© 2024 Hawaiʻi Public Radio

Donate

Play Live Radio

Next Up:

0:00

0:00

0:00 0:00

Available On Air Stations

Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: November 15th

By Leilani Poliʻahu

Published November 15, 2023 at 12:00 AM HST

Our Hawaiian word for today is a place name, Hāmākua. It is a poetic term for kuhi loa, or long corner.

Our Hawaiian word for today is a place name, Hāmākua. It is a poetic term for kuhi loa, or long corner. It is all too often mispronounced.

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Leilani Poliʻahu

See stories by Leilani Poliʻahu

More Episodes

Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: July 26th

Leilani Poliʻahu

We so often see kuʻuipo on Hawaiian jewelry that we tend to overlook another beautiful Hawaiian word for sweetheart. It is huapala. Literally, it means “ripe fruit”— a fruit that is ready for picking, and that's how Hawaiians call their sweetheart.
Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: July 25th

Leilani Poliʻahu

Another Hawaiian place name that is often mispronounced is Waiāhole. It is a compound name from wai for “water,” and āhole for a type of fish.