 AM HST

Pāʻani means to play, or a sport, game, or amusement. Pāʻani can also mean to joke.

Pāʻani means to play, or a sport, game, or amusement. Pāʻani can also mean to joke.

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Leilani Poliʻahu

See stories by Leilani Poliʻahu

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Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: September 6th

Leilani Poliʻahu

Kumu means source, foundation, basis, root. Nānā i ke kumu means to look at the source, and we use the same word for teacher. ‘O wau ke kumu—I am the teacher.
Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: September 5th

Leilani Poliʻahu

Although it is often mispronounced, muʻumuʻu is one of the best-known Hawaiian words. It means “cut off, shortened,” and is the name so often given to a loose-fitting gown, because the yoke was often missing, and the sleeves short. Its first meaning, however, is “amputated, maimed.”