Hawaiian Word of the Day: November 3rd

By Leilani Poliʻahu

Published November 3, 2023 at 12:00 AM HST

While you most often hear Palani as the Hawaiian transliteration of the name Frank or Frances, it also means France or French. We don't have a lot of Palani in Hawaiʻi, but there are many in Tahiti.

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.