Until the 1820s, Hawaiian was only a spoken language. In the 1820s, the Calvinist missionaries from New England began to write down phonetically the Polynesian-based words. Today, Hawaiian is no longer considered a spoken language, except on the island of Niihau. (101 Things To Do On Maui)
| The Hawaiian alphabet has 13 letters |
|
| 5 vowels A (ah) E (eh) I (ee) O (oh) U (oo) |
8 consonants H (heh) K (keh) L (lah) M (moo) N (noo) P (pee) W (weh) ' (oh-kee-nah) |
Vowels may follow each other but consonants are always followed by a vowel, creating syllables with only two letters. Words never end in a consonant and because there is no "S" in the Hawaiian language, nouns are not pluralized.
| Hawaiian | English |
| ae | yes |
| ali'i | a Hawaiian chief or noble |
| A hui hou | goodbye |
| akamai | smart |
| aloha | means both hello & goodbye, welcome or farewell, romantic love, affection, or best wishes |
| Aloha hiahi | good evening |
| Aloha au ia oe | I love you |
| Aloha kakahiaka | good morning |
| Aloha nui loa | much love, fondest regards |
| aole | no |
| 'ekahi | one |
| hale | house or building |
| hana | work |
| haole | Caucasian (originally meant foreigner) |
| Hauoli la hanau | Happy Birthday |
| Hauoli makahiki hou | Happy New Year |
| Heiau | temple, ancient worship ground |
| hele | go or walk around |
| hiamoe | to sleep |
| ho'olohe | to listen |
| hui | a group, meeting, or society |
| hula | native Hawaiian dance |
| imu | underground oven |
| ipo | sweetheart, lover, girl- or boyfriend |
| ipu | gourd |
| ka'a | car |
| kahuna | teacher or priest |
| kai | ocean |
| kamaaina | native born, long-time island resident, local |
| kane | man |
| kapu | forbidden |
| kaukau | food |
| keiki | child |
| komo mai | please come in, enter, welcome |
| kokua | help |
| kul | hot |
| ku'l | hammer |
| kupuna | grandparent |
| lanai | porch or patio |
| lani | sky |
| lei | traditional garland of flowers or vines |
| lomi lomi | traditional Hawaiian message |
| lua | toilet, restroom |
| luau | a Hawaiian feast featuring poi, ima-baked pork and other traditional foods |
| mahalo | thank you |
| Mahalo nui | thank you very much |
| Mai'ai | come and eat |
| maika'i | fine |
| makai | toward the sea |
| malihini | newcomer, visitor |
| mauka | toward the mountains, inland |
| mauna | mountain |
| mele | a Hawaiian chant or song |
| Mele kalikimaka | Merry Christmas |
| menehune | a Hawaiian dwarf or elf |
| moana | ocean |
| mu'u mu'u | dress |
| nani | beautiful |
| nuha | sad & blue |
| ohana | family |
| Okole maluna | cheers, bottoms up |
| 'Olu'olu | please |
| ono | delicious, delightful, the best |
| opu | stomach |
| 'o'opu | fish |
| pali | cliff |
| paniolo | a Hawaiian cowboy |
| pau | finished |
| Pehea'oe? | How are you? |
| piko | belly button |
| pono | excellent |
| pua | flower |
| puka | a hole of any size |
| punee | bed |
| pupu | an appetizer, snack, hors d'oeuvres |
| pupule | crazy |
| tapa | traditional paper cloth made from beaten bark |
| tutu | grandmother |
| ua | rain |
| wahine | woman |
| wai | freshwater |
| wela | hot |
| wiki | quickly, fast |
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