TalkHawaiian

The tongue of Hawaiian natives is referred to as "Pidgin". A culture lies behind Hawaiian Pidgin and it seems to rub off on those who stay for any length of time. For a mainlanders and visitor from any part of the world, it can be a real challenge to understand, but for those who live here, it is a part of island life. Pidgin is a delightful and unique form of communication.

We have composed a Glossary of some common Pidgin terms and Hawaiian words and phrases. Here is just a sampling of what you may hear when you visit Hawaii that you may soon come to understand and use yourself during your visit to the islands:

The Hawaiian language consists of only thirteen letters. The consonants include h, k, l, m, n, p, w, and okina (a
symbol that looks similar to an apostrophe). Consequently, Hawaiian words have many vowels. Every word or syllable
ends in a vowel. Here are some words to get you started in the Hawaiian language

Aloha	Love, Welcome, Hello, Farewell
Akamai	Smart, sharp, someone who can figure out what is going on.
Aina	Land
Aunty	Aunt, all elderly females are considere aunties in Hawaiia, a sign of respect
Bento	Japanese style box lunch, steamed rice served with Japanese style beef, chicken, pork, fish or whatever.
Bodda You	Are you bothered by this?
Brah	Your friend or buddy
Braddah	Brother
Brok ' Da Mout	Tastes Delicous
Chicken Skin	Local name for goosebumps.
Da Kine	Anything to which you are referring when you can't remember what it is. It takes a certain amount of telepathy to figure out what da kine refers to. Similiar to mainland's "whatjamacallit"
Diamond Head	Toward Diamond Head, a well known landmark in Hawaii
Ewa	Toward Ewa Beach, opposite of Diamond Head
Fut	Passing Gas Hawaiian style
Grind	To eat. Grinds; food.
Gecko	Lizard often found in local homes, good for eating insects and said to bring good luck.
Geev'um	Give it to them, go for it.
Gon Fonit	What you say when you hit your thumb
Hana	Work
Hana Hou	Encore, do it again, repeat or replay.
Hale	House
Haole	Caucasian
Hapa Haole	Part-White , part Hawaiian Person
Ho Brah	Prelude to describing something amazing i.e..event, thing, great looking guy, beautiful woman
Howzit	Local for Aloha or how are you?.
Huli	Turn over, as in huli-huli chicken, a local rotisserie style chicken used in fundraisers.
Huhu	Angry
Hapai	Pregnant
Huhu	To be angry or upset
I'a	Fish
"Ike	To see
Ka	The
Kane	Male, Boy or man
Kama'aina	Local person; born & raised in Hawaii, or having lived in the islands long enough to be "local."
Kau Kau	Food
Kalanianaole	Principal highway on Oahu.
Keiki	Child
Kamehameha	“Kamehameha the Great",
Kala	Money
Kapu	Forbidden, Keep out!
Kuleana	Right, privilege, title to property
Kapakahi	Lop Sided, Crooked, Sideways
Luau	An Hawaiian Feast
Lua	Bathroom
Lei	Necklace of flowers, leaves, shells, etc.
Lomi	Massage, as in lomi salmon, a local delicacy of massaged salted salmon and onions and tomatoes, which is mixed by hand
Loco Moco	Local breakfast favorite; steamed rice, topped with a hamburger patty and fried egg, smothered in brown gravy; tabasco sauce optional.
Lolo	Dummy, crazy
LikeLike	Principal highway on Oahu (Tunnel)
Malihini	Newcomer
Makai	Toward to Ocean
Makua	Parent
Manini	Small, stingy
Manu	Bird
Mauka	Toward the Mountain
Moke	Extremeley large local, and very tough guy
Nani	Beautiful
Nah	No way!
Nohea	Lovely
Nuff Already	Enough already, stop
Not	Just Kidding, not really
No Aak	Quit Showing off
Nui Loa	Very much, From the bottom of my heart
Okole	Buttocks
Ohana	Family
Opu	Belly
Ona	Intoxicated
Ono	Yummy, delicious. Variation; Onolicious. Also a type of fish.
Pau	Done, Finished, complete
Puka	Hole; in something
Pali	Cliff
Pupus	Hor d'oeuvres, local style includes sushi, poke (marinated raw fish), teriyaki sticks, dim sum and more.
Pau Hana	Quitting Time
Pilikia	Trouble of any kind, problem, nuisance
Plenny	Plenty, alot, big amount
Plate Lunch	Local lunch of: 2 scoops rice,scoop of macaroni salad, beef, pork, fish and/or chicken. Served on paper plate.
Saimin	Hot clear noodle soup, often garnished with green onions.
Slippahs	Flip flops, thongs, go-aheads
Shaka	Local hand signal with various meanings, like "alright", "cool", smooth" etc.
Stick	Surfboard
Shoots	OK
Sistah	Sister
Stink Eye	Mean, hard or dirty look
Talk Story	Gabfest, gossip, shoot the breeze.
Try Move	Please move out of the way
Tita	Very tough female, Wahine Moke
Tutu	Grandparents
Thanks Eh	Local for Mahalo or thank you.
Wa'a	Canoe
Wahine	Female, Girl or woman
Wiki wiki	Quickly

A hui hou - See you again
E komo mai-Welcome!
Hele Mai-Walk fast!
Kala mai ia'u - Excuse me

Mahalo nui loa!-Thank you very much!
'A'ole pilikia - You're welcome / No problem

Numbers
1. E Kahi
2. E Lua
3. E Kolu
4. E Ha
5.E Lima
6. E Ono
7. E Hiku
8. E Walu
9. E Iwa
10. Umi

Hula
Pareu - Sarong
Mele - Song/ chant
Ami - dance hip movement
Kahiko - Chant
Hula noho - Singing chant
Auana - Graceful hula