Hawaiian Word of the Day: November 9th

By Leilani Poliʻahu

Published November 9, 2023 at 12:00 AM HST

We didn't have a Hawaiian word for yogurt, so we borrowed one from our cousins — the Māori people of Aotearoa. That new Hawaiian word is waiūtepe.

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Leilani Poliʻahu

See stories by Leilani Poliʻahu

Listen to Homeroom Hawaiʻi

Homeroom Hawai‘i is the story of a school year — in real time. Sponsored by HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union.

Get the Podcast

Kanikapila Vintage

Dig into the Hawaiʻi Public Radio archives with Derrick Malama and listen to the very best of Hawaiian music. Revisit sessions with Eddie Kamae and Keola Beamer, Raiatea Helm and Amy Hanaialiʻi, and more. Sponsored by Manuhealiʻi.

Listen to the podcast

More Episodes

Hawaiian Word of The Day

October 1st: ʻOkakopa

Leilani Poliʻahu

Our Hawaiian Word of the Day is ʻokakopa. Yes, it is a borrowed word and it means October. All of our month names are borrowed from English, which borrowed them from other languages.
Hawaiian Word of The Day

September 30th: Kuene

Leilani Poliʻahu

Kuene means: waiter, waitress, steward, treasurer, to wait on a table, to put in order, to arrange or to lay out. We most often use kuene for those who wait on us in restaurants.