October 22nd: ʻAnakala

By Leilani Poliʻahu

Published October 22, 2026 at 12:00 AM HST

In Hawaiʻi, where everyone it seems is our uncle or aunty, the word ʻanakala comes in pretty handy. It is a borrowed word from the English language meaning “uncle.”

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Leilani Poliʻahu

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Hawaiian Word of The Day

October 21st: Ame

Leilani Poliʻahu

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

October 20th: Hapa nui

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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.