How to Speak Like a Hawaiian
Go From Haloe to Akamai in One Article
These are Mai Tais, which can affect the ability to speak Hawaiian.
Aloha!
That may be the most important word to know when visiting Hawaii, but it's hardly the only one. This is a glossery of key Hawaiian terms that can make even first-time tourists seem like a akamai: local.
This is an unofficial unabridged list of Hawaiian words and phrases.
In Hawaii, pronounce all the vowels in syllables, so the Likelike Highway
is "lee-key, lee-key."
• Akamai:. An intelligent person.
• Aloha. Hello and goodbye It also means peace, goodwill
and all things warm and fuzzy. Hawaii is very proud of its "Aloha
Spirit," which the locals spread throughout the islands.
• Bento. Box lunch, a Hawaiian food staple.
• Brah/Bruddah. A man. Usually the word is used to
say hi to someone. Example, "Hey, bruddah, where are you going?"
Pronounced "bra" and "brud-da."
• Da. The, as in "da bruddah is over there."
• Grind. To eat. Pronounced "grine."
• Hana Hou. Do it again. A crowd often yells it repeatedly
it in a bar to encourage a band to continue playing. Pronounced "ha
na HO."
• Haole.A non-Hawaiian male, sometimes used by locals
to describe a tourist.
Pronounced "HOW lee."
• Hawaiian Time. Late, with a built-in 15-minute grace
period.
• Howzit. Another way to say "Aloha." Example:
"Howzit brah?"
Pronounced "HOW zit."
• Kane. A man. Pronounced "KA ne."
• Keiki. Kids. Pronounced "KA key.
• Lanai. Patio.
• Lua. Restroom.
• Mahalo. Thank you. It is utilized frequently to
acknowledge something nice someone does for you. Example: "Mahalo
for the beer, brah." Pronounced "ma HA lo."
• Mai Tai. Tropical drink of rum and fruit juices that is the quintessential Hawaiian cocktail.
• Mainland. The continental United States.
• Okole Maluna. Cheers! It actually means bottoms up (okole is someone's rear end and maluna is the moon).
• Ono. Delicious. Pronounced "OH no." Ono ono means really delicious.
• Pau/Pau hana. Pau means "finished" and
pau Hana" means work. Locals may say "Pua hana, time for a
cocktail," meaning work is finished and it's off to Happy Hour.
Pronounced "pow HA na."
• Puku. A hole. The white little shell necklaces are
Puku necklaces. Pronounced "POO kah.
• Pupus. Appetizers (seen frequently on restaurant menus;
there are also Pupus Platters, which are a variety of appetizers). Pronounced
"Poo poos."
• Shaka. The "thumbs up" hand single, meaning
howzit. Pronounced "SHAH ka."
• Wahine. A woman. Pronounced "wa HEE nay."
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