HWOTD

Everyone is familiar with the word hānau from the popular greeting “hauʻoli lā hānau,” but many mispronounce it and often use it incorrectly. Hānau means to give birth. To say that one was born, requires adding the passive article ʻia, as in, “Hānau ʻia ʻo Kaʻimi Pono” – Kaʻimi Pono was born. In either case, be sure to stress the first vowel.

Our Hawaiian Word of the Day is lānai, a term often used, and most often mispronounced or confused with other similar words. It means porch, veranda, balcony, booth or shed. Don't confuse it with lanai which means stiff backed like a chair, or Lānaʻi, the name of the island. Today's word is lānai – say it with a stress on the first vowel.

Every evening when we look into the sky, and see the planet Venus, we should remember that the stars and planets have Hawaiian names. And hōkūloa, our Hawaiian Word of the Day, is what we call Venus.

Hoʻonanea means to relax, kick back, mellow out. It's also the name of a beautiful song and hula. E hoʻonanea kākou – let's all kick back.

You've all heard the word ipo for sweetheart or lover. Here's another one! Try huapala. Huapala literally means “ripe fruit.” It's another way to say “sweetheart” in Hawaiian.

A moʻolelo is a story, a tale, a myth, a tradition, even a record of something happening. All the stories you read in the newspaper or hear on television are moʻolelo, even those regarded as news.

Mana is another Hawaiian word we often hear in English conversation. People will tell of someone or something having mana – supernatural or divine power. It is also a good adjective, and someone with a leo mana is said to have an authoritative voice.

Often we hear people talking about their ʻaumakua. It means a family god, or personal god, or a deified ancestor. Our ʻaumakua might be a shark or an owl, or even an inanimate object. It is said that ʻaumakua often warn and reprimand mortals in dreams and visions.

Our Hawaiian word for today is nahele, for forest. Now you know the common Hawaiian family name, Kanahele, can mean the forest.

Peʻe means to hide. Not to be confused with hiding something. Peʻe means to hide oneself, as when we play hide and seek. E peʻe ana au – I'm hiding!

Pēlā means “in that way.” And pēlā nō means: that's so, that's it, that's how it is, exactly. It's a handy word to know and our Hawaiian word for today. Pēlā nō – that's it.

Most of us know ipu to be the gourd we see and hear in the hands of many hula dancers and chanters. But it also has other meanings – it can be used to mean any kind of container; even a dish, mug, calabash, pot, cup, urn, bowl, or a utensil.

Pulu means wet, moist, soaked, saturated. When you got caught in the rain without your umbrella, pulu is the word you should've known. And if you want to soak something, just put the causative prefix hoʻo in front. Since pulu means soaked, then hoʻopulu means “to soak.

Ikaika means strong, powerful, sturdy, and more. It is a very popular name now days, especially for boys whose parents want them to grow up ikaika. Be careful how you pronounce it, and don't insert an ʻokina that doesn't belong.

Most of us have seen the Hawaiian word ʻōpala, and know it to mean rubbish or garbage, so by adding the causative prefix hoʻo, we can make it mean “to litter.” The new word is hoʻōpala.

Our Hawaiian word for today is mea maʻa mau, meaning a common thing. Be sure to sound the glottal stop or ʻokina when you say maʻa. Hamburgers and French fries are a mea maʻa mau for our youngsters now days.

Our Hawaiian word for today is ʻauhau, it means tax. And yes, it's that time of the year again. As you work on your taxes, remember this Hawaiian word: ʻauhau.

Our Hawaiian word for today is another borrowed word, ʻApelia is how we say April in Hawaiian. We borrowed ʻApelia from the English language, which borrowed it in turn from the Latin. It is the fourth month of the year.

Poeko means “fluent.” There are not many people who are truly poeko in the Hawaiian language, but the number is increasing. You don't have to be Hawaiian to be poeko in Hawaiian and you don't have to be a native speaker. Many who are poeko have learned Hawaiian as a second language.

Our Hawaiian word for today is lawa, enough. You might hear it from a hula dancer who wants to end the song right then and there, and who tells the singer, “Lawa, enough already.” Or “aʻohe lawa ka Manawa” – “there is not enough time.”

Pololei means correct. Pololei ʻoe means “you are correct.”

Iwakālua, meaning twenty, is our Hawaiian word for today, and a good one to learn since it is a little different from all the other numbers in our counting.

Pulelehua is the Hawaiian word for butterfly. There are so many beautiful butterflies in Hawaiʻi, it's good to know what to call them.

Peʻa means a cross, or to cross. That's just one meaning, and there are many. But think of it when you make an “x” on the paper in a game of tic-tac-toe – that's a peʻa.

Our Hawaiian word for today is kāpae, meaning to throw out, discard. Before you kāpae your old clothing, think about others who might be able to use them. Perhaps you could give them to someone, or to the Salvation Army or Goodwill industries.

If you listen to Hawaiian speakers, you often hear the word mea. Mea just means “thing,” and it can be used in so many different ways, usually with a modifier. A mea hula is a dancer, a mea nui is a large or important thing, and a mea oli is a chanter.

Our Hawaiian word for today is another common one, a word we can all use everyday. ʻŌmole is the Hawaiian word for jar, any kind of jar.

We all have them, and we all clean them, and we should know what to call them. Our Hawaiian word for today is niho, for tooth. Next time you're going to see your dentist, remember today's word: niho. See if the dentist knows how to say the word “tooth” in Hawaiian!

Paleʻili is another word for what we used to call a palule-t (a T-shirt). Since so many of us wear t-shirts, it should come in handy.

Wili which means “to wind, twist, crank, screw,” is a word you often hear with regard to leis. And it is but one method of making leis.