Hawaiian is a Polynesian language related to Tahitian and Marquesan, as well as other languages of the eastern Pacific. Within a few decades of Captain Cook's arrival, it became clear that English was competing with Hawaiian and would eventually take precedence. The English alphabet was applied to writing down the Hawaiian language. Having a written Hawaiian language unified the various Hawaiian dialects and led to a more uniform pronunciation.

Hawaiian Sounds

The Hawaiian language is written with eight consonants and five vowels. The consonants are h, k, l, m, n, p, w, and '. You might not be familiar with the '. It's called an 'okina — it's the little glottal stop you hear between the two parts of the expression “uh-oh!” It's actually a consonant, and if you're not used to hearing it, you might not recognize it. In Hawaiian, the ' okina can make a big difference in the meaning of a word. Also, in some words, the “w” can be pronounced as a “v.” For example, the word “Hawaii” is often pronounced “Havai'i.”

The vowels are “a,” as in “father”; “e,” as in “bet”; “i,” pronounced like “ee” in “beet”; “o,” as in “no”; and “u,” as in “rule.” These vowels can be pronounced with varying durations in some words, thus affecting their meaning. In a modification of the English script, a horizontal line over a vowel means that it is sounded slightly longer.

The easy thing about Hawaiian is that the words are pretty much pronounced as they are written, with every vowel being heard. Every word ends with a vowel, and it's not unusual to have words made up mostly of vowels. For example, aeaeais the name of a small fish. While some Hawaiian words can be quite short, others can be quite long! A classic example is the name of another fish, the humuhumunukunukuapua'a.

Use It or Lose It

As is the case in many societies, the use of native languages often begins to dwindle as a more widely used, dominating language is introduced. In Hawaii, native speakers were dying out, and many of the younger people weren't learning their language. Fortunately, a Hawaiian cultural revival beginning in the 1960s and '70s produced a renewal of interest in the language. It is now being taught in schools, and its use is encouraged as a vital tie to Hawaiian culture.

Local Lingo

You can certainly visit Hawaii and survive just fine without knowing any Hawaiian. But these words are regularly mixed in with English, and knowing a few will help you get around a bit better and give you a few insights. The following vocabulary selections can help you out. Some of them are also found as parts of other words.

THE LAND

'aina	land
kai	sea water
wai	fresh water
mauka	toward the mountains
makai	toward the ocean
kona	leeward side of an island
ko'olau	windward side of an island
pali	cliff
moku	island
mauna	mountain
pohaku	stone
Hawai'i nei	this (beloved) Hawaii

PEOPLE

'ohana	family
kanaka	people, local man
kane	man
wahine	woman
keiki	child
kupuna	elder
haole	Caucasian (occasionally used as a derogative)
kama'aina	someone who lives in Hawaii
malihini	foreigner, tourist
ku'uipo	sweetheart

OTHER USEFUL WORDS

hale	house
lanai	porch
pua	flower
lei	flower necklace
nana	beautiful
nui	big
iki	small
kahiko	old

EXPRESSIONS

aloha	a greeting or farewell (described further)
mahalo	thanks
e komo mai!	welcome!
a hui hou	goodbye

Da Kine, Brah!

Along with English and Hawaiian, pidgin English is also widely heard in the islands. In fact, it's so common, the chance that you'll hear pidgin spoken during your visit is nearly 100 percent. Pidgin is a mix of Hawaiian and English, along with other foreign influences. It is rich in expression and capable of communicating just about anything in its own special way!

Here's a sample of just a few terms from Hawaiian pidgin: