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?”

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.

Today's Hawaiian Word of the Day is k?ma?a; for shoe, sandal, slipper, boot, ti leaf, or tapa sandal, shoes.

Makua is a very general term for parent, or any relative of the parent's generation, as in an uncle or aunt. Since the main stock of a plant is thought of…

?Elemakule means old man or to become an old man. Although ?elemakula also means “old,” use it only for males – there's another word, luahine, for old…

Our Hawaiian Word of the Day is moku. We often use moku to mean a district, an island, severed portion, or fragment, or as the root for other common words…

Our Hawaiian word today is a good example of the importance of putting the right stress on vowel sounds, or leaving them off. Lolo means brains, and it is…

Our Hawaiian Word of the Day is k?hea meaning to call out, cry out, invoke, greet, or name. You may not use the word, but you hear its application often…

Almost everyone knows that hula means, but did you know that hulahula means ballroom dancing with partners? Hulahula also means American dancing, ball, or…

Our Hawaiian Word of the Day is l?nai, a term often used, and most often mispronounced or confused with other similar words. It means porch, veranda,…