HWOTD

You've heard us talk so often about vowels, you've probably wondered if there is a Hawaiian word for vowel. Yes, though it is a borrowed one, woela means “vowel.” The woela in Hawaiian are a, e, i, o, and u.

Heʻe is the Hawaiian word for octopus. You've probably heard heʻe in names such as Waiheʻe, a former governor of Hawaiʻi, or in words like wahaheʻe, meaning to lie, literally, slippery mouth.

We all use postage, so today's Hawaiian word should come in handy. Uku leka is how we say postage in Hawaiian. Uku is payment, and leka is letter, so what you pay to send that letter is uku leka.

Many Hawaiian words make so much sense that you can put them together yourself to make other words. Hale means house, and lio means horse. So how would you say stable? Hale lio. A stable.

Manuahi means free, as in no charge. Not many things are really free, but some of the best things in life are manuahi. Hawaiʻi Public Radio offers this Hawaiian Word of the Day program manuahi.

Mea kanu means plant, like that potted one you have in your office or living room. It is a planted thing, a mea kanu. Don't confuse it with that big tree outside, that's a kumu lāʻau.

The kōlea, or Golden Plover, is an amazing migratory bird that arrives in Hawaiʻi about August. And stays here through the winter months, leaving in May for the Arctic. The kōlea are here right now, look for them!

For many years one of the most important products of Hawaiʻi was the hala kahiki, or pineapple. Come to think of it, the fruit which was introduced to Hawaiʻi from a foreign place does resemble the fruit of the hala, or Pandanus tree.

Another of those beautiful Oʻahu Hawaiian place names so often mispronounced is Mōʻiliʻili, a residential area near Mānoa. It means pebble lizard.

Our Hawaiian word of the day is poelele, a word that ancient Hawaiians had no need for. Poelele means satellite, it's a flying round object.

Our Hawaiian word of the Day is inoa kapakapa. Inoa means name. Together inoa kapakapa means nickname, pen name, or a fictitious name, an alias, or assumed name. Mark Twain was an inoa kapakapa.

You may have notice during the recent holidays that Hawaiian turkeys don't gobble, they say “kolo kolo.” Yes, the sounds attributed to animals vary from language to language. Kolo kolo means gobble gobble.

Pani hakahaka means to substitute. We often have to call on someone to take our place, whether it is a substitute teacher, ke kumu pani hakahaka, or a substitute for some other job.

Kau anu, our Hawaiian word for today, is another way to say winter. Literally, kau anu means the cold season, and that is what we are enjoying right now.

Mua means first. And today is the first day of a new year. You might say it is the lā mua o kēia makahiki no. It may also mean: before, ahead, forward, in advance, future, front, former, foremost, primary, and many other things.

Mele means song, anthem, or chant of any kind; a poem; or to sing or to chant. Na mele o Hawaiʻi nei means the songs of Hawaiʻi.

ʻĀkau means north when used as a direction. But is more commonly used to mean right, as opposed to left.

With so many people driving during the holidays, we hope you donʻt have an ulia kaʻa, or auto accident. Drive carefully so you don't have one.

Hoʻokūkū moho is how we say playoff in Hawaiian. After the regular season, there is often a hoʻokūkū moho to select a winner.

Today is Christmas Day, and the Hawaiian word for today is lā kalikimaka. Lā means day. Kalikimaka, of course, is a borrowed word, and that is how we say Christmas.

Hereʻs a Hawaiian Word of the Day that is clearly borrowed, and certain to be popular with the youngsters. Pai pika means pizza. Think of the fun you can have adding modifiers to that Hawaiian word!

Our Hawaiian Word of the Day is one for the sports fans, hoʻomaha hapalua is how we say halftime. Whether you are a football fan or a basketball fan, remember hoʻomaha hapalua is halftime.

Hāmama means open, like a door or a window is open. It should not be confused with the act of opening.

Our Hawaiian Word of the Day is mea holoi, an eraser. If you've ever made a mistake and needed to erase it, you know how handy a mea holoi can be. It's a mea holoi, whether it's on the end of a pencil or in your hand at the blackboard.

Our Hawaiian Word of the Day is the passive form of hānau, meaning to give birth. We often hear it used incorrectly, and should say hānau ʻia if we are talking about the person born, rather than the one giving birth.

Our Hawaiian word for today is awāwa meaning valley. Many place names are names of valleys, such as: ke awāwa o Mānoa on Oʻahu, ke awāwa o Waipio on Hawaiʻi and ke awāwa o Halawa on Molokaʻi.

Mōʻī means king, sovereign, monarch. And mōʻī followed by the word wahine means queen. The word mōʻī is of recent origin, and may be used by itself to mean a monarch of either gender.

Postcards have been around a long time, but this Hawaiian word for the postcard is quite new. It is kāleka poʻoleka.

Need a very generic Hawaiian word for a tool or apparatus that you might call a do-hickey in English? Try hāmea, a new Hawaiian word, and a great new word for that little thing you use, but can't remember what to call it.

Our Hawaiian word for today is a well-known place name on Kauaʻi, Poʻipū. It is often mispronounced because people see the first three letters as a group and pronounce it as they would poi. It means crashing, as in wave action.