o-localhawaiian-h

Speak Hawaiian Like a Local

hala [hah lah]	pandanus (screw pine) tree	Lauhala (hala leaves) are used for plaiting.
hâlau [HAH' lau]	long house, as for canoes or hula instruction, hula school	More here on hula.
hale [hah' leh]	house, building, institution, lodge, station, hall	As in, Honolulu Hale (Honolulu House, name of City Hall for Honolulu); Halekulani (Honolulu hotel), Haleakalâ (mountain on Maui).
Haina iâ mai ana ka puana [hah (y)ee' nah ee (Y)AH' mai ah' nah kah poo (w)ah' nah]	"To tell the refrain"	Sung at the last verse of a mele (song).
hana [hah' nah]	work, job, activity; do	As in pau hana (done with work). Not to be confused with beautiful Hâna [HAH' nah] on Maui.
Hana hou! [hah' nah hou!]	Encore! / To do again.	Lit., "do it again". A performer's accolade in Hawai`i.
hânai [HAH' nai]	adopted or foster child	Lit., "to feed".
hapa [hah' pah]	part	Does not mean "half" (hapalua); usually referring to mixed ethnicities.
haole [hao' leh]	white people, Caucasian; foreign or foreigner, especially when referring to non-indigenous plants	Its use can range from an accepted, innocuous way to refer to white people, or derisively, depending on the spirit with which it is used.
hâpai [HAH' pai]	pregnant; to carry	A Hawaiian way of saying "with child" .
hâpu`u [HAH' poo oo]	giant tree fern	Its pith and shoots are deliciously edible.
hauna [hau' nah]	bad smell	Specifically means to a particular bad smell, such as spoiled fish or meat. Hohono is a generally unpleasant odor, more specifically to body odor.
hau`oli [hau' oh lee]	happy, glad, gay, joyful; happiness, enjoyment, joy	As in, Hau`oli Lâ Lono-i-ke-aweawe-aloha (Happy Valentine's Day)!
Hau`oli Lâ Hânau! [hau' oh lee LAH' HAH' nau!]	Happy Birthday!	Lit., happy + day + birth.
Hau`oli Makahiki Hou! [hau' oh lee mah kah hee' kee hou!]	Happy New Year!	Lit., happy + year + new.
haupia [hau pee' yah]	coconut cream pudding	A favorite lû`au dessert.
Hawai`i [hah wai' ee] or [hah vai' ee], equally acceptable	Largest Hawaiian island, state name; Hawaiian	He Hawai`i Au (I am Hawaiian); `Ôlelo au i ka `ôlelo Hawai`i ( I speak the Hawaiian language)
Hawai`i nei [hah vai' ee nei]	An endearing term for Hawai`i; roughly (figuratively), beloved Hawai`i.	Nei means here. So Hawai`i nei can only be said when you are physically in Hawai`i.
he`e nalu [heh' eh nah' loo]	to surf, surfing
heiau [hei' yau]	place of worship	At a heiau, see, but do not touch! Do not desecrate. Do not disturb the placement of the pôhaku (stones).
hele [heh' leh]	to go, come, walk	Hele mai (Come hither), Hele aku (Go away).
hemo [heh' moh]	unlocked or slightly open; open in the sense of a store or business being open instead of pa`a (closed).	The pidgin use of hemo means to take off something. "Hemo yo' slippahs". A major hewa (mistake, faux pas, breach of etiquette) is to wear your footwear into island homes. Be especially respectful of this island custom.
Hiki ! [hee' kee!] Hiki nô! [hee' kee NOH'!]	Can do! Sure! All right! Okay! ( Hiki with more emphasis)	If asked if you can do something, this is what you say in the affirmative. This phrase is used mean okay only in the sense of "can do", as hiki means to be able to do something.
hilahila [hee' lah hee' lah]	shy, bashful, embarassed	Mai hilahila! (Don't be shy!)
hînâlea [HEE' NAH' leh yah]	brightly colored wrasse fish	Also known as cowboy fish, zuruzuru (slippery, in Japanese).
hô`ike [HOH' ee keh]	to show, exhibit; exhibition	As in, hula hô`ike (hula exhibition).
hôkû [HOH' KOO']	star	As in, the voyaging canoe, Hôkûle`a (Star of Gladness).
holoholo [hoh' loh hoh' loh]	to walk, drive, go out for pleasure; to go gallivanting	Let's go holoholo (let's go out for fun).
holokû [hoh loh KOO']	gown with a train	More formal than a mu`umu`u. Learn more about lole (clothing).
home [hoh' meh]	home	"Puamana, ku`u home i Lahaina", song by Irmgard Aluli Farden.
honi [hoh' nee]	kiss	Also, to touch noses on the side in greeting.
ho`olaulea [hoh oh lau leh' yah]	celebration	Often a family picnic, gathering.
Ho`omaika`i! [hoh oh mai kah' ee]	Congratulations!
ho`omalimali [hoh oh mah' lee mah' lee]	flattery, sweet talk; to flatter	Sweet talkers are full of it.
Ho`omanawanui! [hoh oh mah nah vah nui!]	Patience!	An antidote to frustration.
ho`oponopono [hoh oh poh' noh poh' noh]	to correct / set right	Also, an effective relationship-mending method, used to solve family problems or setting things right among family members.
huhû [hoo HOO'] Not: [hoo' hoo]	angry; anger, wrath; to scold
hui [hui]	club, organization; to join	As in, Hui o `Ohana (Ledward and Nedward Ka`apana and Dennis Pavao), famous singing trio from Kalapana, Hawai`i, now soloists.
Hûi! [HOO' (w)ee!]	Halloo! Yoohoo!	When you get to a friend's house and no one is around, call this out. This is much more polite, and more Hawaiian, to call out instead of loudly knocking at the door. Also, a simple way of saying, "Pssst."
huki [hoo' kee]	to pull	As in, hukilau (community net fishing).
Huuutahhh! [hooo TAH'!]	Greeting made famous by a true Hawaiian.	Made famous by beloved singer, Israel Kamakawiwo`ole.
hula [hoo' lah]	Indigenous, story-telling dance of Hawai`i; to dance	Not to be confused with the hip-twitching Tahitian tamure.
humuhumunukunukuâpua`a [hoo moo hoo moo noo koo noo koo AH' poo (w)ah ah]	reef trigger fish	A "supercalifragilisticexpialido-cious" kind of word.
huli [hoo' lee]	turn over, turn	As in, hulihuli chicken, grilled over keawe charcoal.
huna [hoo' nah]	secret	Be wary of charlatans touting huna secrets to make an unearned buck.