Hawaiian Word of the Day: September 1st

By Leilani Poliʻahu

Published September 1, 2025 at 12:00 AM HST

Our Hawaiian word for today is another borrowed word, kepakemapa. And yes, it’s the Hawaiian word for “September.” Like other names of the months, it was borrowed from English.

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Leilani Poliʻahu

See stories by Leilani Poliʻahu

More Episodes

Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: September 2nd

Leilani Poliʻahu

Since we don’t often use north, south, east, and west in giving directions in Hawaiʻi, hikina might be a new word to you. It means “east.”
Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: August 29th

Leilani Poliʻahu

Uē means to cry, weep, lament, or to mourn. You might hear a mother say, “Mai uē”—don't cry—or you might use it to discuss the reactions of the Hawaiians to the loss of their Queen: uē nā kānaka—the people weep.