Pau is one of the most commonly used, and misused, of Hawaiian words. Pau kahana – the work is finished. Yes, pau means finished, ended, all done, final, even consumed and destroyed. Work is finished, so you can say “pau kahana.” But don?t say “I'm pau,” that would mean you are dead or finished. And don't ask, “Are you pau?”

Especially during pageants and parades, we see flowers that have been designated as the island flower for each major island. The kaunaʻoa of Lanaʻi is such a flower. It is the native daughter, a parasitic vine belonging to the Morning Glory family.

Our Hawaiian Word for today is kau wela. Kau means “season,” and wela is “hot.” Yes, summer is the hot season, even in our beautiful Hawaiʻi nei.

Pāʻia means noisy. It is best known as a small town in East Maui, and because it is so often misspelled, it is mispronounced.

Pāʻia means noisy. It is best known as a small town in East Maui, and because it is so often misspelled, it is mispronounced.

Lāʻie is one of the most often mispronounced Hawaiian place names on Oʻahu. It means the ʻie leaf.

Our Hawaiian Word for today is a beautiful Oʻahu place name, Kaʻaʻawa. It is often used as an example of a Hawaiian word with so many vowels in a row. But if you spell and pronounce it correctly, you will note that every vowel is separated by a consonant sound, the glottal stop or ʻokina. And it means the wrasse fish.

Oʻahu is the name of the third largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago. Although it is often disputed, many say it means “the gathering place.” The main thing is to pronounce it correctly.

ʻOno is another of those very frequently used Hawaiian word understood by most people, even those who do not speak the language. ʻOno means delicious. Be sure to start it with that glottal stop, because ono without the glottal stop, is the popular and tasty fish known in English as the wahoo.

Even people who do not speak Hawaiian often use the word huhū. Huhū means angry, offended, indignant, mad, or scolding.