Hawaii Language Basics

Are you looking at going to the beautiful and charming islands of Hawaii. If so here are some of the words you beed to learn before you get there.

Aloha

Even though you’ll often hear aloha used as a greeting, it’s also a way of life.

“Aloha is about acknowledging time, space, and relationship within your community,”

Aloha kakahiaka: 

Use this phrase to say good morning.

Aloha awakea:

You should use this variation of aloha when it’s late morning. It roughly translates to “good noontime.”

Aloha ahiahi: 

This one means good evening. Watch your pronunciation because “ahi” means tuna.

Hawaiian and English are the official languages of the Islands. However, Pidgin is a local dialect that is commonly spoken among the locals. Pidgin is derived from English, Hawaiian, Japanese, and several other Asian dialects.
You’ll notice that many of the street signs, beaches, and town names are Hawaiian names, so having a basic understanding can help you navigate the islands. There are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian language, all five vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and seven consonants (h, k, l, m, n, p, w), which is probably why names repeat themselves so often. Example Like-Like Highway (pronounced Lee-Kee Lee-Kee not like like).

Letter	Pronounced	Example
A	ah	far
E	ey	bet
I	ee	see
O	oh	boat
U	oo	moon

Each vowel in a word is usually pronounced separately and each consonant has the same sound as in English. Once exception is W, which is pronounced like a V when preceded by an e or i. For example, Haleiwa is pronounce holly – Evuh.

You may also notice a single apostrophe inserted in odd places. This is actually an ‘okina and is considered a consonant. You can hear a great example of the ‘okina when you pronounce oh’oh. That half second pause between the oh’s is the ‘okina. In fact, Hawaii is actually spelled Hawai’i. Can you hear the ‘okina now?

Some common words to help you through your visit.