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Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: November 11th

By Leilani Poliʻahu

Published November 12, 2025 at 10:41 AM HST

Our Hawaiian Word of the Day is waina for wine. It is a word borrowed from English for a product that did not exist in pre-contact Hawaiʻi.

Our Hawaiian Word of the Day is waina for wine. It is a word borrowed from English for a product that did not exist in pre-contact Hawaiʻi.

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Leilani Poliʻahu

See stories by Leilani Poliʻahu

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Hawaiian Word of the Day: November 12th

Leilani Poliʻahu

ʻŌkolehao is a strong and popular liquor distilled from ti root in a still of the same name. ʻŌkolehao is sometimes made from rice or pineapple juice too.
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Hawaiian Word of the Day: November 10th

Leilani Poliʻahu

Nui means “big, greatest, grand, important” as in aliʻi nui. Hale nui would be a big house, and mea nui would be an important thing. Used as an adjective, it follows the noun. It can also mean “many or a group.”