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Hawaiian Word of The Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Hawaiian Word of the Day: September 27th

By Leilani Poliʻahu

Published September 27, 2023 at 12:00 AM HST

Although kamaliʻi literally translates to mean “little child,” it is always used in the plural form to mean more than one little child.

Although kamaliʻi literally translates to mean “little child,” it is always used in the plural form to mean more than one little child.

Hawaiian Word of the Day

Leilani Poliʻahu

See stories by Leilani Poliʻahu

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Kumu means source, foundation, basis, root. Nānā i ke kumu means to look at the source, and we use the same word for teacher. ‘O wau ke kumu—I am the teacher.
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Hawaiian Word of the Day: September 5th

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Although it is often mispronounced, muʻumuʻu is one of the best-known Hawaiian words. It means “cut off, shortened,” and is the name so often given to a loose-fitting gown, because the yoke was often missing, and the sleeves short. Its first meaning, however, is “amputated, maimed.”