October 21st: Ame

By Leilani Poliʻahu

Published October 21, 2026 at 12:00 AM HST

Ame, two little words used together, means "and." You will often hear ame when speakers link nouns such as mele kalikimaka ame hauʻoli makahiki hou.

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Leilani Poliʻahu

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Hawaiian Word of The Day

October 20th: Hapa nui

Leilani Poliʻahu

As most of you know, hapa means “half,” and nui means “larger.” So hapanui, the “larger half,” means majority. Non-Hawaiians account for more than half of the people of Hawaiʻi, so they are the hapa nui.
Hawaiian Word of The Day

October 19th: Maʻalaea

Leilani Poliʻahu

Another popular place name that is often mispronounced is Maʻalaea, a bay, village, and small boat harbor on Maui. It is probably a contraction from maka ʻalaea which relates to the yellow, or red color of the earth's beginning.