HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

Although Hawaiian words may look challenging to pronounce, they’re typically easy to say when sounded out by each syllable. The Hawaiian language utilizes five vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and seven consonants (h, k, l, m, n, p, w). Please note that sometimes the w is pronounced the same as v, as in Hawai’i.

a - ah, as in car: aloha

e - a, as in may: nene

i - ee, as in bee: honi

o - oh, as in so: mahalo

u - oo, as in spoon: kapu

Dipthongs: Generally, vowels are pronounced separately except when they appear together:

ai, ae - sounds like I or eye

ao - sounds like ow in how, but without a nasal twang

au - sounds like the ou in house or out, but without a nasal twang

ei - sounds like ei in chow mein or in eight

eu - has no equivalent in English, but sounds like eh-oo run together as a single syllable

iu - sounds like the ew in few

oi - sounds like the oi in voice

ou - sounds like the ow in bowl

ui - an unusual sound for speakers of English, sort of like the ooey in gooey, but pronounced as a single syllable.

Characters:

Anaki (ah-NAH-kee)

Bane (BAH-AH-nay)

Kaia (KIGH-yah)

Liko (LEE-ko)

Mahina (MAH-HEE-nah)

Mano (m-AH-no)

Nahele (nah-HAY-lay)

Oke (OH-kay)

Paie (PIE-ay)

Words used in this series:

aloha (ah-LOW-hah): a warm Hawaiian greeting or parting; love, grace, sentiment, compassion, sympathy, kindness, affection, friendship; to show kindness or to remember with affection.

aloha nô (ah-LOW-ha-NO): expression of sympathy

auê (au-(W)EH): uh-oh, or oops

brah (bra): brother

haole (ha-OH-lay): white person. Can be a slur depending on tone.

he aha ke ’no (HAY-ah-ha-KAY-ah-no): What is the kind?

Meaning, what kind of nonsense is this?

ho’oponopono (HO-oh-PO-no-PO-no): ritual of family therapy. Literally means “to make things right.”

imu pit (EE-moo): pit for roasting a pig at a lu’au

keiki (KAY-kee): child

keikikane (KAY-kee-KAH-nay): son

lei aloha (lay ah-LOW-hah) beloved child

mahalo (mah-HAH-low): thank you. Heard everywhere in the islands, even when something is announced on the loud speaker in Kmart.

makuahine (mah-koo-ah-HEE-nay): mother

makuahini (ma-koo-ah-HEE-nee): mother

makuakane (mah-koo-ah-KAH-nay): father

‘ono (OH-no): a popular fish for eating

tûtû (too-too): grandma.

tûtû kâne (too-too-KAH-nay): grandpa