Idioms, Catch Phrases, Expletives and Interjections He Mau `Ikeoma, `Ôlelo pôkole hopu, `Ôlelo mâpuna, A Me `Ôleloho`ôho |
Source: Pukui, Mary Kawena & Elbert, Samuel H.,
Hawaiian Dictionary, Revised
Ahahana! [ah hah hah' nah !] |
Shame on you! Variations of this taunting singsong phrase: ahana [ah hah' nah], ahana kôkô lele [ah hah' nah KOH' KOH' leh' leh]. |
Âhê! [AH' HEH' ! ] |
So! Oh! So that's it! `Âhê means to exclaim, to "oh and ah"; "yes", "so that's it", "so", "oh". |
Aia nô iâ `oe. [ai' (y)ah NOH' (y)ee (Y)AH' oe] |
Up to you! Your call! |
Aiâ! [ai (Y)AH' !] |
Oh, no! Ouch! Used when something goes wrong. Sometimes to express surprise from sudden unexpected pain. |
Ai`a! / Ei`a! [ai' ah !] [ei' ah !] |
There it is! / Here! Here it is! What is said when something is suddenly found. |
Aia ho`i! [ai' (y)ah hoh' ee !] |
Behold! Ta da! Lo! |
`Aikola! [ai' koh lah !] |
Serves you right! I told you so! `Aikola is an interjection of scorn or derision, especially rejoicing over others' misfortunes. Hô`aikola is to be sarcastic, contemptible. |
Âiwaiwa! [AH' (y)ee vai' vah !] |
Amazing! Fantastic! Mystifying! Marvelous! Wonderful (because of divinity)! Inexplicable! |
Aloha! [ah loh' hah !] |
Click here to learn more Aloha greetings and here to learn more about aloha. |
Aloha `ino! [ah loh' hah ee' noh !] |
How unfortunate! |
Aloha nô! [ah loh' hah NOH' !] |
How sad! Used to express sincere sentiments, not sarcasm. Also, aloha with emphasis. |
`Ano `ê! [ah' noh EH' !] [heh EH' !] |
Strange! Odd! Different! Weird!
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`A`ohe launa! [ah oh' heh lau' nah!] |
"No fit!" |
`A`ole hiki ke `alo a`e. [ah oh' leh hee' kee keh ah' loh (y)ah' eh] |
"No can help,`as life." |
Auê! [au (W)EH' !] |
Oh! Oh dear! Oh boy! Alas! Oops! Too bad! My goodness! |
Auî! [au (W)EE'!] |
Ouch! |
`E! [eh] |
What 'd you say? Note: no kahakô. It really should have an `okina at the end, `E`! , as it is said staccato-like. Hawaiian syllables, however, do not end with consonants, and the `okina is a consonant. So pretend it is there, when you say, " `E!" |
`Ê, `ê,`ê. [EH', EH'. EH' ] |
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Informal speech. As in mild agreement and indicating that one has heard. |
`Ea? [eh (y)ah?] [oi (y)ah eh' (y)ah ?] [PEH' LAH', eh (y)ah?] |
Isn't that so? That's it. Right? `Ea? is often added to the end of sentences. Similar to "n'est pas?" In French, "no?" in Spanish, and "ne?" in Japanese. |
E komo mai! [eh koh' moh mai!] |
Welcome! Come in! Literally, enter hither (to this place, here). |
Hâmau! [HAH' mau!] |
Silence! See Kulikuli! |
Hana hou! [hah' nah hou' !] |
Encore! Literally, do it again. |
He aha ke `ano? [heh ah' hah keh ah' noh?] |
What kind (of nonsense) is that? `Ano means type, kind. Sometimes said scornfully. Literally, "What is the kind?" |
He aha nô lâ kou `ano? [heh ah' hah NOH' LAH' kou ah' noh ?] |
What indeed is the matter with you? `Ano also means personality, mood. Literally, this means "What's wrong with your personality?" |
He mea iki! [heh meh' (y)ah ee' kee !] |
"Ain't no big t'ing", a trifle. Literally, "A little thing." Figuratively, "You're welcome," in response to Mahalo (Thanks). A variant is He mea `ole kêia, "It's nothing." |
Hele pêlâ! [heh' leh PEH' LAH' !] |
Beat it! Scat! Bug off! |
Helu `ekahi! [heh' loo eh kah' hee !] |
Number one! First rate! |
Hemolele! [heh' moh leh' leh !] |
Perfection! Flawless! |
Hemû! [heh MOO' !] |
Shoo! Be gone! Scat! |
Hiki! [hee' kee !] |
Can do! Okay! All right! O.K. (in the sense of "able to do")! |
Hô! [HOH' !] |
Wow!
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Hoka! [hoh' kah !] |
Shucks! Lose out! Hoka means disappointed, thwarted, baffled; disappointment, frustration.
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Hô`oio! [HOH' oi' (y)oh !] |
Show off! Hô`oio means to show off, boast; to assume an air of superiority; conceited; affectation, conceit. Hô`oio le`a is to (childishly) show off with delight. |
Ho`omanawanui! [hoh' oh mah nah vah nui' !] |
Patience! Ho`manawanui means patience, steadfastness, fortitude; to have patience, fortitude; patient, steadfast, courageous and persevering. |
Hûpô! [HOO' POH' !] Hûpô o nâ hûpô! [HOO' POH' oh NAH' HOO' POH' !] |
Fool! Stupid! Hûpô means ignorant, foolish, unintelligent, stupid; fool, foolishness. Literally, swelling darkness.Fool of fools! Ignoramus! |
Hûi! [HOO' (w)ee !] Ûi! [OO' (w)ee !] |
Yoohoo! Halloo! More polite to call this out than knock on the door. |
I mua! [ee moo' (w)ah] |
Forward! Mua means before, ahead, front, first, in advance. |
Ikaika ka iwi. [ee kai' kah kah (y)ee' vee] |
Bones are strong. Fig., good health in old age. |
Kâ! [KAH' ! ] [TSAH' ! ] |
Oh! Shoot! How silly! Used to express mild disapproval, annoyance, disgust, frustration or surprise. |
Kâhâhâ! [KAH' HAH' HAH' !] |
An interjection of surprise, wonder, displeasure. |
Kamaha`o! [kah' mah hah' oh !] |
Wonderful! Astonishing! Marvelous! Wondrous! Remarkable! Surprising! Incomprehensible! |
Kâpulu! [KAH' poo loo !] |
Sloppy! Kâpulu means careless, slovenly, unclean, gross, slipshod, untidy, disgusting, unkempt. Môkâkî also means messy or disheveled, but does not imply carelessness. |
Kênâ! [KEH' NAH' !] |
"Just li' dat!" That! (Used disparagingly for "you." |
Kihe a mauli ola! [kee' heh (y)ah mau' lee (y)oh lah !] |
Bless you! Gesundheit! Literally, "sneeze and live." An exclamation to one who has sneezed to ward off ill effects. Often shortened to Ola! |
Kilohana! [kee' loh hah' nah !] |
(The) Best! Most Excellent! Kilohana is the name of the outside, decorated sheet of kapa in the ku`inakapa, bed coverings; the four inner layers were white, contrasting with the decorated kilohana. Hence, extended meanings: best, superior, excellent. |
Kû ka paila! [KOO' kah pai' lah !] |
Hô, da plenny! A lot! Literally, a big pile (of work to do). Paila, from English for pile. |
Kulikuli! [koo' lee koo' lee !] |
Hush! Be quiet! Be still! Kuli means knee. A mother would rap a disobedient child on the knee. Mai hana kuli (Refrain (your) noisy activity) is politer. Pa`a ka waha (Shut the mouth) and Hâmau! (Silence!) are more direct. |
Kupaianaha! [koo pai' (y)ah nah hah !] |
Amazing! Fantastic! Wonderful! Phenomenal! Surprising! Marvelous! Extraordinary! Astonishing! |
Laki! [lah' kee !] |
Lucky! Transliterated from lucky. |
Lanakila! [lah' nah kee' lah !] |
Victory! Triumph! Mea lanakila is winner, champion, victor. |
Lapuwale! [lah' poo vah' leh !] |
Fool! Good-for-nothing! Worthless! Wretch! Scoundrel! Lapu means ghost, phantom. |
Lawa! [lah' vah !] [lah' vah KEH' LAH' !] |
Enough!
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Lôlô! [LOH' LOH' !] |
Stupid! Dumb! Lôlô means paralyzed, numb, feeble-minded, stupid. Lolo [loh' loh], without kahakô, means brains. |
Lua `ole! [loo (w)ah oh' leh] [lau' nah oh' leh] [ah' nah oh' leh] |
Unequaled! Unsurpassed! Incomparable! Second to none! |
Maha`oi! [mah hah oi' !] |
Bold! Nervy! An offensive trait to Hawaiians. |
Maka hiamoe! [mah' kah hee (y)ah moe' !] |
Sleepyhead! |
Maika`i! [mai' kah ee !] |
Good! Great! All right! Fine! Maika`i means good, fine, all right, well; good-looking, good looks; handsome, beautiful; goodness, righteousness, benefit, well-being, morality, good health. |
Mâkaukau! [MAH' kau kau] |
Ready! Mâkaukau means prepared, ready. Literally, in the right, not left, place/position. |
Manakâ! [mah nah KAH' !] |
Boring! Manakâ means boresome, tiresome, dull, monotonous, wearied. |
Manini! [mah nee' nee !] |
Stingy! Cheap! Manini is slang for stingy, and has nothing to do with the striped reef fish. Manini is the transliterated name of a well-known Spanish immigrant, Francisco de Paula Marin, who knew Kamehameha for more than 25 years, who introduced many fruit trees to Hawai`i and was not inclined to share his bounty with others. |
Miki`oi! [mee kee oi' !] |
Excellently made! Miki`oi means dainty and neat in craftsmanship, or in doing anything; deft, excellently made, as a result of skilled workmanship. |
Mili`apa! [mee' lee ah' pah !] |
Slowpoke! Mili`apa means slowpoke, slow, dilatory. Mili means slow, inefficient at work, `apa is to delay, waste time, keep others waiting. |
Minamina! [mee' nah mee' nah !] |
How regrettable! Minamina means regret, sorrow; to grieve for something that is lost; to regret, be sorry, deplore; to prize greatly, especially of something in danger of being lost; to value. |
Moloâ! [moh loh (W)AH' !] |
Lazy bones! Moloâ means lazy, indolent. |
Nânâ! [NAH' NAH' !] |
See, I told you so! Nânâ means to look at, observe, see, notice, inspect. |
Na`u e uku. [nah' oo (w)eh oo' koo] |
My treat, I'll pay. |
`Oia. [oi' (y)ah]
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This. Namely this. Thus, That's it. That's right. Go ahead. Start. Go (as shouted by referee at beginning of games). |
`Oia ana! [oi (Y)AH' nah !] |
Let me see! Show me! I dare you (sarcastically)! Usually shortened to `oiana pr `oliana. |
`Oia `ea! [oi' (y)ah eh (y)ah !] `Oia `ane`i! [oi' (y)ah ah neh' ee !] |
Is that so! So that's it! |
`Oia ho`i! [oi' (y)ah hoh' ee !] `Oia ho`i hâ! [oi' (y)ah hoh' ee HAH' !] |
So it is! That's so. For real!
All righty, then. So that's it after all.
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`Oia kâ! |
That's it! |
`Oia nô. [oi' (y)ah NOH'] `Â `oia! [AH' oi' (y)ah !] |
Yes. That's so. Really.
That's right! |
`Oia paha. [oi' (y)ah pah' hah] |
Maybe so. All right (as in reluctant acquiescence). |
Ola! [oh' lah] |
Bless you! Gezunheit! Ola means life, health, well-being, living, livelihood, means of support, salvation. |
`Ole wale! [oh' leh vah' leh !] |
Useless! |
`Ono! [oh' noh !]
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Delicious! `Ono means delicious, tasty, savory; to relish, crave; deliciousness, flavor, savor. |
Pa`akikî! [pah' ah kee KEE' !] |
Hardhead! Stubborn! Difficult! Pa`akikî means hard, tough, unyielding, arbitrary, inflexible, difficult, stubborn, obstinate. |
Pau! [pau] |
Done! Completed! The End! Pau means finished, ended, through, terminated, completed, all done, over. |
Pau ka pono! [pau' kah poh' noh !] |
Hopeless! |
Pehea lâ! [peh heh' (y)ah LAH' !] Pehea ho`i! [peh heh' (y)ah hoh' ee !] |
I don't know how!
How, I don't know. Who knows? |
Pelapela! [peh' lah peh' lah !] |
Filthy! Pelapela means filthy, dirty, nasty, indecent, unclean, vulgar, lewd, obscene. |
Pilau! [pee lau' !]
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Putrid! Rotten! Pilau means rot, stench, rottenness; putrid, foul, spoiled, decomposed. |
Pô`îno nô! [POH' EE' noh NOH' !] |
How unfortunate! |
Pohô! [poh HOH' !] |
(You) lost out! Waste time! Pohô means loss, damage; out of luck; vain, no use doing something, wasted effort; lose out. |
Pololei! [poh loh lei' !] |
Correct! Pololei means straight, upright, direct, correct, right, O.K., accurate, all right. |
Pômaika`i nô! [POH' mai kah ee NOH' !]
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How fortunate! Pômaika`i means good fortune, blessedness, blessing, profit, prosperity; prosperous, fortunate, beneficial, lucky; good luck. |
Pupuka! [poo poo' kah !] Frequently [POO' poo kah] for emphasis. When said with a friendly or admiring intonation among friends, it means the opposite, i.e., beautiful, attractive; this was due to the reluctance to express admiration for fear a sorcerer would in jealousy bewitch the admired person. |
Ugly! Pupuka means ugly, unsightly, unseemly, unattractive, homely, wicked. This word is also said in response to Pehea `oe? (How are you?), with meaning that one is improving but hesitates to say he is well for fear of bad luck.Sometimes used to describe a beautiful baby, to curb jealousy. |
Pupule! [poo poo' leh !] Sometimes pûpule [POO' poo leh] for emphasis. |
Crazy! Pupule means crazy, insane, reckless, wild. Probably derived from pule (prayer). |
`Û! [OO' !] |
Grunt! Groan! Moan! Sigh! Hum! Coo! `Û also means to mourn, grieve, an exclamantion of delight or assent; to grunt 'yes, yes (saying that you are listening)! |
Uihâ! [oo' (w)ee HAH' !] |
Yeah! Yippee! |
Uoki! [oo (w)oh' kee !] |
Stop that! Quit! Don't touch! Be careful! Idiom used only in commands. |
Wela ka hao! [veh' lah kah hao' !] |
Strike when the iron is hot! |
Updated 5-23-98
I welcome additions, corrections, modifications. Mahalo in advance.
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