'O-lelo Hawai'i is both simpler and more complex that English, and this is far from an authoritative introduction to the language. It would be best to carefully check out a good text on the subject, but since I don't have access to one, I have been forced to rely on a small dictionary, a bunch of example dialogue that I have seen, and a small pinch of guile....
So, if you really must know, check for any words that you want the definitions of below, but if you want to have any hope of understanding anything like a complete sentence, or even a fragment, you'll have to wait a while, and concentrate on the "non-content" words that join everything together.
Articles ("the")
ka
definite article ("the") before words that start with most consonants except K and vowels other than E, A, and O.
ka wahine ka hale
the woman the house
ke
definite article ("the") before words that start with the vowels E, A, and O and before the consonant K (and some other special case words).
ke kane ke keiki ke aloha
the man the child "love"
na
plurality particle
na kane na keiki na wahine na hale
the men the children the women the houses
he
indefinite article ("a" or "an")
he kane he keiki he hale he wahine
a man a child a house a woman
Pronouns
'O-lelo Hawai'i makes a difference between the plural and the dual case, and also indicates whether the speaker is included in the topic or not, as indicated below, which allows speaker and respondent to be quite specific about inter-personnal relationships.
sing. pronoun
n/a
au, a'u
("I", "me")
'oe
("you, sing.")
ia
("he/she/it")
sing. possessive
n/a
ka'u/ko'u/ku'u
("my") *1
käu/kou/ko
("your") *2
käna/kona
("his/hers/its")
dual
käua
("me 'n you")
mäua
("we two, not you")
'olua
("you two")
läua
("those two")
plural
käkou
("we")
mäkou
("we, not you")
'ou.kou
("you, plur.")
läkou
("they")
*1 Ku'u is the "affectionate" possessive, as in "ku'u 'ipo " ("My Beloved")
*2 ko is neutral and very informal or colloquial.
ke keiki a Lani (the Child of Lani, Lani's Child)
Prepositions
a'e - upward, toward
aku - a way from the speaker
e - imperative or exhortation
iho - down
ma - at, in, on, beside
mai - towards speaker
no - because of
Marlon muebeitoa yu ajue beisie.
Let's learn a foreign language!
Mostrando postagens com marcador 'ölelo hawai'i. Mostrar todas as postagens
Mostrando postagens com marcador 'ölelo hawai'i. Mostrar todas as postagens
segunda-feira, 25 de maio de 2009
Hawaian Words
'a'ä
(see also: pa-hoehoe )
rough, chunky basaltic lava.
'ahi
tuna, especially yellow-fin tuna. Tuna is often served raw as poke (Hawaiian) or as sashimi (Japanese).
ali'i
chief, chiefess, king, queen, noble. Hawaiian nobility.
aloha
love. Like most Hawaiian words, it has a variety of meanings: As a greeting it means hello or goodbye. As a noun it means, compassion, mercy, love, lover, grace, kindness. As an adjective, beloved, kind, charitable. As a verb: to love, to pity, to venerate. In some contexts it can even mean alas! In the doubled form: Alohaloha means to make love, express gratitude, affection, or compassion, or to give thanks.
hale
(See also: Hale.a.ka.la- , Hale.ku.lani )
a house or building.
hana
Work.
ex: "Pau Hana " (finished work).
Also a town on Maui , accessed only by surviving a harrowing cliffside 'highway'.
haole
(See also: hau'oli )
caucasian; esp. American or English; Formerly: any foreigner. Haole plants are plants of foreign origin. It does not mean "no breath", or "bad breath" or any of the fashionable variations on that theme. It is not a racial insult. "Damn haole" (or a similar term) probably is though.
hau'oli
happy, glad, or joyful.
ex: "hau'oli makahiki hou " , Happy New Year! or
ex: "hau'oli lä hanau " , Happy Birthday!
haupia
coconut cream pudding. Famous as a staple at certain picnics.
heiau
an ancient religious site.
hemo
to remove or take off.
hou
(See also: hui )
1. New, fresh, recent.
2. Again, more. "A Hui Hou " meaning "Till we meet again".
hui
1. Club, association, firm.
2. To join, unite, introduce, meet.
3. a plus sign ("+").
hula
Traditional Hawaiian dance; squelched by early missionaries, but revived by King Kala-kaua , and performed widely today. A traditionally slow dance involving the hands to tell a story. The really fast variant is from Tahiti; don't confuse the two!
humuhumunukunukuapua'a
Hawaii's state fish; the reef triggerfish, or "Rhinecanthus rectangulu". Try breaking it up into two humu 's, and then two nuku 's, and then an a , followed by an pua'a .
kai
sea, sea water, area near the sea, brackish.
ex: "Hawai'i Kai " (a famous district east of Honolulu)
ex: "Makai " (towards the ocean).
kälua - pig
Hawaiian cuisine; shredded pork wrapped in Ki leaves and cooked in an underground earth-oven called an "imu " , with the aid of super-heated volcanic rocks and lots of water. Kids, do NOT try this at home, 'cause most hot rocks explode when you pour water on them. Traditionally the central food at a luau .
kama 'äina
Lit. "born in the land". Host, native, acquainted, familiar. This is an important concept in Hawaiian culture. If a Hawaiian calls you a "kama'a-ina " , they have just paid you a very nice compliment. You don't have to be born here to be one... it's an attitude. Some people who think they are, aren't, and lots of people who think they are not, are. The usual interpretation, however, is someone in possession of a state Driver's License.
kapa (or "Tapa")
a bark-based cloth that ancient Hawaiians made into clothes, sails, etc.
kapu
taboo, forbidden or sacred. On somebody's gate it means: "No Tresspassing".
ki (or "Ti")
a plant with long, broad leaves (Cordiline terminalis). This plant has always been very important to the Hawaiian culture. It was (and still is) used for clothes, cooking, making leis, wrapping packages, and is used in Hawaiian traditional medicine.
komo
to enter, to go in, to join a class or organization.
Kü
(See also: Lono , Pele )
a rather violent Tahitian god who sometimes appears in Hawaiian legends.
kükae
excrement.
kukui
light. Also: Hawai'i 's State Tree, better known as the candlenut tree (Aleurites moluccana). The nuts of this tree provided the early Hawaiians with light and they still provide oil, relishes, and medicine. Growing a kukui tree in your front yard is considered an ostentatious display of wealth.
lani
heaven, spiritual, majesty, as in: 'Io.lani ("Hawk of Heaven" or "Royal Hawk") Palace
Hale.ku.lani ("House of Heaven") hotel.
lei
a closed or open garland or wreath of flowers, leaves, shells, ivory, feathers, nuts, beads, paper or other materials worn around the neck or on the head. To put a lei on someone. A beloved child, sibling, spouse or sweetheart (because children are often carried on the shoulders with their legs draped down on both sides like a lei). Leis are very important in Hawaiian culture and there is a complicated ettiquette associated with them. "Never" refuse one. Never give a "Closed" lei to a pregnant woman, as this is considered extremely bad-luck towards the unborn child.
loa
1. far, distance, length, height (Mauna Loa )
2. very, very much (Mahalo Nui Loa )
Lono
(See also: Kü , Pele )
a Hawaiian god whom Captain Cook was mistaken for on his first visit, to the captain's great short-term benefit and eventual undoing.
lomi
to rub, press, massage. Lomilomi salmon is salt cured salmon that has been soaked and "massaged" (to get rid of some of the salt) then chopped up and mixed with chopped tomatoes, green and white onions. Goes great with poi. Traditional fare at a luau .
lua
a hole, pit, grave, or crater. A lua is a hole that has a bottom, contrasted with a puka which is a perforation. Also: a toilet.
luau
(See also: lua , Ka-lua pig, lomilomi salmon)
Feast. A traditional Hawaiian feast. Nowadays, either a tourist attraction or a gathering of locals.
mahalo
Thank you. Possibly of portugese origin. Sometimes seen with the modifiers "Nui Loa ", meaning "Big".
mahimahi (See also: nai`i porpoise)
The dolphin, or dorado fish (Coryphaena hippurus). A favorite fish to eat. If you have ever seen one (*UGH*-ly!), you know that it is definately NOT related to "Flipper".
ma.kai
(See also: mauka )
toward the sea or downslope.
malihini
stranger, or newcomer. Someone who isn't a Kama'a-ina or local.
mana
Spiritual (or supernatural) power.
ma.uka
(See also: ma.kai )
toward the inland or upslope. Famous for its inclusion in one of the local weatherperson's favourite island phrases, "Windward and Mauka showers".
mu'umu'u
Cut off, shortened, amputated, maimed. A loose gown, so called because in their haste to get the ladies covered up, the missionaries designed them without a yoke so they could be made faster (so many beautiful bodies to cover, so little time). Nowadays, designs range from casual to very formal in design. Customarily worn on Fridays to celebrate the aloha spirit. Traditionally has a flower print.
nai`i
The porpoise.
nënë
The state bird; the Hawaiian goose. Related to the Canada Goose. Once endangered, now recovering with populations growing slowly on on the Big Island and Maui. It has adapted itself to life in the harsh lava country by transforming its webbed feet into a claw-like shape and modifying its wing structure for shorter flights. Hunting and wild animals all but destroyed the species until they were protected by law and a restoration project established in 1949.
nui
much, big, as in Mahalo Nui Loa or Aloha Nui .
'ohana
family, relative, related. 'Ohana nui : Extended family or clan. Also used to describe a team or community.
'ökole
buttocks, in a good or bad sense.
'ölelo
speak, word, speech, talk, language.
ex: "'Ölelo Hawai'i ", (the Hawaiian language)
'ono
good, delicious. Frequently corrupted as "Onolicious".
pähoehoe
(See also: 'a'ä )
a smooth unbroken ropy type of lava, contrasted with 'a'a- which is chunky. `A`a- and Pa-hoehoe are Hawaiian words which have been adopted by geologists around the world to refer to these distinct types of lava.
paka.lölö
"Crazy-Weed", numbing tobacco, marijuana.
päkë
China, chinese.
Pali
cliff, as in the Na Pali ("The Cliffs") cliffs of Kauai , or the Pali lookout of
O'ahu .
pau
finished.
ex: "pau hana " (finished work).
Pele
(See also: Ku- , Lono )
red-eyed Hawaiian Goddess of the Volcano(s). Said to reside in Kilauea , after tangling with other gods, looking for a home.
pohä
to burst, crack, or break forth. Also: the Cape Gooseberry (Physalis peruviana). Often used as a jam.
poi
hawaiian cuisine; taro root pounded into a paste. Poi ferments as it ages, and is considered best if it's a couple of days old or so. A bland side-dish for eating with salted food and fish. A starch staple of many people in Hawai'i . Its taste is frequently compared humorously to that of wallpaper paste. Usually in short supply, because of high demand, and limited cultivation. Strange... (where's the free market when you need it?)
püpü
snail or appetizer. Formerly the fish, chicken or banana served with kava.
ulua
giant trevally, pampano or jackfish. A favorite sporting and edible fish.
wahine
woman, wife. Also the name of a rather winning UH Volleyball team.
wikiwiki
fast, quick. Name of those trams at the Honolulu International Airport (HNL), and a convenience store chain on the Big Island.
(see also: pa-hoehoe )
rough, chunky basaltic lava.
'ahi
tuna, especially yellow-fin tuna. Tuna is often served raw as poke (Hawaiian) or as sashimi (Japanese).
ali'i
chief, chiefess, king, queen, noble. Hawaiian nobility.
aloha
love. Like most Hawaiian words, it has a variety of meanings: As a greeting it means hello or goodbye. As a noun it means, compassion, mercy, love, lover, grace, kindness. As an adjective, beloved, kind, charitable. As a verb: to love, to pity, to venerate. In some contexts it can even mean alas! In the doubled form: Alohaloha means to make love, express gratitude, affection, or compassion, or to give thanks.
hale
(See also: Hale.a.ka.la- , Hale.ku.lani )
a house or building.
hana
Work.
ex: "Pau Hana " (finished work).
Also a town on Maui , accessed only by surviving a harrowing cliffside 'highway'.
haole
(See also: hau'oli )
caucasian; esp. American or English; Formerly: any foreigner. Haole plants are plants of foreign origin. It does not mean "no breath", or "bad breath" or any of the fashionable variations on that theme. It is not a racial insult. "Damn haole" (or a similar term) probably is though.
hau'oli
happy, glad, or joyful.
ex: "hau'oli makahiki hou " , Happy New Year! or
ex: "hau'oli lä hanau " , Happy Birthday!
haupia
coconut cream pudding. Famous as a staple at certain picnics.
heiau
an ancient religious site.
hemo
to remove or take off.
hou
(See also: hui )
1. New, fresh, recent.
2. Again, more. "A Hui Hou " meaning "Till we meet again".
hui
1. Club, association, firm.
2. To join, unite, introduce, meet.
3. a plus sign ("+").
hula
Traditional Hawaiian dance; squelched by early missionaries, but revived by King Kala-kaua , and performed widely today. A traditionally slow dance involving the hands to tell a story. The really fast variant is from Tahiti; don't confuse the two!
humuhumunukunukuapua'a
Hawaii's state fish; the reef triggerfish, or "Rhinecanthus rectangulu". Try breaking it up into two humu 's, and then two nuku 's, and then an a , followed by an pua'a .
kai
sea, sea water, area near the sea, brackish.
ex: "Hawai'i Kai " (a famous district east of Honolulu)
ex: "Makai " (towards the ocean).
kälua - pig
Hawaiian cuisine; shredded pork wrapped in Ki leaves and cooked in an underground earth-oven called an "imu " , with the aid of super-heated volcanic rocks and lots of water. Kids, do NOT try this at home, 'cause most hot rocks explode when you pour water on them. Traditionally the central food at a luau .
kama 'äina
Lit. "born in the land". Host, native, acquainted, familiar. This is an important concept in Hawaiian culture. If a Hawaiian calls you a "kama'a-ina " , they have just paid you a very nice compliment. You don't have to be born here to be one... it's an attitude. Some people who think they are, aren't, and lots of people who think they are not, are. The usual interpretation, however, is someone in possession of a state Driver's License.
kapa (or "Tapa")
a bark-based cloth that ancient Hawaiians made into clothes, sails, etc.
kapu
taboo, forbidden or sacred. On somebody's gate it means: "No Tresspassing".
ki (or "Ti")
a plant with long, broad leaves (Cordiline terminalis). This plant has always been very important to the Hawaiian culture. It was (and still is) used for clothes, cooking, making leis, wrapping packages, and is used in Hawaiian traditional medicine.
komo
to enter, to go in, to join a class or organization.
Kü
(See also: Lono , Pele )
a rather violent Tahitian god who sometimes appears in Hawaiian legends.
kükae
excrement.
kukui
light. Also: Hawai'i 's State Tree, better known as the candlenut tree (Aleurites moluccana). The nuts of this tree provided the early Hawaiians with light and they still provide oil, relishes, and medicine. Growing a kukui tree in your front yard is considered an ostentatious display of wealth.
lani
heaven, spiritual, majesty, as in: 'Io.lani ("Hawk of Heaven" or "Royal Hawk") Palace
Hale.ku.lani ("House of Heaven") hotel.
lei
a closed or open garland or wreath of flowers, leaves, shells, ivory, feathers, nuts, beads, paper or other materials worn around the neck or on the head. To put a lei on someone. A beloved child, sibling, spouse or sweetheart (because children are often carried on the shoulders with their legs draped down on both sides like a lei). Leis are very important in Hawaiian culture and there is a complicated ettiquette associated with them. "Never" refuse one. Never give a "Closed" lei to a pregnant woman, as this is considered extremely bad-luck towards the unborn child.
loa
1. far, distance, length, height (Mauna Loa )
2. very, very much (Mahalo Nui Loa )
Lono
(See also: Kü , Pele )
a Hawaiian god whom Captain Cook was mistaken for on his first visit, to the captain's great short-term benefit and eventual undoing.
lomi
to rub, press, massage. Lomilomi salmon is salt cured salmon that has been soaked and "massaged" (to get rid of some of the salt) then chopped up and mixed with chopped tomatoes, green and white onions. Goes great with poi. Traditional fare at a luau .
lua
a hole, pit, grave, or crater. A lua is a hole that has a bottom, contrasted with a puka which is a perforation. Also: a toilet.
luau
(See also: lua , Ka-lua pig, lomilomi salmon)
Feast. A traditional Hawaiian feast. Nowadays, either a tourist attraction or a gathering of locals.
mahalo
Thank you. Possibly of portugese origin. Sometimes seen with the modifiers "Nui Loa ", meaning "Big".
mahimahi (See also: nai`i porpoise)
The dolphin, or dorado fish (Coryphaena hippurus). A favorite fish to eat. If you have ever seen one (*UGH*-ly!), you know that it is definately NOT related to "Flipper".
ma.kai
(See also: mauka )
toward the sea or downslope.
malihini
stranger, or newcomer. Someone who isn't a Kama'a-ina or local.
mana
Spiritual (or supernatural) power.
ma.uka
(See also: ma.kai )
toward the inland or upslope. Famous for its inclusion in one of the local weatherperson's favourite island phrases, "Windward and Mauka showers".
mu'umu'u
Cut off, shortened, amputated, maimed. A loose gown, so called because in their haste to get the ladies covered up, the missionaries designed them without a yoke so they could be made faster (so many beautiful bodies to cover, so little time). Nowadays, designs range from casual to very formal in design. Customarily worn on Fridays to celebrate the aloha spirit. Traditionally has a flower print.
nai`i
The porpoise.
nënë
The state bird; the Hawaiian goose. Related to the Canada Goose. Once endangered, now recovering with populations growing slowly on on the Big Island and Maui. It has adapted itself to life in the harsh lava country by transforming its webbed feet into a claw-like shape and modifying its wing structure for shorter flights. Hunting and wild animals all but destroyed the species until they were protected by law and a restoration project established in 1949.
nui
much, big, as in Mahalo Nui Loa or Aloha Nui .
'ohana
family, relative, related. 'Ohana nui : Extended family or clan. Also used to describe a team or community.
'ökole
buttocks, in a good or bad sense.
'ölelo
speak, word, speech, talk, language.
ex: "'Ölelo Hawai'i ", (the Hawaiian language)
'ono
good, delicious. Frequently corrupted as "Onolicious".
pähoehoe
(See also: 'a'ä )
a smooth unbroken ropy type of lava, contrasted with 'a'a- which is chunky. `A`a- and Pa-hoehoe are Hawaiian words which have been adopted by geologists around the world to refer to these distinct types of lava.
paka.lölö
"Crazy-Weed", numbing tobacco, marijuana.
päkë
China, chinese.
Pali
cliff, as in the Na Pali ("The Cliffs") cliffs of Kauai , or the Pali lookout of
O'ahu .
pau
finished.
ex: "pau hana " (finished work).
Pele
(See also: Ku- , Lono )
red-eyed Hawaiian Goddess of the Volcano(s). Said to reside in Kilauea , after tangling with other gods, looking for a home.
pohä
to burst, crack, or break forth. Also: the Cape Gooseberry (Physalis peruviana). Often used as a jam.
poi
hawaiian cuisine; taro root pounded into a paste. Poi ferments as it ages, and is considered best if it's a couple of days old or so. A bland side-dish for eating with salted food and fish. A starch staple of many people in Hawai'i . Its taste is frequently compared humorously to that of wallpaper paste. Usually in short supply, because of high demand, and limited cultivation. Strange... (where's the free market when you need it?)
püpü
snail or appetizer. Formerly the fish, chicken or banana served with kava.
ulua
giant trevally, pampano or jackfish. A favorite sporting and edible fish.
wahine
woman, wife. Also the name of a rather winning UH Volleyball team.
wikiwiki
fast, quick. Name of those trams at the Honolulu International Airport (HNL), and a convenience store chain on the Big Island.
Hawaiian Lessons
HA’AWINA ‘EHIKU – Lesson Seven
Papa'ölelo
aia i hea - where is/are
mahalo nui loa - thank you very much
anei - (used in interrogatives indicating a question, not translated)
manawa - time (ke)
'eke - bag, purse
nüpepa - newspaper
hae - flag
päpale - hat
këia manawa - right now
peni - pen
lokomaika'i - generous, gracious, kind
pepa - paper
ma hea - where is/are
Aia and Possessive Locational Sentences
Aia is also used to describe situations when someone has something.
Po'o aia + piko + 'awe location
Aia ka puke a ka haumäna i ka 'ïlio - The dog has the student's book
Aia ke 'eke a ka wahine i ke kumu - The teacher has the woman's bag
Aia ka hae i këlä käne - That man has the flag
k possessives versus k-less. Possessives are divided into a and o categories, and in addition, the k and k-less categories. Example:
k: ka'u (my) ko'u (my) k-less: a'u (my) o'u (my)
1) if the article (ka'i) is supplied elsewhere example: ka hale o'u - the house of mine/ my house
2) if the sentence has a number (negative, zero and up) in place of the article.
This will be explained in a later lesson dealing with numbers and possessives.
k possessives O : ko’u, kou, kona, ko käua, ko mäua, ko käkou, ko mäkou, ko läua, ko läkou
k-less possessives O : o’u, ou, ona, o käua, o mäua, o käkou, o mäkou. o läua, o läkou
k possessives A : ka’u, käu, käna, kä käua, kä mäua, ka käkou, ka mäkou, ka läua, ka läkou
k-less possessives A : a’u, au, ana, a käu, a mäua, a käkou, a mäkou, a läua, a läkou
When the possessor is a kikino, ko and kä are placed directly in front of the ka'i of the kikino. If the possessor is an i'oa, ko and kä are placed directly in front of the i'oa.
Kä ka pöpoki mea 'ai. - The cat's food.
Ko ke kanaka käma'a. - The person's shoe.
Kä Manu pepa. - Manu's paper.
This form is an alternative to using the k-less possessives.
Ka mea 'ai a ka pöpoki. - The cat's food.
Ke käma'a o ke kanaka. - The person's shoe.
Ka pepa a Manu. - Manu's paper.
Later you will learn more uses of ko and kä.
Directionals. There are four words in Hawaiian that follow verbs indicating the direction or movement in which something is happening or being done. Sometimes they are not translated into English.
1) mai: toward the speaker
2) aku: away from the speaker
3) iho: in a downward direction
4) a'e: upward, back and forth, sideways
hele mai -- come (toward the speaker)
hele aku - go (away from the speaker)
hä'awi mai - give (to the speaker)
hä'awi aku - give away
kü'ai mai - buy
kü'ai aku - sell
lawe mai - bring
lawe aku - take
'ai iho - eat (iho is not translated)
kelepona a'e - telephone; to call by phone (a'e is not translated)
Ka pepeke nono'a me "he": he pattern to describe "to have". The verb "to have" doesn't exist in Hawaiian but there is another way to express that thought by using "he":
he + thing possessed + ko/kä + possessor
He mea'ai kä käua - we have food
He pöpoki kä Malu - Malu has a cat
He kupuna lokomaika'i ko'u - I have a kind grandparent
He puke kä kou hoaaloha - your friend has a book
He lumi ko ka wahine - the woman has a room
He penikala kä ka haumäna - the student has a pencil
He ka'a ko ko'u tutu - my grandma has a car
To indicate a helunui (plural), just add mau in front of the kikino.
he + mau + thing possessed + ko/kä + possessor
He mau manu kä ke keikikäne - The boy has birds
He mau noho ko 'oukou - you (more than two) have chairs
He mau pepa käu - you have papers
He mau päpale ko nä wähine - The women have hats
Päpä'ölelo
Ulu: E Näwa'a, 'ike anei 'oe, aia i hea ko'u käma'a? Hey Näwa'a, do you see where my shoe is?
Näwa'a: 'Ae, ua 'ike wau i kou käma'a i ke alanui. Yes, I saw your shoe on the road.
Ulu: Auë! Ua lawe aku ka'u 'ïlio kolohe i ke käma'a! Oh no! My rascal dog took the shoe.
Näwa'a: 'A'ole pilikia. E lawe mai ana au i kou käma'a. No problem. I'll bring your shoe.
Ulu: Mahalo nui loa. E kelepona a'e au i ka'u wahine, no ka mea 'a'ole 'o ia i 'ike. Aia 'o ia i ka hana i këia lä. Thank you very much. I'll call my wife because she didn't know. She is at work today.
Näwa'a: A ma hea kou 'ïlio kolohe? And where is your mischievous dog?
Ulu: Aia 'o ia ma 'ö. 'Ike 'oe iä ia? Auë! Aia iä ia ko'u päpale hou i këia manawa!
He is over there. Do you see him? Oh no! He has my new hat right now!
marloncori@hotmail.com
marlon@aluno.unb.br
E 'ölelo Hawai'i käkou!!!
Papa'ölelo
aia i hea - where is/are
mahalo nui loa - thank you very much
anei - (used in interrogatives indicating a question, not translated)
manawa - time (ke)
'eke - bag, purse
nüpepa - newspaper
hae - flag
päpale - hat
këia manawa - right now
peni - pen
lokomaika'i - generous, gracious, kind
pepa - paper
ma hea - where is/are
Aia and Possessive Locational Sentences
Aia is also used to describe situations when someone has something.
Po'o aia + piko + 'awe location
Aia ka puke a ka haumäna i ka 'ïlio - The dog has the student's book
Aia ke 'eke a ka wahine i ke kumu - The teacher has the woman's bag
Aia ka hae i këlä käne - That man has the flag
k possessives versus k-less. Possessives are divided into a and o categories, and in addition, the k and k-less categories. Example:
k: ka'u (my) ko'u (my) k-less: a'u (my) o'u (my)
1) if the article (ka'i) is supplied elsewhere example: ka hale o'u - the house of mine/ my house
2) if the sentence has a number (negative, zero and up) in place of the article.
This will be explained in a later lesson dealing with numbers and possessives.
k possessives O : ko’u, kou, kona, ko käua, ko mäua, ko käkou, ko mäkou, ko läua, ko läkou
k-less possessives O : o’u, ou, ona, o käua, o mäua, o käkou, o mäkou. o läua, o läkou
k possessives A : ka’u, käu, käna, kä käua, kä mäua, ka käkou, ka mäkou, ka läua, ka läkou
k-less possessives A : a’u, au, ana, a käu, a mäua, a käkou, a mäkou, a läua, a läkou
When the possessor is a kikino, ko and kä are placed directly in front of the ka'i of the kikino. If the possessor is an i'oa, ko and kä are placed directly in front of the i'oa.
Kä ka pöpoki mea 'ai. - The cat's food.
Ko ke kanaka käma'a. - The person's shoe.
Kä Manu pepa. - Manu's paper.
This form is an alternative to using the k-less possessives.
Ka mea 'ai a ka pöpoki. - The cat's food.
Ke käma'a o ke kanaka. - The person's shoe.
Ka pepa a Manu. - Manu's paper.
Later you will learn more uses of ko and kä.
Directionals. There are four words in Hawaiian that follow verbs indicating the direction or movement in which something is happening or being done. Sometimes they are not translated into English.
1) mai: toward the speaker
2) aku: away from the speaker
3) iho: in a downward direction
4) a'e: upward, back and forth, sideways
hele mai -- come (toward the speaker)
hele aku - go (away from the speaker)
hä'awi mai - give (to the speaker)
hä'awi aku - give away
kü'ai mai - buy
kü'ai aku - sell
lawe mai - bring
lawe aku - take
'ai iho - eat (iho is not translated)
kelepona a'e - telephone; to call by phone (a'e is not translated)
Ka pepeke nono'a me "he": he pattern to describe "to have". The verb "to have" doesn't exist in Hawaiian but there is another way to express that thought by using "he":
he + thing possessed + ko/kä + possessor
He mea'ai kä käua - we have food
He pöpoki kä Malu - Malu has a cat
He kupuna lokomaika'i ko'u - I have a kind grandparent
He puke kä kou hoaaloha - your friend has a book
He lumi ko ka wahine - the woman has a room
He penikala kä ka haumäna - the student has a pencil
He ka'a ko ko'u tutu - my grandma has a car
To indicate a helunui (plural), just add mau in front of the kikino.
he + mau + thing possessed + ko/kä + possessor
He mau manu kä ke keikikäne - The boy has birds
He mau noho ko 'oukou - you (more than two) have chairs
He mau pepa käu - you have papers
He mau päpale ko nä wähine - The women have hats
Päpä'ölelo
Ulu: E Näwa'a, 'ike anei 'oe, aia i hea ko'u käma'a? Hey Näwa'a, do you see where my shoe is?
Näwa'a: 'Ae, ua 'ike wau i kou käma'a i ke alanui. Yes, I saw your shoe on the road.
Ulu: Auë! Ua lawe aku ka'u 'ïlio kolohe i ke käma'a! Oh no! My rascal dog took the shoe.
Näwa'a: 'A'ole pilikia. E lawe mai ana au i kou käma'a. No problem. I'll bring your shoe.
Ulu: Mahalo nui loa. E kelepona a'e au i ka'u wahine, no ka mea 'a'ole 'o ia i 'ike. Aia 'o ia i ka hana i këia lä. Thank you very much. I'll call my wife because she didn't know. She is at work today.
Näwa'a: A ma hea kou 'ïlio kolohe? And where is your mischievous dog?
Ulu: Aia 'o ia ma 'ö. 'Ike 'oe iä ia? Auë! Aia iä ia ko'u päpale hou i këia manawa!
He is over there. Do you see him? Oh no! He has my new hat right now!
marloncori@hotmail.com
marlon@aluno.unb.br
E 'ölelo Hawai'i käkou!!!
Hawaiian Lessons
HA’AWINA ‘EONO – Lesson Six
Papa'ölelo
'ai - to eat
lumi - room
'äina - land
ma'i - sick
akua - god
maka'u - afraid, fear
alanui - road, street
mana'o - to think, thought, idea
ali'i - chief
maopopo - to understand, to be known
aloha 'ino - too bad, what a pity, how awful
mea 'ai - food
'ane'i - here
moku - island, ship
'eha - to hurt, pain, sore
mo'olelo - story
hale ma'i - hospital
mo'opuna - grandchild
hanohano - to glorify, to honor, glorious, magnificent
na'auao - intelligent, wise
hemahema - awkward
na'aupö - ignorant
hilahila - shy, ashamed, embarrassed
namu - to mumble
hua - fruit, seed
nehinei - yesterday
huahelu - number
nïnau - to ask questions, to inquire
hua'ölelo - word
'ö - there (distant)
ipo - sweetheart
papa he'enalu - surf board
ka'a - car
papa'ele'ele - black board
käma'a - shoe
pane - answer, to answer
kauka - doctor
päpale - hat, to wear a hat
kinipöpö - ball
pä'ü - woman's skirt
kü'ai mai - to buy
pepa - paper
kü'ai aku - to sell
pupuka - ugly
lä'au - medicine, wood, stick
pupule - crazy
lähui - race, ethnicity
pü - together, too (kähulu with verbs)
lani - heaven, sky
u'i - handsome, beautiful
lei - garland
wahi - place
lole - clothes, clothing, to wear clothes
wai - water (fresh)
Pepeke henua & the use of aia. The pepeke henua (locational sentence) is used to tell where or when something is either in relation to space or time. po'o piko 'awe
Aia ke kumu ma 'ane'i - The teacher is here
Aia 'o Manu i ka hale - Manu is in the house
Aia 'o Glendale ma Kaleponi - Glendale is in California
Aia 'o Pono me 'oe - Pono is with you
Aia 'o ia i ka länai - He is on the lanai
Aia ko'u hale ma ke alanui Central - My house is on Central Avenue.
Aia ka papa 'ölelo Hawai'i i nehinei - The Hawaiian language class was yesterday.
When the 'awe is a papani or i'oa, then the 'awe comes before piko.
po'o aia + 'awe location + piko
Aia iä Pi'i ka'u penikala? Does Pi'i have my pencil?
Aia iä 'oe ka helu kelepona? Do you have the telephone number?
Aia iä wai ka puke? Who has the book?
Aia ia'u ke käma'a - I have the shoe
Nä 'ami nono'a: kino'ö & kino'ä (o & a possessives) There are two possessive forms in Hawaiian to mean "of": the o form and the a form. The use of a versus o depends on what is being possessed.
O category: Things that you have no control over like older relatives, siblings, emotions or body parts. Things that are not living also fall into this category. Things that you can get into (ride), on, under, behind or wear as well as things you inherit, fall into this category.
A category: Things that you make, generate, obtain, acquire or achieve throughout life such as animals or children, fall into this category.
o category a category po'e: hoaloha, akua, ali'i, kupuna, tütü makua, po'e, lähui po'e: käne, wahine, ipo, keiki, mo'opuna kumu, haumäna ko ke kino: kino, lima, poli, po'o nä lole: käma'a, lole, päpale, pä'ü nä painu: hele nä painu: hana, hele, helu, heluhelu, namu, nïnau, 'ölelo, pane nä meme'a 'a'ano/hehele/hamani: akamai, aloha, 'eha, hanohano, hau'oli, hemahema, hilahila, maka'u, ma'i, mana'o, maopopo, na'auao, na'aupö, nani, pupule, u'i, pupuka conveyances: ka'a, papa he'enalu, wa'a kekahi mea 'ë a'e: 'äina, hale, inoa, kula, lani, lei, lumi, mo'olelo, moku, noho (chair), wahi kekahi mau mea 'ë a'e: 'ai, hua, huahelu, hua'ölelo, mea'ai, papa'ele'ele, penikala, papa (class), pepa, puke, wai, kinipöpö
There are some words where the meanings change depending if you're using an a or o possessive.
lei ko'u - my lei (to wear) lei ka'u - my lei (lei that I made)
ki'i ko'u - my picture (of myself) ki'i ka'u - my picture (a picture that I made/took)
Other examples will be given later in future lessons.
Päpä'ölelo
U'ilani: Aloha e Ku'uleialoha! Pehea 'oe? Aloha Ku'uleialoha. How are you?
Ku'uleialoha: 'Eha ko'u po'o. My head hurts.
U'ilani: Auë, aloha 'ino! No ke aha? Aw, too bad. Why?
Ku'uleialoha: 'Ano 'öma'ima'i au. I'm kind of sick.
U'ilani: A pehea kou mau mäkua? A käu mau keiki? And how are your parents? And your children? Ku'uleialoha: Maika'i läkou apau, a e hele ana ka'u mau keiki i ke kula. They are all fine and my children are going to school.
U'ilani: He mea maika'i nö këlä! E hele ana 'oe i ke kauka? That's good! Are you going to the doctor? Ku'uleialoha: 'Ae, a e kü'ai mai ana au i ka lä'au. Yes and I'm going to buy medicine.
U'ilani: E mälama pono e Ku'ulei. A hui hou! Take care Ku'ulei. See you later.
Ku'uleialoha: Mahalo e U'i! A hui hou aku nö. Thank you U'i! See you later then.
Papa'ölelo
'ai - to eat
lumi - room
'äina - land
ma'i - sick
akua - god
maka'u - afraid, fear
alanui - road, street
mana'o - to think, thought, idea
ali'i - chief
maopopo - to understand, to be known
aloha 'ino - too bad, what a pity, how awful
mea 'ai - food
'ane'i - here
moku - island, ship
'eha - to hurt, pain, sore
mo'olelo - story
hale ma'i - hospital
mo'opuna - grandchild
hanohano - to glorify, to honor, glorious, magnificent
na'auao - intelligent, wise
hemahema - awkward
na'aupö - ignorant
hilahila - shy, ashamed, embarrassed
namu - to mumble
hua - fruit, seed
nehinei - yesterday
huahelu - number
nïnau - to ask questions, to inquire
hua'ölelo - word
'ö - there (distant)
ipo - sweetheart
papa he'enalu - surf board
ka'a - car
papa'ele'ele - black board
käma'a - shoe
pane - answer, to answer
kauka - doctor
päpale - hat, to wear a hat
kinipöpö - ball
pä'ü - woman's skirt
kü'ai mai - to buy
pepa - paper
kü'ai aku - to sell
pupuka - ugly
lä'au - medicine, wood, stick
pupule - crazy
lähui - race, ethnicity
pü - together, too (kähulu with verbs)
lani - heaven, sky
u'i - handsome, beautiful
lei - garland
wahi - place
lole - clothes, clothing, to wear clothes
wai - water (fresh)
Pepeke henua & the use of aia. The pepeke henua (locational sentence) is used to tell where or when something is either in relation to space or time. po'o piko 'awe
Aia ke kumu ma 'ane'i - The teacher is here
Aia 'o Manu i ka hale - Manu is in the house
Aia 'o Glendale ma Kaleponi - Glendale is in California
Aia 'o Pono me 'oe - Pono is with you
Aia 'o ia i ka länai - He is on the lanai
Aia ko'u hale ma ke alanui Central - My house is on Central Avenue.
Aia ka papa 'ölelo Hawai'i i nehinei - The Hawaiian language class was yesterday.
When the 'awe is a papani or i'oa, then the 'awe comes before piko.
po'o aia + 'awe location + piko
Aia iä Pi'i ka'u penikala? Does Pi'i have my pencil?
Aia iä 'oe ka helu kelepona? Do you have the telephone number?
Aia iä wai ka puke? Who has the book?
Aia ia'u ke käma'a - I have the shoe
Nä 'ami nono'a: kino'ö & kino'ä (o & a possessives) There are two possessive forms in Hawaiian to mean "of": the o form and the a form. The use of a versus o depends on what is being possessed.
O category: Things that you have no control over like older relatives, siblings, emotions or body parts. Things that are not living also fall into this category. Things that you can get into (ride), on, under, behind or wear as well as things you inherit, fall into this category.
A category: Things that you make, generate, obtain, acquire or achieve throughout life such as animals or children, fall into this category.
o category a category po'e: hoaloha, akua, ali'i, kupuna, tütü makua, po'e, lähui po'e: käne, wahine, ipo, keiki, mo'opuna kumu, haumäna ko ke kino: kino, lima, poli, po'o nä lole: käma'a, lole, päpale, pä'ü nä painu: hele nä painu: hana, hele, helu, heluhelu, namu, nïnau, 'ölelo, pane nä meme'a 'a'ano/hehele/hamani: akamai, aloha, 'eha, hanohano, hau'oli, hemahema, hilahila, maka'u, ma'i, mana'o, maopopo, na'auao, na'aupö, nani, pupule, u'i, pupuka conveyances: ka'a, papa he'enalu, wa'a kekahi mea 'ë a'e: 'äina, hale, inoa, kula, lani, lei, lumi, mo'olelo, moku, noho (chair), wahi kekahi mau mea 'ë a'e: 'ai, hua, huahelu, hua'ölelo, mea'ai, papa'ele'ele, penikala, papa (class), pepa, puke, wai, kinipöpö
There are some words where the meanings change depending if you're using an a or o possessive.
lei ko'u - my lei (to wear) lei ka'u - my lei (lei that I made)
ki'i ko'u - my picture (of myself) ki'i ka'u - my picture (a picture that I made/took)
Other examples will be given later in future lessons.
Päpä'ölelo
U'ilani: Aloha e Ku'uleialoha! Pehea 'oe? Aloha Ku'uleialoha. How are you?
Ku'uleialoha: 'Eha ko'u po'o. My head hurts.
U'ilani: Auë, aloha 'ino! No ke aha? Aw, too bad. Why?
Ku'uleialoha: 'Ano 'öma'ima'i au. I'm kind of sick.
U'ilani: A pehea kou mau mäkua? A käu mau keiki? And how are your parents? And your children? Ku'uleialoha: Maika'i läkou apau, a e hele ana ka'u mau keiki i ke kula. They are all fine and my children are going to school.
U'ilani: He mea maika'i nö këlä! E hele ana 'oe i ke kauka? That's good! Are you going to the doctor? Ku'uleialoha: 'Ae, a e kü'ai mai ana au i ka lä'au. Yes and I'm going to buy medicine.
U'ilani: E mälama pono e Ku'ulei. A hui hou! Take care Ku'ulei. See you later.
Ku'uleialoha: Mahalo e U'i! A hui hou aku nö. Thank you U'i! See you later then.
Hawaiian Lessons
HA’AWINA ‘ELIMA – Lesson Five
Papa'ölelo
A hui hou - see you later
leka - letter
'au - to swim
mä - and company, gang, et al
'au kai - to swim in the sea
mea 'ai - food
hale - house
moana - ocean
hale pule - church
moe - to lie down
hele - to go, come
'ö - there (distant)
hele aku - to go (away)
papa - class
hele mai - to come
pau - to finish, complete
kahakai - beach
po'e - people
kai - sea
püne'e - couch, sofa
lä - [particle translated as "then"]
wela - hot
Mä: mä in Hawaiian immediately follows an i'oa (proper noun). It is normally translated as "them" or "guys" in Pidgin. Hele 'o Manu mä i ka hale pule - Manu guys go to church.
Ka mäka painu ua (past tense) - To form the past tense you add ua directly in front of the verb.
(PAST TENSE) ua + po'o + piko + 'awe (if there is one)
Ua 'ai ka pöpoki i ka mea 'ai - The cat ate the food
Ua 'au wau i ke kai - I swam in the sea
Ua hele mai ke kumu i ke kula - The teacher came to the school
Ua pau ka papa - The class was finished
'ami ma and multiple 'awe The 'ami ma can also be used in place of i. They both mean "in, on," and "at". Ma is more specific than i and i also means "toward" and is usually used with verbs of movement.
Ua + po'o + piko + 'awe
Ua noho au ma Kualapu'u - I lived in Kualapu'u
Ua moe 'o mämä ma ka püne'e - Mom lay on the couch
Just like a he'e, a Hawaiian sentence can have multiple 'awe. An 'awe usually begins with: 'ami i or ma followed by a ka'i: këia, këlä, kënä ke, ka, nä
Ua + po'o + piko + nä 'awe
Ua käkau ka haumäna i ka ha'awina i ke kula - The student wrote the lesson in school
Ua 'ai ka pöpoki i ka mea 'ai ma 'ö - The cat ate the food over there
Ua hele au i ka hale pule i Hawai'i - I went to the church in Hawai'i
ka mäka painu: e painu ana (future tense/progressive) The pattern for forming sentences to indicate future tense is as follows: po'o e + [painu/verb] + ana This pattern is used to show that the action is not complete. Either it is still going on (progressive), or it hasn't even started (future).
po'o + piko + 'awe
e hele ana ka po'e i kahakai – “the people will go to the beach” or “the people are going to the beach”
e käkau ana wau i ka leka – “I will write the letter” or “I am writing the letter”
Päpä'ölelo
Manu: E Keoki, e hele ana 'oukou i kahakai? Hey Keoki, are you guys going to the beach?
Keoki, Pi'ikea, Lehua: 'A'ole, e hele ana mäkou i ke kula i këia lä. No, we're going to school today.
Manu: No ke aha lä? He lä wela ia. Why? It's a hot day.
Keoki mä: E käkau ana mäkou i kekahi mau leka i nä mäkua. He hä'awina ia. We're going to write some letters to the parents. It's a lesson.
Manu: Ua pau ka'u mau papa. E hele ana au i kahakai. E 'au kai ana au. A hui hou! My classes are finished. I'm going to the beach. I'm going to swim. See you later.
Negative 'a'ole To form the negative, 'a'ole comes first. Depending on what tense you are speaking in, there are various patterns. If there is a papani in the piko, then the papani immediately follows 'a'ole followed by i then the painu (verb). If the piko has no papani, then 'a'ole is immediately followed by i then the painu.
hele ka wahine
'a'ole hele ka wahine
ua hele ka wahine
'a'ole i hele ka wahine
hele au
'a'ole au hele
'a'ole i hele au
'a'ole au i hele
Päpä'ölelo
Kalanialoha: Hui e Ku'uleialoha, ua hele 'oe i ke kula i këia lä? Hey Ku'ulei, did you go to school today? Ku'uleialoha: 'A'ole. 'A'ole au i hele i ke kula i këia lä. No. I didn't go to school today.
Kalani: Hele 'oe i kahakai? Are you going to the beach?
Ku'ulei: 'A'ole au hele i kahakai. I'm not going to the beach.
Kalani: Ua 'ai i ka mea 'ai i ka hale pule? Did you eat the food at the church?
Ku'ulei: 'A'ole, 'a'ole au i 'ai i ka mea 'ai. No, I didn't eat the food.
Sentence Construction learned so far
po'o + piko + 'ami + ka'i + 'awe
painu ua
painu e
painu ana
he/'o kikino papani
i'ao: i, ma, iä, ka, ke, këlä, kënä, ko'u, kou, (no ka'i) kikino papani/i'oa
Note: the 'ami and ka'i are part of the 'awe, but in the diagram above they are shown separately to show all the necessary parts of a Hawaiian sentence. Also, the subject may be dropped, if understood.
Papa'ölelo
A hui hou - see you later
leka - letter
'au - to swim
mä - and company, gang, et al
'au kai - to swim in the sea
mea 'ai - food
hale - house
moana - ocean
hale pule - church
moe - to lie down
hele - to go, come
'ö - there (distant)
hele aku - to go (away)
papa - class
hele mai - to come
pau - to finish, complete
kahakai - beach
po'e - people
kai - sea
püne'e - couch, sofa
lä - [particle translated as "then"]
wela - hot
Mä: mä in Hawaiian immediately follows an i'oa (proper noun). It is normally translated as "them" or "guys" in Pidgin. Hele 'o Manu mä i ka hale pule - Manu guys go to church.
Ka mäka painu ua (past tense) - To form the past tense you add ua directly in front of the verb.
(PAST TENSE) ua + po'o + piko + 'awe (if there is one)
Ua 'ai ka pöpoki i ka mea 'ai - The cat ate the food
Ua 'au wau i ke kai - I swam in the sea
Ua hele mai ke kumu i ke kula - The teacher came to the school
Ua pau ka papa - The class was finished
'ami ma and multiple 'awe The 'ami ma can also be used in place of i. They both mean "in, on," and "at". Ma is more specific than i and i also means "toward" and is usually used with verbs of movement.
Ua + po'o + piko + 'awe
Ua noho au ma Kualapu'u - I lived in Kualapu'u
Ua moe 'o mämä ma ka püne'e - Mom lay on the couch
Just like a he'e, a Hawaiian sentence can have multiple 'awe. An 'awe usually begins with: 'ami i or ma followed by a ka'i: këia, këlä, kënä ke, ka, nä
Ua + po'o + piko + nä 'awe
Ua käkau ka haumäna i ka ha'awina i ke kula - The student wrote the lesson in school
Ua 'ai ka pöpoki i ka mea 'ai ma 'ö - The cat ate the food over there
Ua hele au i ka hale pule i Hawai'i - I went to the church in Hawai'i
ka mäka painu: e painu ana (future tense/progressive) The pattern for forming sentences to indicate future tense is as follows: po'o e + [painu/verb] + ana This pattern is used to show that the action is not complete. Either it is still going on (progressive), or it hasn't even started (future).
po'o + piko + 'awe
e hele ana ka po'e i kahakai – “the people will go to the beach” or “the people are going to the beach”
e käkau ana wau i ka leka – “I will write the letter” or “I am writing the letter”
Päpä'ölelo
Manu: E Keoki, e hele ana 'oukou i kahakai? Hey Keoki, are you guys going to the beach?
Keoki, Pi'ikea, Lehua: 'A'ole, e hele ana mäkou i ke kula i këia lä. No, we're going to school today.
Manu: No ke aha lä? He lä wela ia. Why? It's a hot day.
Keoki mä: E käkau ana mäkou i kekahi mau leka i nä mäkua. He hä'awina ia. We're going to write some letters to the parents. It's a lesson.
Manu: Ua pau ka'u mau papa. E hele ana au i kahakai. E 'au kai ana au. A hui hou! My classes are finished. I'm going to the beach. I'm going to swim. See you later.
Negative 'a'ole To form the negative, 'a'ole comes first. Depending on what tense you are speaking in, there are various patterns. If there is a papani in the piko, then the papani immediately follows 'a'ole followed by i then the painu (verb). If the piko has no papani, then 'a'ole is immediately followed by i then the painu.
hele ka wahine
'a'ole hele ka wahine
ua hele ka wahine
'a'ole i hele ka wahine
hele au
'a'ole au hele
'a'ole i hele au
'a'ole au i hele
Päpä'ölelo
Kalanialoha: Hui e Ku'uleialoha, ua hele 'oe i ke kula i këia lä? Hey Ku'ulei, did you go to school today? Ku'uleialoha: 'A'ole. 'A'ole au i hele i ke kula i këia lä. No. I didn't go to school today.
Kalani: Hele 'oe i kahakai? Are you going to the beach?
Ku'ulei: 'A'ole au hele i kahakai. I'm not going to the beach.
Kalani: Ua 'ai i ka mea 'ai i ka hale pule? Did you eat the food at the church?
Ku'ulei: 'A'ole, 'a'ole au i 'ai i ka mea 'ai. No, I didn't eat the food.
Sentence Construction learned so far
po'o + piko + 'ami + ka'i + 'awe
painu ua
painu e
painu ana
he/'o kikino papani
i'ao: i, ma, iä, ka, ke, këlä, kënä, ko'u, kou, (no ka'i) kikino papani/i'oa
Note: the 'ami and ka'i are part of the 'awe, but in the diagram above they are shown separately to show all the necessary parts of a Hawaiian sentence. Also, the subject may be dropped, if understood.
Hawaiian Lessons
HA’AWINA ‘EHÄ – Lesson Four
Papa'ölelo
'ai - to eat
kona - his, her
akamai - smart
këia lä - today
alanui - street, road
ki'i - picture, to draw
'a'ole pilikia - you're welcome; no problem
komo - to enter
hä'awi - to give, to bring
komo mai - to come in
hä'awi aku - to give (away)
li'ili'i - small, little
hä'awi mai - to bring in
lohe - to hear
hana - work, to work
ma - in, at, on
helu - number, to count
mämä - mom, mother
heluhelu - to read
mokupuni - island
hö - ooh, wow [an expression also "hü"]
päpä - dad, father
holo - to go, travel, ride, sail
piko - navel, center
ho'olohe - to listen
pilikia - trouble, problem
'ike - to see, to know (ke)
po'o - head
käkau - to write
wa'a - canoe
More papani: There are 4 papani or pronouns in Hawaiian for "we". The pronouns specify whether or not you are including the person you are speaking to and can be number specific. If you are including the person you are speaking to, you use the "k" forms of "we" in Hawaiian. If you are talking about "we" but not including the person addressed, then you use the "m" form.
INCLUSIVE (K-) / EXCLUSIVE (M-)
käua “we” (dual) / mäua “we” (dual)
käkou “we” (more than two) mäkou “we” (more than two)
He mau haumäna käua - we (2 incl.) are students.
He mau Hawai'i käkou - we (incl.) all are Hawaiians
He mau käne mäkou - we (excl.) are all men
Maika'i nö mäua - we (2 excl.) are fine
Ka mäka painu kauoha e (E the imperative marker).
In Hawaiian e is used when you want to express a command.
E 'ai 'oe ! - (you) eat!
E hana käua! - let's (2 incl.) work!
E käkau! (you) write!
E noho! – sit!
E 'olu'olu – please... (literally: “be kind”)
E ki'i ma këia pepa - Draw on this paper!
Hawaiian sentence structure
A Hawaiian sentence is made up of 3 basic parts. The po'o, piko and 'awe. Think of the sentence structure like a he'e (octopus) where it is made up of the po'o (head), and the 'awe (tentacle) and they both meet in the center or "piko".
The basic parts of a Hawaiian sentence follows a particular order beginning with the po'o immediately followed by a piko. The 'awe normally follows the piko but in future lessons you will see how it can come before the piko as well as the po'o.
Sometimes the 'awe is purposely omitted because the pepeke (statement) is understood. Other times, the pepeke just won't have an 'awe.
STRUCTURE: po'o piko 'awe
He kumu au ma Kaleponi - I'm a teacher in California
He wahine 'o Laka - Laka is a woman
He wa'a këlä - that is a canoe H
He keiki käne li'ili'i 'o ia - he is a little boy
He mokupuni 'o Moloka'i - Moloka'i is an island
'O au 'o Keawe - I am Keawe
'O këia ko'u hale - this is my house
'O këia alanui 'o Sunset - this street is Sunset
'O ia ka haumäna akamai - he is the smart student
'O Hollywood këia - this is Hollywood
'O këia 'o Hollywood - this is Hollywood
Nä 'ami lauka i & iä (prepositions i/iä)
i: when linking other parts of a sentence to the main clause, you use the 'ami i. It joins the 'awe or the object (both direct and indirect object) to the piko. The 'awe requires a ka'i if it has a kikino (common noun) in it. The ka'i would come directly in front of the kikino. The ka'i that you have learned so far are këia, këlä, ka, ke, and nä. Other ka'i are kou and ko'u.
STRUCTURE: po'o (verb) + piko (subject) + 'ami (preposition) + 'awe (object)
Po'o piko 'ami 'awe
Heluhelu 'o Nalu i ka puke - Nalu reads the book
Noho 'o ia i ka noho - He sits in the chair
Käkau 'oe i ka leka - You write the letter
iä: when the 'awe is an i'oa (person's name, place or pronoun) then you use iä in place of i. When iä is used with the papani (pronoun) au (wau) it is contracted to ia'u.
Po'o piko 'ami 'awe
Heluhelu 'o Nalu iä mäkou - Nalu reads to us
Käkau 'o ia iä Pi'ikea - She writes to Pi'ikea
'Ike 'o Mähealani iä Kaulana - Mahealani sees Kaulana
E hä'awi mai 'oe ia'u - (You) bring (it) to me!
Note: the 'ami i and iä are actually part of the 'awe but in this particular lesson it was listed separately to show that it is required to join the remaining 'awe to the rest of the pepeke. So an 'awe begins with either an 'ami i or 'ami iä.
Päpä'ölelo (conversation)
Pü'iwa: Aloha e Maka'u'ole! Hello Maka'u'ole!
Maka'u'ole: Aloha nö e Pü'iwa. Hello Pu'iwa.
Maka'u'ole: E komo mai. Come inside.
Pü'iwa: Mahalo e Maka'u'ole Thank you Maka'u'ole.
Pü'iwa: 'O wai këlä kanaka ma ke ki'i? Who is that person in the picture?
Maka'u'ole: Ma këlä ki'i? 'O ko'u mämä. In that picture? It's my mom.
Pü'iwa: Hö, he wahine nani 'o ia. Wow, she is a pretty woman.
Maka'u'ole: Mahalo, he 'olu'olu 'oe - Thank you, you are kind. (a kind person)
Pü'iwa: 'A'ole pilikia e Maka'u'ole. You're welcome Maka'u'ole.
Maka'u'ole: Aloha käua. Goodbye.
Pü'iwa: Aloha nö. Bye then.
Ka pepeke painu (verb sentence): present tense To form the present tense in Hawaiian, the verb which is the po'o is first, followed by the piko which is the subject. The pepeke painu tells that something or someone has a certain trait or quality or does a particular action.
po'o (verb) + piko (subject)
Hana au – “I work”
'Ai 'o Pi'i – “Pi'i eats”
'Ike käkou – “we see”
Ho'olohe mäua – “we (dual excl.) listen”
Heluhelu läkou - “they read”
Päpä'ölelo
Nihopalaoa: E Pua, pehea 'oe? Pua, how are you?
Pua: Maika'i, mahalo. Heluhelu au i këia puke maika'i. I'm fine thank you. I am reading this good book.
Nihopalaoa: He aha kënä puke? What is that (near you) book?
Pua: He puke kula ia. Heluhelu ke kumu iä mäkou. (It's) a school book. The teacher reads it to us.
Nihopalaoa: E hä'awi mai 'oe i ka puke ia'u. Give the book to me.
Pua: No ke aha? Why?
Nihopalaoa: No ka mea, 'ölelo 'oe, he puke maika'i ia. Because you said it's a good book.
Pua: Hö! Akamai 'oe! 'A'ole pilikia, e hä'awi aku au i ka puke iä 'oe.
Wow! You're smart! No problem, I'll give you the book.
Papa'ölelo
'ai - to eat
kona - his, her
akamai - smart
këia lä - today
alanui - street, road
ki'i - picture, to draw
'a'ole pilikia - you're welcome; no problem
komo - to enter
hä'awi - to give, to bring
komo mai - to come in
hä'awi aku - to give (away)
li'ili'i - small, little
hä'awi mai - to bring in
lohe - to hear
hana - work, to work
ma - in, at, on
helu - number, to count
mämä - mom, mother
heluhelu - to read
mokupuni - island
hö - ooh, wow [an expression also "hü"]
päpä - dad, father
holo - to go, travel, ride, sail
piko - navel, center
ho'olohe - to listen
pilikia - trouble, problem
'ike - to see, to know (ke)
po'o - head
käkau - to write
wa'a - canoe
More papani: There are 4 papani or pronouns in Hawaiian for "we". The pronouns specify whether or not you are including the person you are speaking to and can be number specific. If you are including the person you are speaking to, you use the "k" forms of "we" in Hawaiian. If you are talking about "we" but not including the person addressed, then you use the "m" form.
INCLUSIVE (K-) / EXCLUSIVE (M-)
käua “we” (dual) / mäua “we” (dual)
käkou “we” (more than two) mäkou “we” (more than two)
He mau haumäna käua - we (2 incl.) are students.
He mau Hawai'i käkou - we (incl.) all are Hawaiians
He mau käne mäkou - we (excl.) are all men
Maika'i nö mäua - we (2 excl.) are fine
Ka mäka painu kauoha e (E the imperative marker).
In Hawaiian e is used when you want to express a command.
E 'ai 'oe ! - (you) eat!
E hana käua! - let's (2 incl.) work!
E käkau! (you) write!
E noho! – sit!
E 'olu'olu – please... (literally: “be kind”)
E ki'i ma këia pepa - Draw on this paper!
Hawaiian sentence structure
A Hawaiian sentence is made up of 3 basic parts. The po'o, piko and 'awe. Think of the sentence structure like a he'e (octopus) where it is made up of the po'o (head), and the 'awe (tentacle) and they both meet in the center or "piko".
The basic parts of a Hawaiian sentence follows a particular order beginning with the po'o immediately followed by a piko. The 'awe normally follows the piko but in future lessons you will see how it can come before the piko as well as the po'o.
Sometimes the 'awe is purposely omitted because the pepeke (statement) is understood. Other times, the pepeke just won't have an 'awe.
STRUCTURE: po'o piko 'awe
He kumu au ma Kaleponi - I'm a teacher in California
He wahine 'o Laka - Laka is a woman
He wa'a këlä - that is a canoe H
He keiki käne li'ili'i 'o ia - he is a little boy
He mokupuni 'o Moloka'i - Moloka'i is an island
'O au 'o Keawe - I am Keawe
'O këia ko'u hale - this is my house
'O këia alanui 'o Sunset - this street is Sunset
'O ia ka haumäna akamai - he is the smart student
'O Hollywood këia - this is Hollywood
'O këia 'o Hollywood - this is Hollywood
Nä 'ami lauka i & iä (prepositions i/iä)
i: when linking other parts of a sentence to the main clause, you use the 'ami i. It joins the 'awe or the object (both direct and indirect object) to the piko. The 'awe requires a ka'i if it has a kikino (common noun) in it. The ka'i would come directly in front of the kikino. The ka'i that you have learned so far are këia, këlä, ka, ke, and nä. Other ka'i are kou and ko'u.
STRUCTURE: po'o (verb) + piko (subject) + 'ami (preposition) + 'awe (object)
Po'o piko 'ami 'awe
Heluhelu 'o Nalu i ka puke - Nalu reads the book
Noho 'o ia i ka noho - He sits in the chair
Käkau 'oe i ka leka - You write the letter
iä: when the 'awe is an i'oa (person's name, place or pronoun) then you use iä in place of i. When iä is used with the papani (pronoun) au (wau) it is contracted to ia'u.
Po'o piko 'ami 'awe
Heluhelu 'o Nalu iä mäkou - Nalu reads to us
Käkau 'o ia iä Pi'ikea - She writes to Pi'ikea
'Ike 'o Mähealani iä Kaulana - Mahealani sees Kaulana
E hä'awi mai 'oe ia'u - (You) bring (it) to me!
Note: the 'ami i and iä are actually part of the 'awe but in this particular lesson it was listed separately to show that it is required to join the remaining 'awe to the rest of the pepeke. So an 'awe begins with either an 'ami i or 'ami iä.
Päpä'ölelo (conversation)
Pü'iwa: Aloha e Maka'u'ole! Hello Maka'u'ole!
Maka'u'ole: Aloha nö e Pü'iwa. Hello Pu'iwa.
Maka'u'ole: E komo mai. Come inside.
Pü'iwa: Mahalo e Maka'u'ole Thank you Maka'u'ole.
Pü'iwa: 'O wai këlä kanaka ma ke ki'i? Who is that person in the picture?
Maka'u'ole: Ma këlä ki'i? 'O ko'u mämä. In that picture? It's my mom.
Pü'iwa: Hö, he wahine nani 'o ia. Wow, she is a pretty woman.
Maka'u'ole: Mahalo, he 'olu'olu 'oe - Thank you, you are kind. (a kind person)
Pü'iwa: 'A'ole pilikia e Maka'u'ole. You're welcome Maka'u'ole.
Maka'u'ole: Aloha käua. Goodbye.
Pü'iwa: Aloha nö. Bye then.
Ka pepeke painu (verb sentence): present tense To form the present tense in Hawaiian, the verb which is the po'o is first, followed by the piko which is the subject. The pepeke painu tells that something or someone has a certain trait or quality or does a particular action.
po'o (verb) + piko (subject)
Hana au – “I work”
'Ai 'o Pi'i – “Pi'i eats”
'Ike käkou – “we see”
Ho'olohe mäua – “we (dual excl.) listen”
Heluhelu läkou - “they read”
Päpä'ölelo
Nihopalaoa: E Pua, pehea 'oe? Pua, how are you?
Pua: Maika'i, mahalo. Heluhelu au i këia puke maika'i. I'm fine thank you. I am reading this good book.
Nihopalaoa: He aha kënä puke? What is that (near you) book?
Pua: He puke kula ia. Heluhelu ke kumu iä mäkou. (It's) a school book. The teacher reads it to us.
Nihopalaoa: E hä'awi mai 'oe i ka puke ia'u. Give the book to me.
Pua: No ke aha? Why?
Nihopalaoa: No ka mea, 'ölelo 'oe, he puke maika'i ia. Because you said it's a good book.
Pua: Hö! Akamai 'oe! 'A'ole pilikia, e hä'awi aku au i ka puke iä 'oe.
Wow! You're smart! No problem, I'll give you the book.
Hawaiian Lessons
HA’AWINA ‘EKOLU (Lesson Three)
Papa'ölelo (vocabulary list)
a pau - all, entirely
e 'ölelo hou mai - repeat (say it again)
aloha ahiahi - good evening
e 'olu'olu 'oe - please
aloha 'auinalä - good afternoon
hoa aloha; hoa - friend
aloha aumoe - good night
hou - new, again
aloha awakea - good midday (not translated in English)
mäluhiluhi - tired
aloha kakahiaka - good morning
no ke aha - why
aloha käua - greetings (between us two)
no ka mea - because
'ano - somewhat, rather
'öma'ima'i - sick
auë - my goodness, oh my [an expression]
pehea - how
e ho'opili mai - mimic me; repeat after me
pehea 'oe - how are you?
e kala mai - excuse me, pardon me
Päpä'ölelo (conversation)
Koa: Aloha käua! Hello!
Nani: Aloha nö e Koa! Hello indeed Koa!
Koa: Pehea 'oe e Nani? How are you Nani?
Nani: Maika'i, mahalo. A 'o 'oe? I'm fine thank you. And you?
Koa: Maika'i nö, mahalo. He aha kënä? Fine thanks. What is that (near you)?
Nani: He mai'a këia. This is a banana.
Koa: He mai'a? A pehea ka mai'a, 'ono? A banana? And how is it, delicious?
Nani: 'Ae, 'ono loa ka mai'a. Yes, the banana is very delicious.
Koa: He aha këlä mea? What is that thing?
Nani: He noho hou këlä. That is a new chair.
Koa: E 'olu'olu 'oe, e 'ölelo hou mai. Please repeat.
Nani: He noho hou këlä. That is a new chair.
Koa: Mahalo e Nani. He hoa maika'i 'oe. Thanks Nani. You are a good friend.
Nani: Mahalo e Koa, aloha käua. Thanks Koa, bye.
Koa: Aloha nö e Nani. Bye Nani.
Nä Papani (pronouns)
The papani in Hawaiian are a bit more extensive than in English. They are specific as to the number of people and whether you are including or excluding the person spoken to. More papani will be introduced in each lesson.
'olua - you two (dual)
'oukou - you (more than two)
läua - they two (dual)
läkou they (more than two)
note: because these papani are plural, you need to place nä or mau directly in front of the kikino to indicate that you are talking about more than one thing.
'o 'oukou nä kumu hula – “all of you are the hula teachers”
he mau haumäna hula 'olua – “you two are hula students”
he mau Päkë läua – “they (two) are Chinese”
he mau mo'o läkou – “they (+2) are lizards”
Päpä'ölelo (conversation)
Leo: Aloha käua! Hello!
Moana: Aloha käua. Hello
Leo: Pehea 'oe e Moana? How are you Moana?
Moana: Maika'i nö au, mahalo. A 'o 'oe? I'm fine thank you. And you?
Leo: 'Ano mäluhiluhi au. I'm somewhat tired.
Moana: No ke aha? Why?
Leo: 'Öma'ima'i au. I'm sick.
Moana: Auë! A pehea kou mau mäkua? Geez! And how are your parents?
Leo: 'Ano 'öma'ima'i läua. They're all rather ill.
Moana: Auë! 'Öma'ima'i 'oukou a pau! Aw! They are all sick!
Note: the 'o marker is used in front of 'oe.
Papa'ölelo (vocabulary list)
a pau - all, entirely
e 'ölelo hou mai - repeat (say it again)
aloha ahiahi - good evening
e 'olu'olu 'oe - please
aloha 'auinalä - good afternoon
hoa aloha; hoa - friend
aloha aumoe - good night
hou - new, again
aloha awakea - good midday (not translated in English)
mäluhiluhi - tired
aloha kakahiaka - good morning
no ke aha - why
aloha käua - greetings (between us two)
no ka mea - because
'ano - somewhat, rather
'öma'ima'i - sick
auë - my goodness, oh my [an expression]
pehea - how
e ho'opili mai - mimic me; repeat after me
pehea 'oe - how are you?
e kala mai - excuse me, pardon me
Päpä'ölelo (conversation)
Koa: Aloha käua! Hello!
Nani: Aloha nö e Koa! Hello indeed Koa!
Koa: Pehea 'oe e Nani? How are you Nani?
Nani: Maika'i, mahalo. A 'o 'oe? I'm fine thank you. And you?
Koa: Maika'i nö, mahalo. He aha kënä? Fine thanks. What is that (near you)?
Nani: He mai'a këia. This is a banana.
Koa: He mai'a? A pehea ka mai'a, 'ono? A banana? And how is it, delicious?
Nani: 'Ae, 'ono loa ka mai'a. Yes, the banana is very delicious.
Koa: He aha këlä mea? What is that thing?
Nani: He noho hou këlä. That is a new chair.
Koa: E 'olu'olu 'oe, e 'ölelo hou mai. Please repeat.
Nani: He noho hou këlä. That is a new chair.
Koa: Mahalo e Nani. He hoa maika'i 'oe. Thanks Nani. You are a good friend.
Nani: Mahalo e Koa, aloha käua. Thanks Koa, bye.
Koa: Aloha nö e Nani. Bye Nani.
Nä Papani (pronouns)
The papani in Hawaiian are a bit more extensive than in English. They are specific as to the number of people and whether you are including or excluding the person spoken to. More papani will be introduced in each lesson.
'olua - you two (dual)
'oukou - you (more than two)
läua - they two (dual)
läkou they (more than two)
note: because these papani are plural, you need to place nä or mau directly in front of the kikino to indicate that you are talking about more than one thing.
'o 'oukou nä kumu hula – “all of you are the hula teachers”
he mau haumäna hula 'olua – “you two are hula students”
he mau Päkë läua – “they (two) are Chinese”
he mau mo'o läkou – “they (+2) are lizards”
Päpä'ölelo (conversation)
Leo: Aloha käua! Hello!
Moana: Aloha käua. Hello
Leo: Pehea 'oe e Moana? How are you Moana?
Moana: Maika'i nö au, mahalo. A 'o 'oe? I'm fine thank you. And you?
Leo: 'Ano mäluhiluhi au. I'm somewhat tired.
Moana: No ke aha? Why?
Leo: 'Öma'ima'i au. I'm sick.
Moana: Auë! A pehea kou mau mäkua? Geez! And how are your parents?
Leo: 'Ano 'öma'ima'i läua. They're all rather ill.
Moana: Auë! 'Öma'ima'i 'oukou a pau! Aw! They are all sick!
Note: the 'o marker is used in front of 'oe.
Hawaiian Lessons
HA’AWINA ‘ELUA (Lesson Two)
Papa'ölelo (vocabulary list)
a - and (with verbs)
lole - clothes, dress, cloth
aloha - love, hello, goodbye
mahalo - to thank, to admire
hale - house, building
mai'a - banana
Haole - Caucasian, Engl. language
maika'i - good
hau'oli - happy
manu - bird
haumäna - student
mau - (plural marker)
hou - new, again
mea - thing, person
ia - he, she, it
momona - fat, sweet, fertile
i'a - fish
mu'umu'u - Hawaiian dress
inoa - name
nä - the (plural marker)
ka - the
nö - indeed (emphatic marker)
kahiko - old, ancient
'o wai - who
kaumaha - sad, heavy
'ölelo - to speak, to say
ke - the
'ölelo Hawai'i - Hawaiian language; to speak Hawaiian
keiki - child
'olu'olu - kind, pleasant, comfortable, cool, nice, charming
kou - your
'ono - delicious
ko'u - my
penikala - pencil
kula - school
pepa – paper
kumu - teacher
puke - book
li'ili'i - small, little
wïwï - thin
ka, ke, nä and mau
There are three articles (the) in Hawaiian. First, the use of ka and ke. When to use which one depends on the word it is being used with. Ke is used with all words that begin with k, and some words beginning a, e, o and p. Ka is used everywhere else. Although there are some exceptions which will be learned over time.
When nä is used, it indicates that the word is in its plural form as in ka puke - the book versus nä puke the books. Mau is used to pluralize the noun when nä cannot be used and sometimes is translated as "some". Later you will learn more uses with mau.
nä wähine - the women
nä käne - the men
he mau wähine - women; some women
he mau käne - men; some men
Pepeke 'Aike 'O This is another pepeke 'aike known as "pepeke 'aike 'o". This pattern consists of two parts that equal each other. You have a subject and a predicate. These sentences like the "pepeke 'aike he" are verbless sentences and answers who or what (person, place, thing) it is.
'o wai kou inoa? - what is your name?
'o Laka ko'u inoa - my name is Laka
'o Malia këia - this is Mary
'o 'oe ke kumu hula - you are the hula teacher
'o Pi'i ka haumäna - Pi'i is the student
'o këlä ka manu nui - that is the big bird
'o këia ka noho 'olu'olu this is the comfortable chair
'o ka noho 'olu'olu këia this is the comfortable chair
'o au ke kumu I am the teacher
'o ka hale kula këlä
that is the school
'O - subject marker. You already learned about the 'o that appears at the beginning of the pepeke 'aike. The 'o also appears in front of papani (pronouns) 'oe & ia and in front of an i'oa (personal names or name of a place).
'o ka wahine 'olu'olu 'o Momilani - Momilani is the pleasant woman
'o ke kumu 'o Leonahenahe - Leonahenahe is the teacher
'o këlä keikikäne 'o Kaleo - That boy is Kaleo
'o Kalani 'o 'oe ka haumäna - You are the student
'o La'akea ka haumäna - La'akea is the student
nö: Nö is an intensifier to mean "indeed" or "certainly" or sometimes not translated at all. It is an adverb, modifying the verb. This is a kähulu and just as it followed the kikino (common noun), nö will follow the verb.
aloha! - greetings!
aloha nö - greetings (to you too)
ia: ia means he, she or it but is preceded by 'o when the subject is "he" or "she". If the subject is "it", the 'o is omitted. he keiki maika'i 'o ia - he/she is a good child
he kula maika'i ia - it is a good school
Päpä'ölelo (conversation)
Laka: Aloha! 'O wai kou inoa? - Aloha, what is your name?
Malia: 'O Malia ko'u inoa. A 'o kou inoa? - My name is Malia. And your name?
Laka: 'O Laka ko'u inoa. My name is Laka.
Malia: Aloha nö e Laka. He kumu au. Aloha Laka. I'm a teacher.
Laka: Maika'i! He kumu kula 'oe? Great! Are you a school teacher?
Malia: 'A'ole, he kumu hula au. No, I'm a hula teacher.
Laka: 'Ölelo Haole 'oe? Do you speak English?
Malia: 'Ae, 'ölelo Haole au, a 'ölelo Haole ko'u makuahine. Yes, I speak English and my mother speaks English.
Laka: He mea maika'i nö. (That's) a really good thing.
Papa'ölelo (vocabulary list)
a - and (with verbs)
lole - clothes, dress, cloth
aloha - love, hello, goodbye
mahalo - to thank, to admire
hale - house, building
mai'a - banana
Haole - Caucasian, Engl. language
maika'i - good
hau'oli - happy
manu - bird
haumäna - student
mau - (plural marker)
hou - new, again
mea - thing, person
ia - he, she, it
momona - fat, sweet, fertile
i'a - fish
mu'umu'u - Hawaiian dress
inoa - name
nä - the (plural marker)
ka - the
nö - indeed (emphatic marker)
kahiko - old, ancient
'o wai - who
kaumaha - sad, heavy
'ölelo - to speak, to say
ke - the
'ölelo Hawai'i - Hawaiian language; to speak Hawaiian
keiki - child
'olu'olu - kind, pleasant, comfortable, cool, nice, charming
kou - your
'ono - delicious
ko'u - my
penikala - pencil
kula - school
pepa – paper
kumu - teacher
puke - book
li'ili'i - small, little
wïwï - thin
ka, ke, nä and mau
There are three articles (the) in Hawaiian. First, the use of ka and ke. When to use which one depends on the word it is being used with. Ke is used with all words that begin with k, and some words beginning a, e, o and p. Ka is used everywhere else. Although there are some exceptions which will be learned over time.
When nä is used, it indicates that the word is in its plural form as in ka puke - the book versus nä puke the books. Mau is used to pluralize the noun when nä cannot be used and sometimes is translated as "some". Later you will learn more uses with mau.
nä wähine - the women
nä käne - the men
he mau wähine - women; some women
he mau käne - men; some men
Pepeke 'Aike 'O This is another pepeke 'aike known as "pepeke 'aike 'o". This pattern consists of two parts that equal each other. You have a subject and a predicate. These sentences like the "pepeke 'aike he" are verbless sentences and answers who or what (person, place, thing) it is.
'o wai kou inoa? - what is your name?
'o Laka ko'u inoa - my name is Laka
'o Malia këia - this is Mary
'o 'oe ke kumu hula - you are the hula teacher
'o Pi'i ka haumäna - Pi'i is the student
'o këlä ka manu nui - that is the big bird
'o këia ka noho 'olu'olu this is the comfortable chair
'o ka noho 'olu'olu këia this is the comfortable chair
'o au ke kumu I am the teacher
'o ka hale kula këlä
that is the school
'O - subject marker. You already learned about the 'o that appears at the beginning of the pepeke 'aike. The 'o also appears in front of papani (pronouns) 'oe & ia and in front of an i'oa (personal names or name of a place).
'o ka wahine 'olu'olu 'o Momilani - Momilani is the pleasant woman
'o ke kumu 'o Leonahenahe - Leonahenahe is the teacher
'o këlä keikikäne 'o Kaleo - That boy is Kaleo
'o Kalani 'o 'oe ka haumäna - You are the student
'o La'akea ka haumäna - La'akea is the student
nö: Nö is an intensifier to mean "indeed" or "certainly" or sometimes not translated at all. It is an adverb, modifying the verb. This is a kähulu and just as it followed the kikino (common noun), nö will follow the verb.
aloha! - greetings!
aloha nö - greetings (to you too)
ia: ia means he, she or it but is preceded by 'o when the subject is "he" or "she". If the subject is "it", the 'o is omitted. he keiki maika'i 'o ia - he/she is a good child
he kula maika'i ia - it is a good school
Päpä'ölelo (conversation)
Laka: Aloha! 'O wai kou inoa? - Aloha, what is your name?
Malia: 'O Malia ko'u inoa. A 'o kou inoa? - My name is Malia. And your name?
Laka: 'O Laka ko'u inoa. My name is Laka.
Malia: Aloha nö e Laka. He kumu au. Aloha Laka. I'm a teacher.
Laka: Maika'i! He kumu kula 'oe? Great! Are you a school teacher?
Malia: 'A'ole, he kumu hula au. No, I'm a hula teacher.
Laka: 'Ölelo Haole 'oe? Do you speak English?
Malia: 'Ae, 'ölelo Haole au, a 'ölelo Haole ko'u makuahine. Yes, I speak English and my mother speaks English.
Laka: He mea maika'i nö. (That's) a really good thing.
Hawaiian Lessons
HAWAIIAN [HWI]
- 1,000 mother tongue speakers, 500 with Ni'ihau Island connections, another 500 in their 70s or 80s (1995 Laina Wong Univ. of Hawaii).
- 8,000 can speak and understand it (1993 Keith Haugen).
- 237,128 ethnic Hawaiians in Hawaii (1996 Hawaii State Dept. of Health), 18.8% of the population (1990 Hawaii State Dept. of Health)
- 99,269 ethnic Hawaiians on the USA mainland (1990 census), including 24,245 in California.
- In 1900 there were 37,000 mother tongue speakers (1995 Honolulu Advertiser).
- Ethnic Hawaiians include 8,244 pure Hawaiian, 72,809 between 50% and 99% Hawaiian, 127,523 less than 50% Hawaiian in Hawaii (1984 Office of Hawaiian Affairs).
- In 1778 there were believed to have been more than 500,000 pure Hawaiians (1995 Wayne Harada). Hawaiian Islands, mainly Ni'ihau Island and the Big Island of Hawai'i, some on all the other islands.
- Alternate names: 'OLELO HAWAI'I, 'OLELO HAWAI'I MAKUAHINE.
- Language classification: Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Central-Eastern Oceanic, Remote Oceanic, Central Pacific, East Fijian-Polynesian, Polynesian, Nuclear, East, Central, Marquesic.
HA’AWINA ‘EKAHI (Lesson One)
Papa'ölelo (vocabulary list)
aha – what ( in questions)
makua - parent
au; wau - I
mäkua - parents
'ae – yes
makuahine - mother
'a'ole – no
makuakäne - father
Hawai'i – Hawaiian; Hawai'i
mo'o - lizard
'ïlio – dog
nani - pretty, nice
ka'a – car
no ka mea - because
kaikamahine – girl
noho – chair, to sit/stay/live
kanaka – person
nui – big, large, great, many, numerous
känaka – persons
'o ia – he, she
käne – man
'oe – you
këia - this
Päkë – Chinese
keikikäne – boy
Paniolo – Spanish/Spaniard
këlä – that (far)
Pilipino – Filipino
kënä – that (near)
Pokoliko - Puerto Rican
Kepanï – Japanese
pöpoki - cat
kolohe – rascal, mischievous
pua - flower
kupuna – grandparent
puka – door
kupunakäne – grandfather
Pukïkï – Portuguese
kupunawahine – grandmother
u'i – beautiful, handsome (people)
loa - very
wahine – woman
ka'i: këia, këlä and kënä: The demonstrative pronouns (this, that) in Hawaiian focuses on the person spoken to.
- Këia is used to mean "this" and is close to the speaker.
- Kënä means "that" and refers to the thing that is close to the person being spoken to or close to the thing that one is speaking about.
- Këlä is also "that" but is distant from both the speaker and the one being spoken to or about.
Këia, këlä and kënä are referred to as ka'i. Later in future lessons you will learn how important it is to have a ka'i in order to form sentences. Ka'i means "to lead; direct".
kikino & i'oa: In Hawaiian, the common nouns are referred to as a kikino. A proper noun (name of a person or a place name) is called an i'oa.
kähulu: adjectives in Hawaiian follow the noun. The "hulu" in kähulu is a feather. Think of it as a decoration and that it is used to decorate the noun therefore comes after the noun. kikino kähulu -> 'ïlio nui “big dog”, pua nani “pretty flower”.
Pepeke 'Aike: a pepeke is a complete statement. Basically whatever words you put together to make a sentence in Hawaiian is a pepeke. In this lesson you'll learn the "pepeke 'aike he". It answers who or what (person, place, thing) it is. He means "a/an" but is used in a particular pattern to make a statement such as "That is a cat" or "I am Hawaiian".
In Hawaiian the verb "to be" doesn't exist so this is one way of forming sentences where you would use the verb "to be" in English. he pöpoki – “a cat”, he 'ïlio – “a dog”, he mo'o – “a lizard”, he käne nui – “a big man”.
PATTERN: He + noun phrase + subject
he pöpoki këia= “this is a cat”,
he 'ïlio këlä = “that (far) is a dog”
he Hawai'i au = “I am Hawaiian”
he kaikamahine 'o ia = “she is a girl”
he käne këlä = “that is a man”
he pua kënä = “that (near) is a flower”
he aha këlä = “what is that?”
he makuakäne 'oe = “you are a father”
he mo'o kënä = “that is a lizard”
he 'ïlio nui këia = “this is a big dog”
he keikikäne kolohe 'o ia = “he is a rascal boy”
he wahine Pokoliko 'o ia = “she is a Puerto Rican (woman)”
'ae, he wahine nani loa këlä yes, that is a very pretty lady
Like in English, changing the intonation at the end of the sentence turns it into a question.
He aha këia? - What is this?
He puke këia. - This is a book.
He puke këia? - Is this a book?
'Ae, he puke këia. - Yes, this is a book.
He Hawai'i 'o ia? - Is he Hawaiian?
He Hawai'i 'o ia. - He is Hawaiian.
The 'ami hea (e vocative): When addressing someone by name, you use the vocative "e" in front of the person's name.
E Keoni - Keoni
E Kaleo, he aha këlä? – Kaleo, what is that?
When you are addressing someone other than using the person's name, you use a ka'i (ka/ke).
E ke keikikäne
E ke kaikamahine
note: 'ami means "joint". Later you will learn of other 'ami and their use.
Päpä'ölelo (conversation)
Keoni: E Kaleo, he aha këlä? - Kaleo, what is that? (far)
Kaleo: He 'ïlio këlä. - That's a dog.
Keoni: He 'ïlio nui loa! - A very big dog!
Kaleo: 'Ae, a he 'ïlio kolohe. - Yes, and a mischievous dog.
Keoni: E Kaleo, he aha kënä? - Kaleo, what is that? (near Kaleo)
Kaleo: He pua këia. - This is a flower.
Keoni: He pua nani kënä, e Kaleo. - That's a pretty flower, Kaleo.
Kaleo: 'Ae, he pua Hawai'i ia. - Yes, it's a Hawaiian flower.
- 1,000 mother tongue speakers, 500 with Ni'ihau Island connections, another 500 in their 70s or 80s (1995 Laina Wong Univ. of Hawaii).
- 8,000 can speak and understand it (1993 Keith Haugen).
- 237,128 ethnic Hawaiians in Hawaii (1996 Hawaii State Dept. of Health), 18.8% of the population (1990 Hawaii State Dept. of Health)
- 99,269 ethnic Hawaiians on the USA mainland (1990 census), including 24,245 in California.
- In 1900 there were 37,000 mother tongue speakers (1995 Honolulu Advertiser).
- Ethnic Hawaiians include 8,244 pure Hawaiian, 72,809 between 50% and 99% Hawaiian, 127,523 less than 50% Hawaiian in Hawaii (1984 Office of Hawaiian Affairs).
- In 1778 there were believed to have been more than 500,000 pure Hawaiians (1995 Wayne Harada). Hawaiian Islands, mainly Ni'ihau Island and the Big Island of Hawai'i, some on all the other islands.
- Alternate names: 'OLELO HAWAI'I, 'OLELO HAWAI'I MAKUAHINE.
- Language classification: Austronesian, Malayo-Polynesian, Central-Eastern, Eastern Malayo-Polynesian, Oceanic, Central-Eastern Oceanic, Remote Oceanic, Central Pacific, East Fijian-Polynesian, Polynesian, Nuclear, East, Central, Marquesic.
HA’AWINA ‘EKAHI (Lesson One)
Papa'ölelo (vocabulary list)
aha – what ( in questions)
makua - parent
au; wau - I
mäkua - parents
'ae – yes
makuahine - mother
'a'ole – no
makuakäne - father
Hawai'i – Hawaiian; Hawai'i
mo'o - lizard
'ïlio – dog
nani - pretty, nice
ka'a – car
no ka mea - because
kaikamahine – girl
noho – chair, to sit/stay/live
kanaka – person
nui – big, large, great, many, numerous
känaka – persons
'o ia – he, she
käne – man
'oe – you
këia - this
Päkë – Chinese
keikikäne – boy
Paniolo – Spanish/Spaniard
këlä – that (far)
Pilipino – Filipino
kënä – that (near)
Pokoliko - Puerto Rican
Kepanï – Japanese
pöpoki - cat
kolohe – rascal, mischievous
pua - flower
kupuna – grandparent
puka – door
kupunakäne – grandfather
Pukïkï – Portuguese
kupunawahine – grandmother
u'i – beautiful, handsome (people)
loa - very
wahine – woman
ka'i: këia, këlä and kënä: The demonstrative pronouns (this, that) in Hawaiian focuses on the person spoken to.
- Këia is used to mean "this" and is close to the speaker.
- Kënä means "that" and refers to the thing that is close to the person being spoken to or close to the thing that one is speaking about.
- Këlä is also "that" but is distant from both the speaker and the one being spoken to or about.
Këia, këlä and kënä are referred to as ka'i. Later in future lessons you will learn how important it is to have a ka'i in order to form sentences. Ka'i means "to lead; direct".
kikino & i'oa: In Hawaiian, the common nouns are referred to as a kikino. A proper noun (name of a person or a place name) is called an i'oa.
kähulu: adjectives in Hawaiian follow the noun. The "hulu" in kähulu is a feather. Think of it as a decoration and that it is used to decorate the noun therefore comes after the noun. kikino kähulu -> 'ïlio nui “big dog”, pua nani “pretty flower”.
Pepeke 'Aike: a pepeke is a complete statement. Basically whatever words you put together to make a sentence in Hawaiian is a pepeke. In this lesson you'll learn the "pepeke 'aike he". It answers who or what (person, place, thing) it is. He means "a/an" but is used in a particular pattern to make a statement such as "That is a cat" or "I am Hawaiian".
In Hawaiian the verb "to be" doesn't exist so this is one way of forming sentences where you would use the verb "to be" in English. he pöpoki – “a cat”, he 'ïlio – “a dog”, he mo'o – “a lizard”, he käne nui – “a big man”.
PATTERN: He + noun phrase + subject
he pöpoki këia= “this is a cat”,
he 'ïlio këlä = “that (far) is a dog”
he Hawai'i au = “I am Hawaiian”
he kaikamahine 'o ia = “she is a girl”
he käne këlä = “that is a man”
he pua kënä = “that (near) is a flower”
he aha këlä = “what is that?”
he makuakäne 'oe = “you are a father”
he mo'o kënä = “that is a lizard”
he 'ïlio nui këia = “this is a big dog”
he keikikäne kolohe 'o ia = “he is a rascal boy”
he wahine Pokoliko 'o ia = “she is a Puerto Rican (woman)”
'ae, he wahine nani loa këlä yes, that is a very pretty lady
Like in English, changing the intonation at the end of the sentence turns it into a question.
He aha këia? - What is this?
He puke këia. - This is a book.
He puke këia? - Is this a book?
'Ae, he puke këia. - Yes, this is a book.
He Hawai'i 'o ia? - Is he Hawaiian?
He Hawai'i 'o ia. - He is Hawaiian.
The 'ami hea (e vocative): When addressing someone by name, you use the vocative "e" in front of the person's name.
E Keoni - Keoni
E Kaleo, he aha këlä? – Kaleo, what is that?
When you are addressing someone other than using the person's name, you use a ka'i (ka/ke).
E ke keikikäne
E ke kaikamahine
note: 'ami means "joint". Later you will learn of other 'ami and their use.
Päpä'ölelo (conversation)
Keoni: E Kaleo, he aha këlä? - Kaleo, what is that? (far)
Kaleo: He 'ïlio këlä. - That's a dog.
Keoni: He 'ïlio nui loa! - A very big dog!
Kaleo: 'Ae, a he 'ïlio kolohe. - Yes, and a mischievous dog.
Keoni: E Kaleo, he aha kënä? - Kaleo, what is that? (near Kaleo)
Kaleo: He pua këia. - This is a flower.
Keoni: He pua nani kënä, e Kaleo. - That's a pretty flower, Kaleo.
Kaleo: 'Ae, he pua Hawai'i ia. - Yes, it's a Hawaiian flower.
The Hawaiian Language - 'Ölelo Hawai'i
Why is the Hawaiian Alphabet called "Pï'äpä"?
You might be wondering, hey, how the heck did they get "pï'äpä" out of "alphabet"? The clearest explanation I've heard is from Albert Schutz, in The Voices of Eden:
"In the edition [of Webster's (english) speller, excedingly popular at the time Hawaiians were being taught to read & write] just quoted, Lesson 1 begins with a table of syllables..to be spelled aloud and then pronounced as units: ba be bi bo bu by. Thus, students began to learn to read by reciting the names of the letters and the pronouncing the syllable the letters spelled: bï, ä: bä....This practice of spelling aloud, especially using the "syllabarium," gave the Hawaiian alphabet its name. Just as American schoolchildren taught with Webster's speller began their recitation by naming the letters that formed the first syllable, and then pronouncing the result: "B, A--BA," so did Hawaiian learners. However, they pronounced these sounds "pï, ä--pä," which is now the word for "alphabet".
Vocabulary/Common Social Phrases...
'Ae - Yes
'A'ole - No
Au - I
'oe - You {singular}
Aloha kakahiaka - Good morning
Aloha 'awakea - Good afternoon
Aloha auinala - Good afternoon (late)
Aloha ahiahi - Good evening
Pehea 'oe? - How are you? (when talking to one person)
Maika'i au. - I'm good.
Maika'i nö au. - I'm very good.
Maluhiluhi au. - I'm tired.
Mahalo. - Thanks, thank you.
A 'o 'oe? - And you?
A hui hou. - Goodbye, until we meet again
A hui hou aku nö. - {in reply to the above}
E mälama pono 'oe (i kou kino.) - Take care (of your body.) {A common parting phrase}
E ku'u hoaaloha...
"E" is a little grammatical word that is placed in front when addressing someone directly, as used in the example dialogue below.
Example Dialogue:
Keola: Aloha kakahika, e Pua.
Pua: Aloha, e Keola. Pehea 'oe?
Keola: Maika'i au, mahalo. 'A 'o 'oe?
Pua: Mäluhiluhi au. Mahalo. A hui hou, e Keola.
Keola: 'Ae, e mälama pono 'oe.
Okay, now we know letters, pronunciations, social phrases... we can get to the interesting part. Words, and words strung together into...sentences!
Vocabulary...
Nä 'A'ano:
akamai - smart
kolohe - rascal
maika'i - good
nani - pretty, beautiful
nui - big
'ono - delicious
Nä Kikino
'ïlio -- dog
inoa -- name
hale -- house, Building
ka'a -- car
kai -- sea
kane -- man
keiki -- child
kumu -- teacher
lä -- day, sun
lani -- sky
mea -- thing
mele -- song, poem
pilikia -- trouble
pöpoki -- cat
pua -- flower
wahine -- woman
he -- a, an
ke, ka -- the
këia -- this
kënä -- that (near)
këlä -- that (far)
Articles, k-words
"He" is somewhat equivalent to the english "a" or "an" (indefinite articles). You'll see it used in the examples below. This is one of a few patterns where it is used, more often "ke" and "ka" are used instead, even where in english we would say "a/an" or have nothing at all.
Ke and ka are both similar to the english "the" (they are definite articles). The difference between them is 'cosmetic', similar to the difference between a and an in english. Ke is used before words beginning with the letters a, e, o and k. (An easy way to remember those letters is the name "Kekoa" (which means "the warrior")) Ka is used everywhere else. Remember that the 'okina is considered a letter, so ka should be used before words beginning with the 'okina.
Hawaiian nouns almost never go about without "ke", "ka" or other "k-words" in front of them. Keia, kena and kela are also k-words, and may replace "ke/ka" in front of nouns.
Kënä & Këlä
Kënä and këlä both translate as "that" in english. The difference between them is, kënä is used when discussing something near the person being spoken to, and këlä is used when discussing something that's not near either the listener or the speaker. (Japanese and some other languages draw the same distinction)
Nani këia pua: Nä 'a'ano (the stative verbs)
Hawaiian has nothing like the english verb "to be". Different patterns and word orderings are used instead. One of the most basic of these is for describing things. In english, you say that something is pretty or blue or silly or delicious or inspiring. Here's how to do it in Hawaiian:
Nani këia pua. - This flower is pretty. (lit.Pretty this flower.)
Nui kënä pöpoki! - That (near listener) cat is big!
Kolohe ka 'ïlio. - The dog is mischevious.
Akamai loa au. - I am very smart.
As you've certainly noticed, the describing word goes first, and then whatever it's describing. In english, most of these describing words are "adjectives", but because of how they function, in Hawaiian, they're called "stative verbs".
If you just want to tack a descriptive word onto a noun, it goes after it (kind of like in Spanish).. for example:
këia pua nani - This pretty flower
kënä pöpoki nui - This big cat
ka 'ïlio kolohe - The rascal dog
Stative verbs are all well and good--we can say how blue or sexy or amazing or ugly something is--but what about verbs as English speakers usually think of verbs? In other words, let's get some action going!
Vocabulary...
Nä Hamani (transitive verbs)
Ha'awi -- to give
Hele aku -- to go
Hele mai -- to come
Nänä -- to look
Ki'i -- to get
'Ai -- to eat
Aloha -- to love
Hana -- to work
Nä Kikino
Mea 'ai -- food (lit. thing (to) eat)
Puke -- book
Verb Sentences
In Hawai'i, the verb usually goes right near the beginning of the sentence. Next is the subject, that is, what/whoever is performing the action, and after that is the direct object, or what/whoever the action is being performed on (in "Lehua eats the chocolate", Lehua is the subject, eats is the verb, and chocolate is the direct object). We could say that Hawaiian is a VSO language, that is, verb-subject-object. As in any language, this is not a rigid order, but it's right for simple sentences.
Examples:
Nänä ke keiki -- The child looks.
Nänä ke keiki i ke kai. -- The child looks at the sea.
'Ai ke kane. -- The man eats.
'Ai ke kane i ka mea 'ai. -- The man eats the food.
Ha'awi au i ka pua i ke keiki. -- I give the flower to the child.
Alia!, you're saying, wait a minute! What are those little "i" things there for? Ah, I say, those are little grammatical particles. You put them in front of the objects. Thusly, in this case, they are "object markers" (amazing, huh?). They go in front of direct objects and indirect objects. (in "I give the flower to the child", the flower is the direct object, the thing I'm giving. The child is the indirect object, the one getting the flower). "i" also functions as a place/time marker, it is placed in front of a place or time, for example:
Hele au i Hawai'i. -- I go to Hawai'i.
Nänä ke keiki i ka puke i ka hale. -- The child looks at the book in the house.
'Ai au i ka mea 'ai i ka 'awakea. -- I eat food in the afternoon.
I ke kakahiaka, ha'awi au i ka mea 'ai i ka pöpoki i ka hale. -- In the morning, I give food to the cat in the house.
Imperatives
If you're directing someone to do something, "e" is place in front of the verb.
Examples:
E Lilinoe, e ki'i 'oe i ka pöpoki! -- Lilinoe, get the cat!
E 'ai iho 'oe i ka mea 'ai! -- Eat the food!
E hele mai 'oe i Hawai'i! -- Come to Hawai'i!
E hele aku 'oe! -- Go! Go away!
E ha'awi 'oe i këlä pua nani i ka wahine. -- Give that pretty flower to the lady.
The subject (in this case "'oe") is often left out if it is obvious. In informal situations, the "e" at the beginning is sometimes dropped as well.
There is a list of common, simple imperative commands here (Leilani's page)
Negative Imperatives
For telling someone not to do something. These are just as straightforward as the positive ones, you simply use "mai" instead of "e".
Examples:
Mai hele aku! -- Don't go!
Mai 'ai 'oe i kënä! -- Don't eat that!
Mai nänä i ka lä. -- Don't look at the sun.
kika olelo
You might be wondering, hey, how the heck did they get "pï'äpä" out of "alphabet"? The clearest explanation I've heard is from Albert Schutz, in The Voices of Eden:
"In the edition [of Webster's (english) speller, excedingly popular at the time Hawaiians were being taught to read & write] just quoted, Lesson 1 begins with a table of syllables..to be spelled aloud and then pronounced as units: ba be bi bo bu by. Thus, students began to learn to read by reciting the names of the letters and the pronouncing the syllable the letters spelled: bï, ä: bä....This practice of spelling aloud, especially using the "syllabarium," gave the Hawaiian alphabet its name. Just as American schoolchildren taught with Webster's speller began their recitation by naming the letters that formed the first syllable, and then pronouncing the result: "B, A--BA," so did Hawaiian learners. However, they pronounced these sounds "pï, ä--pä," which is now the word for "alphabet".
Vocabulary/Common Social Phrases...
'Ae - Yes
'A'ole - No
Au - I
'oe - You {singular}
Aloha kakahiaka - Good morning
Aloha 'awakea - Good afternoon
Aloha auinala - Good afternoon (late)
Aloha ahiahi - Good evening
Pehea 'oe? - How are you? (when talking to one person)
Maika'i au. - I'm good.
Maika'i nö au. - I'm very good.
Maluhiluhi au. - I'm tired.
Mahalo. - Thanks, thank you.
A 'o 'oe? - And you?
A hui hou. - Goodbye, until we meet again
A hui hou aku nö. - {in reply to the above}
E mälama pono 'oe (i kou kino.) - Take care (of your body.) {A common parting phrase}
E ku'u hoaaloha...
"E" is a little grammatical word that is placed in front when addressing someone directly, as used in the example dialogue below.
Example Dialogue:
Keola: Aloha kakahika, e Pua.
Pua: Aloha, e Keola. Pehea 'oe?
Keola: Maika'i au, mahalo. 'A 'o 'oe?
Pua: Mäluhiluhi au. Mahalo. A hui hou, e Keola.
Keola: 'Ae, e mälama pono 'oe.
Okay, now we know letters, pronunciations, social phrases... we can get to the interesting part. Words, and words strung together into...sentences!
Vocabulary...
Nä 'A'ano:
akamai - smart
kolohe - rascal
maika'i - good
nani - pretty, beautiful
nui - big
'ono - delicious
Nä Kikino
'ïlio -- dog
inoa -- name
hale -- house, Building
ka'a -- car
kai -- sea
kane -- man
keiki -- child
kumu -- teacher
lä -- day, sun
lani -- sky
mea -- thing
mele -- song, poem
pilikia -- trouble
pöpoki -- cat
pua -- flower
wahine -- woman
he -- a, an
ke, ka -- the
këia -- this
kënä -- that (near)
këlä -- that (far)
Articles, k-words
"He" is somewhat equivalent to the english "a" or "an" (indefinite articles). You'll see it used in the examples below. This is one of a few patterns where it is used, more often "ke" and "ka" are used instead, even where in english we would say "a/an" or have nothing at all.
Ke and ka are both similar to the english "the" (they are definite articles). The difference between them is 'cosmetic', similar to the difference between a and an in english. Ke is used before words beginning with the letters a, e, o and k. (An easy way to remember those letters is the name "Kekoa" (which means "the warrior")) Ka is used everywhere else. Remember that the 'okina is considered a letter, so ka should be used before words beginning with the 'okina.
Hawaiian nouns almost never go about without "ke", "ka" or other "k-words" in front of them. Keia, kena and kela are also k-words, and may replace "ke/ka" in front of nouns.
Kënä & Këlä
Kënä and këlä both translate as "that" in english. The difference between them is, kënä is used when discussing something near the person being spoken to, and këlä is used when discussing something that's not near either the listener or the speaker. (Japanese and some other languages draw the same distinction)
Nani këia pua: Nä 'a'ano (the stative verbs)
Hawaiian has nothing like the english verb "to be". Different patterns and word orderings are used instead. One of the most basic of these is for describing things. In english, you say that something is pretty or blue or silly or delicious or inspiring. Here's how to do it in Hawaiian:
Nani këia pua. - This flower is pretty. (lit.Pretty this flower.)
Nui kënä pöpoki! - That (near listener) cat is big!
Kolohe ka 'ïlio. - The dog is mischevious.
Akamai loa au. - I am very smart.
As you've certainly noticed, the describing word goes first, and then whatever it's describing. In english, most of these describing words are "adjectives", but because of how they function, in Hawaiian, they're called "stative verbs".
If you just want to tack a descriptive word onto a noun, it goes after it (kind of like in Spanish).. for example:
këia pua nani - This pretty flower
kënä pöpoki nui - This big cat
ka 'ïlio kolohe - The rascal dog
Stative verbs are all well and good--we can say how blue or sexy or amazing or ugly something is--but what about verbs as English speakers usually think of verbs? In other words, let's get some action going!
Vocabulary...
Nä Hamani (transitive verbs)
Ha'awi -- to give
Hele aku -- to go
Hele mai -- to come
Nänä -- to look
Ki'i -- to get
'Ai -- to eat
Aloha -- to love
Hana -- to work
Nä Kikino
Mea 'ai -- food (lit. thing (to) eat)
Puke -- book
Verb Sentences
In Hawai'i, the verb usually goes right near the beginning of the sentence. Next is the subject, that is, what/whoever is performing the action, and after that is the direct object, or what/whoever the action is being performed on (in "Lehua eats the chocolate", Lehua is the subject, eats is the verb, and chocolate is the direct object). We could say that Hawaiian is a VSO language, that is, verb-subject-object. As in any language, this is not a rigid order, but it's right for simple sentences.
Examples:
Nänä ke keiki -- The child looks.
Nänä ke keiki i ke kai. -- The child looks at the sea.
'Ai ke kane. -- The man eats.
'Ai ke kane i ka mea 'ai. -- The man eats the food.
Ha'awi au i ka pua i ke keiki. -- I give the flower to the child.
Alia!, you're saying, wait a minute! What are those little "i" things there for? Ah, I say, those are little grammatical particles. You put them in front of the objects. Thusly, in this case, they are "object markers" (amazing, huh?). They go in front of direct objects and indirect objects. (in "I give the flower to the child", the flower is the direct object, the thing I'm giving. The child is the indirect object, the one getting the flower). "i" also functions as a place/time marker, it is placed in front of a place or time, for example:
Hele au i Hawai'i. -- I go to Hawai'i.
Nänä ke keiki i ka puke i ka hale. -- The child looks at the book in the house.
'Ai au i ka mea 'ai i ka 'awakea. -- I eat food in the afternoon.
I ke kakahiaka, ha'awi au i ka mea 'ai i ka pöpoki i ka hale. -- In the morning, I give food to the cat in the house.
Imperatives
If you're directing someone to do something, "e" is place in front of the verb.
Examples:
E Lilinoe, e ki'i 'oe i ka pöpoki! -- Lilinoe, get the cat!
E 'ai iho 'oe i ka mea 'ai! -- Eat the food!
E hele mai 'oe i Hawai'i! -- Come to Hawai'i!
E hele aku 'oe! -- Go! Go away!
E ha'awi 'oe i këlä pua nani i ka wahine. -- Give that pretty flower to the lady.
The subject (in this case "'oe") is often left out if it is obvious. In informal situations, the "e" at the beginning is sometimes dropped as well.
There is a list of common, simple imperative commands here (Leilani's page)
Negative Imperatives
For telling someone not to do something. These are just as straightforward as the positive ones, you simply use "mai" instead of "e".
Examples:
Mai hele aku! -- Don't go!
Mai 'ai 'oe i kënä! -- Don't eat that!
Mai nänä i ka lä. -- Don't look at the sun.
kika olelo
Learn the Hawaiian Language
English and Hawaiian are Hawaii's two official languages.
Until the arrival of American missionaries in the early 1800s, the Hawaiian language was an oral tradition. These missionaries helped create a written form of the language. It consists of five vowels and seven consonants:
a, e, i, o. u, h, k, l, m. n, p, w, and ‘
Pronunciation Key
Stressed vowels
a ah. as in far: hale
e - a as in way (wihtout the “i” glide): nene
i - ee, as in see: pali
o - oh, as in no (wihtout the “u” glide): taro
u - oo, as in moon: kapu
Unstressed vowels
a - a, as in again: kapu
e - eh. as in get: hale
(the symbol “ ¨ ” stands for long vowels)
Consonants sound the same as English, but without aspiration afer k and p
Note: Sometimes the "W" is pronounced the same as "V"
Commonly used Hawaiian words and definitions:
ae yes
ahupuaa - division of land stretching from mountains to sea
aina - land, earth
alii Hawaiian royalty
aloha - a fond greeting or farewell , the spirit of Kauai
a hui hou - until we meet again
aole - no
ewa - westward
halau - house for hula training; hula troupe
hale - house or building
hana work; bay
haole - foreigner, Caucasian
hapa - half, person of mixed ancestry
heiau - ancient Hawaiian religious temple
huhu - angry, agitated
hui - group organization
hula - uniquely Hawaiian form of dance, communication, often through stories
imu - underground pit oven used in luau
kahiko - traditional. old
Kohala - humpback whale
kahuna - priest, expert in a field
kai -ocean, ocean water
kalo, taro - a broad-leafed plant that produces starchy roots
kamaaina - local or long-time resident
kane - man
kapu - tax, forbidden
keiki - child; offspring
kipuka - oasis of undisturbed land within a lava field
koa - largest of native trees
kokua - help, cooperation
kona - leeward, leeward wind
koolau - windward side of island
kupuna - grandparent
lanai - porch veranda
lae - cape, point
lei - garland of flowers, leaves or shells
lolo - feeble minded
luakini - temple for human sacrifice
luau - feast
mahalo - thank you
mahimahi - dolfin,fish
makaainana - commoner
makahiki - celebration held annually with sports and religious festivities
makai - towards the ocean
malihini - newcomer visitor
mana - spiritual power
mauka - inland, towards the mountains
mauna - mountain
menehune - legendary -little people who inhabited islands before Polynesians
moku - island
moana - ocean, sea
moo - lizard, reptile, dragon, water spirit
muumuu - long and loose fitting dress
nani - beautiful
nene - rare native goose
ohana - family
ono - delicious
pahoehoe - smooth lava
pali - cliff. precipice
paniolo - cowboy
pohaku - stone, rock
poi - pounded taro root
puka - hole, shell
pupu - appetizer, snack
puu- hill, cinder cone
puuhonua - place of refuge
ukulele - stringed instrument, small guitar
wahine - woman
wikiwiki - quickly
Kä Nai'a Palapala A'o 'Ölelo Hawai'i -- Ha'awina 'ekahi
Nai'a's Learn Hawaiian Writings -- Lesson One: The Basics
This is a lot of information to cover at once, so take your time! It's crucial to have a strong foundation for any further study of the language.
Ka Pï'äpä -- The Alphabet
The Hawaiian alphabet is the shortest in the world, with only 13 letters. They are, in order:
a, e, i, o, u, h, k, l, m, n, p, w, ' (the symbol “ ¨ ” stands for long vowels)
The names of the letters are pronounced: 'ä, 'ë, 'ï, 'ö, 'ü, hë, kë, lä, mü, nü, pï, wë, 'okina.
Vowels sometimes have macrons or ¨ in the internet (kahakö) to show that they are long (see below.)
For more on Ka Pï'äpä Hawai'i (the Hawaiian alphabet), see:
Leilani's Page, ka pï'äpä", Hawaiian Alphabet Song,
A note on special characters: There are special fonts that one can use which have characters with kahakö (macrons). Generally in plain ASCII text, e-mail &c, they are left out (though I've see a_, aa, a* and A, a~ and â used to represent my version, ä, at various times). In these lessons, I'm using ä, ë, ï, ö, ü, as they are easy to read both in the Hawaiian fonts, where they are the actual macron characters, and in Times New Roman and some other common fonts, where they look like umlauts.
Both ' and ` are used for the 'okina, depending on preference. The "real" 'okina looks like a backwards apostrophe, that is, pointing in the same direction as ` and curved. The Hawaiian fonts have a special character for the 'okina as well. Personally, I think it's unnecessary, as ' gets the point across perfectly well, is much more convenient and looks fine.
In older written texts sometimes the kahako and 'okina are left out.
Get Hawaiian Fonts for both Macintosh and Windows. (Kualono page)
Here's what Leilani has to say about the diacritical marks.
Pronunciation
a is pronounced as in "father"
e is pronounced somewhere between in "met" and ey in "they"
i is pronounced as ee in "meet"
o is pronounced as in "sole".
u is pronounced as oo in "moon".
Long vowels (ä, ë, ï, ö, ü) are pronounced the same as their short counterparts only, quite sensibly, longer. For two beats instead of one, if you will. It is important to pronounce long vowels long, as this can make a difference between the meanings of two otherwise similar words.
h, l, m and n are pronounced as in English.
k, and p are pronounced as in English, but with less aspiration. Hold your hand in front of your mouth while pronouncing words like "poke" or "cap"--you should feel a little puff of air. Now try to pronounce the same words without the little puff of air (as the "p" in "spin" is usually pronounced). This will approximate the Hawaiian pronunciation.
w is pronounced somewhere in between our "v" and "w". (something like a voiced w) Don't worry about it overly, either sound is acceptable.
', the 'okina, represents a glottal stop. This sound often occurs in the middle of oh-oh (as in "oh-oh, I'm in trouble now!") in english. It can be difficult to hear in at the beginning of a word if said alone, though it is still important to remember when it occurs at the beginning of a word, as it can be clearly heard in the middle of a sentence.
Note: Sometimes "t" and "r" sounds are made in place of "k" and "l" sounds, respectively.. This is a common variation, and does not change the meaning of the words. "k" and "l" are almost always written, regardless of which pronunciation is used. The "k" and "l" sounds always go together and the "t" and "r" sounds always go together.
This is just a general guide; for more, see:
Leilani's Pronunciation page
Kualono's Pronunciation Page, with .au files
A page with .wav files of Hawaiian words
Another page with .wav files of Hawaiian words
Until the arrival of American missionaries in the early 1800s, the Hawaiian language was an oral tradition. These missionaries helped create a written form of the language. It consists of five vowels and seven consonants:
a, e, i, o. u, h, k, l, m. n, p, w, and ‘
Pronunciation Key
Stressed vowels
a ah. as in far: hale
e - a as in way (wihtout the “i” glide): nene
i - ee, as in see: pali
o - oh, as in no (wihtout the “u” glide): taro
u - oo, as in moon: kapu
Unstressed vowels
a - a, as in again: kapu
e - eh. as in get: hale
(the symbol “ ¨ ” stands for long vowels)
Consonants sound the same as English, but without aspiration afer k and p
Note: Sometimes the "W" is pronounced the same as "V"
Commonly used Hawaiian words and definitions:
ae yes
ahupuaa - division of land stretching from mountains to sea
aina - land, earth
alii Hawaiian royalty
aloha - a fond greeting or farewell , the spirit of Kauai
a hui hou - until we meet again
aole - no
ewa - westward
halau - house for hula training; hula troupe
hale - house or building
hana work; bay
haole - foreigner, Caucasian
hapa - half, person of mixed ancestry
heiau - ancient Hawaiian religious temple
huhu - angry, agitated
hui - group organization
hula - uniquely Hawaiian form of dance, communication, often through stories
imu - underground pit oven used in luau
kahiko - traditional. old
Kohala - humpback whale
kahuna - priest, expert in a field
kai -ocean, ocean water
kalo, taro - a broad-leafed plant that produces starchy roots
kamaaina - local or long-time resident
kane - man
kapu - tax, forbidden
keiki - child; offspring
kipuka - oasis of undisturbed land within a lava field
koa - largest of native trees
kokua - help, cooperation
kona - leeward, leeward wind
koolau - windward side of island
kupuna - grandparent
lanai - porch veranda
lae - cape, point
lei - garland of flowers, leaves or shells
lolo - feeble minded
luakini - temple for human sacrifice
luau - feast
mahalo - thank you
mahimahi - dolfin,fish
makaainana - commoner
makahiki - celebration held annually with sports and religious festivities
makai - towards the ocean
malihini - newcomer visitor
mana - spiritual power
mauka - inland, towards the mountains
mauna - mountain
menehune - legendary -little people who inhabited islands before Polynesians
moku - island
moana - ocean, sea
moo - lizard, reptile, dragon, water spirit
muumuu - long and loose fitting dress
nani - beautiful
nene - rare native goose
ohana - family
ono - delicious
pahoehoe - smooth lava
pali - cliff. precipice
paniolo - cowboy
pohaku - stone, rock
poi - pounded taro root
puka - hole, shell
pupu - appetizer, snack
puu- hill, cinder cone
puuhonua - place of refuge
ukulele - stringed instrument, small guitar
wahine - woman
wikiwiki - quickly
Kä Nai'a Palapala A'o 'Ölelo Hawai'i -- Ha'awina 'ekahi
Nai'a's Learn Hawaiian Writings -- Lesson One: The Basics
This is a lot of information to cover at once, so take your time! It's crucial to have a strong foundation for any further study of the language.
Ka Pï'äpä -- The Alphabet
The Hawaiian alphabet is the shortest in the world, with only 13 letters. They are, in order:
a, e, i, o, u, h, k, l, m, n, p, w, ' (the symbol “ ¨ ” stands for long vowels)
The names of the letters are pronounced: 'ä, 'ë, 'ï, 'ö, 'ü, hë, kë, lä, mü, nü, pï, wë, 'okina.
Vowels sometimes have macrons or ¨ in the internet (kahakö) to show that they are long (see below.)
For more on Ka Pï'äpä Hawai'i (the Hawaiian alphabet), see:
Leilani's Page, ka pï'äpä", Hawaiian Alphabet Song,
A note on special characters: There are special fonts that one can use which have characters with kahakö (macrons). Generally in plain ASCII text, e-mail &c, they are left out (though I've see a_, aa, a* and A, a~ and â used to represent my version, ä, at various times). In these lessons, I'm using ä, ë, ï, ö, ü, as they are easy to read both in the Hawaiian fonts, where they are the actual macron characters, and in Times New Roman and some other common fonts, where they look like umlauts.
Both ' and ` are used for the 'okina, depending on preference. The "real" 'okina looks like a backwards apostrophe, that is, pointing in the same direction as ` and curved. The Hawaiian fonts have a special character for the 'okina as well. Personally, I think it's unnecessary, as ' gets the point across perfectly well, is much more convenient and looks fine.
In older written texts sometimes the kahako and 'okina are left out.
Get Hawaiian Fonts for both Macintosh and Windows. (Kualono page)
Here's what Leilani has to say about the diacritical marks.
Pronunciation
a is pronounced as in "father"
e is pronounced somewhere between in "met" and ey in "they"
i is pronounced as ee in "meet"
o is pronounced as in "sole".
u is pronounced as oo in "moon".
Long vowels (ä, ë, ï, ö, ü) are pronounced the same as their short counterparts only, quite sensibly, longer. For two beats instead of one, if you will. It is important to pronounce long vowels long, as this can make a difference between the meanings of two otherwise similar words.
h, l, m and n are pronounced as in English.
k, and p are pronounced as in English, but with less aspiration. Hold your hand in front of your mouth while pronouncing words like "poke" or "cap"--you should feel a little puff of air. Now try to pronounce the same words without the little puff of air (as the "p" in "spin" is usually pronounced). This will approximate the Hawaiian pronunciation.
w is pronounced somewhere in between our "v" and "w". (something like a voiced w) Don't worry about it overly, either sound is acceptable.
', the 'okina, represents a glottal stop. This sound often occurs in the middle of oh-oh (as in "oh-oh, I'm in trouble now!") in english. It can be difficult to hear in at the beginning of a word if said alone, though it is still important to remember when it occurs at the beginning of a word, as it can be clearly heard in the middle of a sentence.
Note: Sometimes "t" and "r" sounds are made in place of "k" and "l" sounds, respectively.. This is a common variation, and does not change the meaning of the words. "k" and "l" are almost always written, regardless of which pronunciation is used. The "k" and "l" sounds always go together and the "t" and "r" sounds always go together.
This is just a general guide; for more, see:
Leilani's Pronunciation page
Kualono's Pronunciation Page, with .au files
A page with .wav files of Hawaiian words
Another page with .wav files of Hawaiian words
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