Learn To Speak Like a Local
or "the official list of what's that mean?"
everyday pidgin words and phrases that will
have you sounding like a local in no time!
| Ahi | Yellowfin tuna. Almost always eaten raw. |
| 'Aina | (eye-nah) means "the Land." The phrase "Malama ka 'aina" means to care for the land. |
| Akamai | (rhymes with sly) Smart. Can also mean someone who is very smart. |
| An den | What's up? How are you? |
| 'Aumakua | (ah-ma-koo-ah) An animal/spirit guardian that many Hawaiians have tattooed somewhere on their body. An 'aumakua stays in the family and is sort of like a totem animal of the Native American tribes. Popular 'aumakuas are sharks, sea turtles, dolphins, fish, and momo (geckos). |
| Auntie/Uncle | You call someone older than you "Auntie" or "Uncle," even if you don't know them. It's a sign of respect, like saying Mr. or Miss. Sometimes you can call a very old woman Tutu (grandma) but usually only if she asks you to. |
| Aznutz! | That's crazy! |
| Beef | Fight. "Like beef?" means "you wanna fight?" |
| Brah/Braddah | Brother, friend. What you call someone if you are not angry at them. |
| Broke da Mout | Delicious. |
| Bussum Out | Hey, I want some. Like: "I bought a six-pack yesterday." "Well hey, bussum out!" |
| Can | A one-word sentence meaning "I can do that" or "okay." |
| Cherry | (like the fruit) Cherry is used to describe something that is "pimpin,'" "bling," or "slick." I can't really think of any other words in English that would mean the same thing. If you get a new sports car and it has all after-market parts and racing stripes, it's "cherry." If you buy a new purse and it cost you more than $500, it's "cherry." Quote: "Oh man, that car is SO cherry." |
| Chicken Skin | Goosebumps |
| Choke | (like to choke someone's throat) means "a lot." Like "I caught choke waves today" or "I ate choke salmon for dinner." |
| Coqui | (koh-kee) an invasive species of frog that is prevalent in Hawaii. Some love them, some hate them, and there is a statewide movement to attempt to eradicate them. Their singing is high-pitched and piercingly loud and they will sing non-stop all night, usually by the thousands. Coqui is the sound of their song. "Koh-kee! Koh-kee! Koh-kee!" |
| Continent Mentality | Behavior or thinking patterns like what is practiced on the mainland, but not in Hawaii. There are a lot of things attributed to "continent mentality" such as: driving too fast, not caring who your neighbors are, not getting involved in community, rudeness, not waving or saying hello when passing someone on the street, building mainland-style houses, bulldozing properties flat before building, obsessive work ethics, consumerism, name brands, new cars, etc. |
| Durian | An extremely delicious fruit that smells worse than anything in the world. |
| Fo' days | Means "a lot." Like "Man, I gots bananas fo' days!" |
| Gon Fonit | What you say when you hit your thumb. |
| Grind/Grinds | (like grinding oats into flour) To eat/Food |
| Hana Hou | Encore. Do it again. One more time. |
| Haole | (how-lee) a white person like you or me. Haole is not a bad word. It is only a descriptive term and not insulting, but it CAN be used in an insulting way depending on how it is said. It's perfectly fine to say "I have a haole friend, or that guy is a haole." It's an insult when someone says "hey, HAOLE! Get off the beach!" or "You haoles is always takin' all the good stuff." Make sense? |
| Hapai | (hah-pie) Pregnant |
| Heirloom Jewelry | Hand-carved traditional gold or silver jewelry found only in Hawaii and on pretty much every single local woman you will ever see. |
| Honu | (hoe-new) the Hawaiian green sea turtle. |
| Howzit? | "How are you?" |
| Imu | a pit in the ground used as an oven for smoking pig. |
| Kane | (kah-nay) a man or a boy. Male. Men. |
| Kapu | (kah-poo) literally means "sacred" or "off-limits". Usually used on property signs to mean "Keep Out!" |
| Katsu | (cat-soo) Breaded and fried food - usually chicken. |
| Kau Kau | (cow-cow) to eat. |
| Keiki | (kay-kee) "child" or "children." The word keiki is solely used in Hawaii, and never the words "child" or "children." |
| 'Kine | (rhymes with wine) Like/kind as in variety. Examples: "What kine shampoo you buy? I get natural kine." |
| Liliko'i | (lilly-koh-ee) or (lilly-koi) a popular local fruit. Called passionfruit on the Mainland. |
| Local | Someone who was born in Hawaii. Usually a Hawaiian and rarely a haole. |
| Lolo | Dumb, idiot, dummy. "What, you locked your keys in the house? You so lolo." |
| Lomi Lomi | (low-mee-low-mee) Massage. Also a type of salmon. |
| Lua | (loo-ah) slang for restroom. The actual word is lumi ho'opau pilikia. |
| Lychee | a popular local fruit sort of like a rambutan. |
| Maika'i | (my-kah-ee) Good. (not delicious) |
| Makai | (muk-eye) means "toward the sea" or "on the ocean side" |
| Malihini | (mah-lee-hee-nee) A newcomer to Hawaii. |
| Manapua | (ma-na-poo-ah) a soft bread roll filled with something - usually some kind of meat or sweet potatoes. |
| Mary | What a female friend calls a female friend when they do something dumb. Like calling someone an idiot or a blonde, but nicer. |
| Mauka | (mow-ka) means "toward the mountain" or "on the mountain side" |
| Mo' Bettah | Better. or "I like that even more." |
| Moke | (rhymes with "choke") A scary local man. Sort of like a Tita. You don't call someone this - ever, though it isn't a bad word. I don't think I can say it any better than the folks at this site. |
| Momo | Gecko |
| Musubi | (Moo-soo-bee) A brick of steamed rice with a slice of spam on top, some furikake (a seasoning) and sometimes a strip of scrambled egg wrapped around the center with a strip of seaweed. Fishy smelling but tasty! |
| Nevah | I didn't. I couldn't. It never happened. Never. I haven't done that. No. |
| No can. | Phrase meaning "I can't do that" or "no." A popular advertisement for a local take-out called Verna's states "If no can, no can. If can - Verna's!" |
| No spray | Universal at the local market for "no pesticides" (some farmers don't speak English) |
| 'Ohana | family. Sometimes used to describe everyone living in one town or on one island as well. ie: "our island 'ohana" |
| 'Okole | (oh-koh-lay) your butt |
| 'Okole Squeezer | Something that is very scary. "Man, did you see that wave? It was an 'okole squeezer!" |
| 'Ono | (oh-no) delicious - also a type of edible fish also known as "wahoo" |
| 'Onolicious | Delicious. |
| Pau | (pow) to finish. Done. |
| Pau Hana | To be finished with work. The end of the work day. |
| Plate Lunch | A Japanese style local box lunch. Usually comprised of "two scoop rice" or noodles, one scoop of some kind of fried meat and another scoop of some other kind of fried meat - usually chicken, shrimp, pork, or fish. Sometimes beef. |
| Poi | (poy) a local dish made from pounded taro root. It slightly resembles very fine, thick, starchy, purple, sour apple sauce. It is a highly acquired taste. |
| Poi Dog | A mutt dog with questionable ancestry. Sometimes a person can be referred to as a "poi dog." It's also another word for "moke." |
| Poke | (poh-kay) An incredibly delicious dish made of cubes of raw fish, seaweed, shoyu and other ingredients. Often sold on the side of the road out of someone's van. A must-try! |
| Potagee | "Portugese" to describe someone who is Portugese. Can also be used to describe something that is shabby or cheap, like "ghetto." If you put plastic spinners on your car and paint it with spraypaint, it's "so potagee." |
| Puka | (poo-ka) means "hole." It can also be used to describe a lava tube, the number zero, or any hole like one in a sewing needle or in a piercing. A "puka lani" is a "hole in the sky" and describes a break in the clouds, a moment of sunshine, or an area of the island that gets little rain while the surrounding areas get a lot. The word "puka" is solely used and the word "hole" is never heard in Hawaii. |
| Saimin | (s eye-min) Sounds like "Simon" but with "min" at the end. -Ramen Noodles. |
| Sashimi | Raw fish. |
| Seestah | Like Brah. Sister, friend. |
| Shaka! | (also a hand-sign) means "All right!" or "Way to go!" |
| Shave Ice | Like a sno cone. |
| Shishi | (Shee-shee) to urinate. "I have to go shisi." |
| Shoots | Okay. |
| Shoyu | (show-you) Soy Sauce |
| Sleepahs | Also called "rubber slippers." Flip-flops. Thong sandals. |
| Stink Eye | To give stink eye is to look at someone in a mean or intimidating way. "That local is giving me stink eye." |
| Talk Story | To hang out, talk, shoot the breeze. |
| Tita | A tough local girl. Not something you call someone to their face unless you either are friends with them, or you want to get your 'okole kicked. |
| Tutu | "Grandmother." This word is commonly used and never incites giggles. |
| Wa choo wen go buy? | "I see that you are carrying a bag from Ross. What did you purchase there?" |
| Wahine | (wah-hee-nee) or (wah-hee-nay) or (vah-hee-nay) means woman or girl, female, women. |
| Wen Bus Laugh | To laugh out loud. "I laughed out loud." |
| What, you no like? | You don't like that? |