hawaiian

Our Hawaiian Word of the Day is Waiʻaleʻale, the name for the wettest spot on Earth. Waiʻaleʻale is the highest mountain on Kauaʻi, and Waiʻaleʻale means rippling or overflowing water, a very appropriate name for a place with more than 475 inches of rain a year.

Our Hawaiian word for today is aniani, something we all see, or see through every day. A common meaning for aniani is glass. We modify it for special meanings, such as aniani nānā for mirror, or aniani awe for fiber glass. It can be the modifier such as puka aniani for window.

Kaimukī, the name for a section of Honolulu, is another name often mispronounced by those familiar with the common Hawaiian word kai. Actually, Kaimukī means “the ti oven” and is a compound word made up of ka for “the,” imu for “oven,” and kī for “ti.”

Many people who don't speak Hawaiian ask how to make the glottal stop in your speech at the beginning of a word. ʻIolani is a good example. ʻIolani is the name of a palace, an avenue, a fine school, and many other things. And ʻiolani means “royal hawk.”

Anu can mean “temperature,” but when we talk of weather anu usually means “cold.” After a long, hot summer, lots of us look forward to days that might be thought of as anu.

For those of you who have learned to tell time in Hawaiian, you will find it very handy to know that we also have a way to say both A.M and P.M. It means the same as in English, and it is written the same way. But in Hawaiian we pronounce it ʻamu and pimu.

Ala kalaiwa means driveway. You often see Ala used to mean street, path, or way. As in Ala Moana or Ala Wai. Kalaiwa means drive, and since modifiers follow nouns in Hawaiian, we say ala kalaiwa for driveway.

ʻAina kakahiaka is how we say breakfast in Hawaiian, and that is our Hawaiian Word of the Day. ʻAina means meal, and kakahiaka means morning.

Pehea means how or what. It is most often heard in the greeting “Pehea ʻoe?” It is used by both Hawaiian speakers and many who know only a few words. Pehea ʻoe? – How are you?

Hoʻoponopono means to make right. And it is a Hawaiian way of putting things in order, settling problems by sitting down together and talking it out. Hoʻoponopono is something we should all be aware of and practice.

Our Hawaiian word for today is naupaka, a native species of shrubs found in both the mountains and on the coasts. And who hasn't heard the stories about why the shrub flowers that look like half flowers?

Heiau is often mispronounced by people who put in a glottal stop that doesn't belong there. A heiau is a pre-Christian place of worship, commonly referred to in English as a Hawaiian temple, or shrine.

Punahou is a very well known Hawaiian word, mostly because it is the name of one of our oldest schools, and it means new spring. In fact, Punahou School was named because of a spring at that location.

Our Hawaiian Word of the Day is wailele or waterfall. Literally, wailele means leaping water. And although it is a generic term, it is also is used in many place names and songs. Such as the popular wailele o ʻakaka.

Puʻuwai is Hawaiian for heart. And while it is often used as a center of emotions, that is probably a Western concept. The earliest reference to the heart in that context was in 1853.

Our Hawaiian word for today is a place name, Hāmākua. It is a poetic term for kuhi loa, or long corner. It is all too often mispronounced.

Aku is known in English as skip jack tuna. Many of our listeners will say it makes the best sashimi and the best poke. Aku is one Hawaiian word used by almost everyone.

It's so often mispronounced that the incorrect version has become an accepted pidgin word. But our word for today is mea ʻono puaʻa, or delicious pig thing. It is a popular and tasty steamed or baked Chinese bun with pork inside.

Ōkolehao is a strong and popular liquor distilled from ti root in a still of the same name. Ōkolehao is sometimes made from rice or pineapple juice too.

Our Hawaiian Word of the Day is waina for wine. It is a word borrowed from English for a product that did not exist in pre-contact Hawaiʻi.

Ao means cloud. Although there are many meanings for ao, and many other words for specific types of clouds. Remember this as a generic term for any kind of cloud.

Our Hawaiian Word of the Day is another short phrase you can use, auē ka nani. And it means how beautiful.

Our Hawaiian word for today is really a short and useful phrase, naʻu e uku. It means my treat or I'll pay.

Luahine means old woman. Luahine is most often used by non-Hawaiian speakers as a proper name, as in the great hula dancer ʻIolani Luahine.

Kaʻahumanu, a beautiful Hawaiian name, and it means the bird cloak or the favorite cloak. It is the name of the favorite wife of King Kamehameha the Great.

Hoanoho means roommate or neighbor. It's something we all have. It comes from hoa meaning friend, companion, colleague, mate, and noho for living, dwelling, staying.

Our Hawaiian word for today is a short phrase, kekahi i kekahi. It means each other, one another. It is often heard by folks who use it to describe how we should love one another. E aloha kekahi i kekahi.

Puʻunēnē is a place on the island of Maui, and a beautiful name that is all too often mispronounced. It is named for a hill – a puʻu – where you might find the nēnē goose, our state bird: goose hill.

Millions of people see it every year, but few know that the bay that extends from Honolulu Harbor to Pearl Harbor is called Māmala.