The Hawaiian language has offered many words to the English language, and many Hawaiian words are known to non-Hawaiian speakers, and many have also been assimilated into the English language (e.g. "aloha", meaning "hello", "love", or "goodbye", or "mahalo", meaning "thank you"). English also borrows some Hawaiian words (e.g. "ukulele", "mahimahi" and "muʻumuʻu"). Hawaiian vocabulary often overlaps with other Polynesian languages such as Tahitian, so it is not always clear which of those languages a term is borrowed from.
The Hawaiian orthography is notably different from the English orthography because there is a special letter in the Hawaiian alphabet, the ʻokina. The ʻokina represents a glottal stop, which indicates a short pause to separate syllables. The kahakō represents longer vowel sounds. Both the ʻokina and kahakō are often omitted in English orthography.
Because the Hawaiian orthography is different from English orthography, the pronunciation of the words differ. For example, the "muʻumuʻu", traditionally a Hawaiian dress, is pronounced /ˈmuːmuː/MOO-moo by many mainland residents. However, many Hawaii residents have learned and realize that the ʻokina in Hawaiian signifies a glottal stop. Thus, in the Hawaiian language, "muʻumuʻu" is pronounced . The pronunciations listed here are how it would sound in Hawaiian orthography.
| Vowel | Pronunciation |
|---|---|
| a | , or |
| e | , or |
| i | or |
| o | or |
| u | or |
| Hawaiian word | Meaning | Pronunciation (IPA) | Definition link |
|---|---|---|---|
| ʻAʻa | A kind of rough-surface volcanic rock (in Hawaiian: 'a'ā). Note that there are two glottal stops before and after the first "a". Thus, it is not spoken as "ahh", but as "ah-ah". | Link | |
| Akamai | A Hawaiian word meaning "intelligent", "clever", or "smart". | Link | |
| Aloha | Hawaiian word for "hello", "goodbye", and "love"; outside of Hawaiʻi, only the first two meanings are used. | Link | |
| ʻAwa | a Polynesian shrub, Piper methysticum, of the pepper family, the aromatic roots of which are used to make an intoxicating beverage | Link | |
| Haole | Hawaiian for "foreigner" or "outsider". Usually directed towards Caucasians or people from the mainland. May be said offensively, but is commonly said familiarly (not to be confused with haʻole, meaning "without breath"; the two have completely different meanings).
|
Link | |
| Honu | Hawaiian name for the green sea turtle | Link | |
| Hula | Ancient Hawaiian form of dance. In the older days, men used to do hula as a sign of masculinity and as a war dance. Also see haka. Many people get confused between the Hawaiian hula (more graceful and slower) and the Tahitian hula (quicker and more hip movements) | Link | |
| Humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa | The reef triggerfish. The humuhumunukunukuapua'a is notorious for its long name, which many struggle to pronounce correctly (Humu (HOO-moo) + humu (HOO-moo) + nuku (NOO-koo) + nuku (NOO-koo) + wa (WAH) + pua'a (poo-WUH'-uh)) | Link | |
| Kahuna | Hawaiian priest, wizard, or shaman; used in the slang phrase "big kahuna" | Link | |
| Kamaʻaina | A local; someone who has lived in Hawaii for a long time | Link | |
| Keiki | Hawaiian word for "child" | Link | |
| Kukui | The candlenut tree, state tree of Hawaii, so named because the nuts were used as candles. Kukui nut leis were worn by celebrities such as Jessica Simpson and Tyra Banks in 2005-07 and became popular must-have accessories. | Link | |
| Lānai | A veranda or patio, from the word lānai (not to be confused with the island, Lānaʻi) | Link | |
| Lei | A garland of flowers and/or leaves to be worn | Link | |
| Luau | A Hawaiian feast (Hawaiian: lūʻau) | Link | |
| Mahalo | Hawaiian for "thank you" | Link | |
| Mahi-mahi | Hawaiian word for the dolphin fish, the name means "very strong." | Link | |
| Mana | Magical or spiritual power | ||
| Mano | Hawaiian word for "shark" (Hawaiian: manō) (not to be confused with the Spanish "mano", meaning "hand") | ||
| Muʻumuʻu (Mumu) | A loose gown or dress incorrectly pronounced moo-moo in English, but properly pronounced "muʻumuʻu" in Hawaiian. | Link | |
| ʻOhana | Hawaiian word meaning "family" | Link | |
| Ono | Hawaiian word meaning "good to eat." Refers to the Scombrid Fish also known as the Wahoo. | Link | |
| Pahoehoe | A kind of smooth-surface volcanic rock | Link | |
| Pele's hair | A type of volcanic glass fibers named after Pele, the Hawaiian fire goddess of volcanoes (see also limu o Pele) | ||
| Pele's tears | Solidified pieces of lava named after Pele | — | |
| Poi | A type of Hawaiian food made from mashing corms of the taro plant | Link | |
| Puka | A hole or perforation. Puka shells are round shells with center holes, strung together to make popular necklaces. | Link | |
| Shaka | A hand gesture common in Hawaii by raising the thumb and pinky fingers to make a sign similar to the American Sign Language symbol for "Y". | — | |
| Taboo | From Hawaiian "tapu", now Romanized "kapu". Also Tongan, Samoan, Tahitian "tapu" or Fijian "tabu". | Link | |
| Ukulele | A small guitar-like musical instrument that resembles the Portuguese cavaquinho (lit. "jumping flea") | Link | |
| Wiki | Hawaiian word for "fast"; used in the "Wiki Wiki Shuttle" and "Wikipedia" | , | Link |
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