HWOTD

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.

Hoʻopulapula means to rehabilitate. That's why we use it to describe homestead lands. They're called ʻāina hoʻopulapula, lands for the rehabilitation of Hawaiians/Homestead lands.

Nahu means to bite. And it can be the bite of anything – from an insect that bites, to the bite of a dog, or even the bite you take out of a piece of cake.

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.

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.

A kupua is a demi-god, or cultural hero, especially a supernatural being possessing several forms, one possessing magical powers. Kupua can often change their form and may assume non god-like, very everyday things.

Our Hawaiian word for today is puni meaning surrounded, controlled, overcome. Now that you know how to use the hoʻo prefix, you know that hoʻopuni can mean to surround, enclose, get control of: hoʻopuni.

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

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.

Lawelawe means "to serve, work for, minister to, tend, attend to." When you serve dinner, that's what you're doing, lawelawe.

Our Hawaiian word for today is leho for cowry shell. It is a very generic term for the cowry. Leho can be modified by adding other words to make the name specific for each of the many types of cowry, but leho will always work.

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.

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, ʻApelila is how we say April in Hawaiian. We borrowed ʻApelila from the English language, which borrowed it in turn from the Latin. It is the fourth month of the year.

Hoʻokaʻaʻike means to communicate. There's a lot more to communicating than just talking, and you'll find this new word very handy.

Hōʻole means to deny, refuse, reject, veto, and many more things of that nature. That's what the legislature did when they refused to pass the bill you wanted passed – hōʻole.

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.

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.

Our Hawaiian word for today is something we all like to eat, often with kālua pig. Kāpiki means cabbage. The next time you order kālua pig and cabbage, call it kāpiki.    

For the caller who wanted to know what puana meant, as in the line so commonly used in the last verse of a song. In that case, puana means the attack or beginning of a song. Haʻina ʻia mai ana ka puana just means to start to tell the summary, refrain of the song.

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 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!

Our Hawaiian word for today is a new one, pāmia. It means used, as in second hand. So a second hand car is a kaʻa pāmia.

Whether you use them as fences to keep cattle from strolling into your yard, or decoration in your home, pānini are a pretty popular plant in Hawaiʻi nei. Pānini is a cactus, from which we can also make liquor.

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.

Our Hawaiian word for today, hāpai, is one most people in Hawaiʻi already know and use, even in English conversation. It means to carry, and is most often used to describe a woman who is expecting a baby. It also means “to lift, raise, hoist, hold up, or support.”