o-localhawaiian-k

Speak Hawaiian Like a Local

KA `ÔLELO HAWAI`I (HAWAIIAN)	KA `ÔLELO HAOLE (ENGLISH)	COMMENTS:
Kâ ! [KAH'!]	Oh! How silly! Shoot! *#%@ !**	Common exclamation heard many times, but not often seen spelled. Pronounced: kâ, tâ, tsâ, châ, etc.
kalo [kah' loh]	taro	From the tubers / corms, poi, the staff of life, is made.
ka po`e Hawai`i [kah poh' eh hah wai' ee]	the native people of Hawai`i
ka po`e kâhiko [kah poh' eh KAH' hee koh]	the people of old	Spoken with much fondness and respect
kahakô [kah hah KOH'] Further discussion to be found here.	A line above a vowel to indicate that its sound is to be elongated; a macron.	Kaha = mark kô = lengthen Slaughtering Hawaiian is a sure bet without the aid of kahakô and `okina.
kahiko [kah hee' koh]	ancient, old	As in, the traditional style of hula.
kâhili [KAH' hee lee]	feather standard	Used to signify the presence of ali`i (royalty).
kahuna [kah hoo' nah]	priest, expert, doctor	Learn about different kinds of kahuna.
kai [kai]	sea, sea water	As in, Hawai`i Kai or the beautiful Kaimana (sea water + spiritual essence) Beach Hotel, below Diamond Head. Kai is sea water; wai is fresh water.
kâkâ [KAH' KAH']	excreta	A euphemism taught to children.
kâkio [KAH' kee (y)oh]	mange, impetigo, itch
kâlâ [KAH' LAH']	money, dollar	This is the Hawaiian spelling of the English word dollar.
Kala mai! [kah' lah mai!]	Excuse (me)!	Casual form of the formal, "E kala mai `oe ia`u," used when excusing oneself.
kalakoa [kah lah koh' (w)ah]	calico; variegated in color; printed cotton cloth	Hawaiianized from the English word, calico.
kalo [kah' loh]	taro	Staple from the earliest times to now. Root (tuber/corm)is eaten as poi; leaves (lû`au) as a leafy vegetable.
kâlua [KAH' loo (w)ah]	roasted, baked; to bake in an imu (a Hawaiian underground oven)	As in, kâlua pig, piece de resistance of any lû`au.
kama`âina [kah mah AI' nah]	native, native-born; to know	Lit., "child of the land." Designation has more to do with acculturation to Hawaiian ways AND acceptance by its people, rather than years of residence. Using this word to denote discount rate eligibility with only a Hawai`i driver's license is abusive to its meaning and to every true kama`âina.
kanaka [kah nah' kah]	human, man	Most commonly used to mean man, but also used to describe any individual person or even a Hawaiian, as opposed to someone of another ethnic group.
kanaka maoli [kah nah' kah mao' lee]	indigenous person; any descendant of those persons who lived in Hawai`i prior to 1778	Basically, those with Hawaiian koko (blood). Some say only those with documentation. Past prejudices against and disadvantages of being Hawaiian, however, did lead to many "omissions", inaccuracies, and/or falsification of records.
kâne [KAH' neh]	male, husband, man	On a bathroom door, this means Men's Room. Kâne is used when an individual is being differentiated as not being a woman. Otherwise, the word kanaka is used for man.
Kanikapila! [kah nah kah pee' lah!]	(Let's) play music!	Lit., "sound the instrument". A local musician's favorite encouragement.
kapa [kah' pah]	Tapa, cloth made from pounded bark
kapakahi [kah pah kah' hee]	topsy turvy, crooked, askew
kapu [kah' poo]	taboo, secret, off limits, don't touch!
kâpulu [KAH' poo loo]	untidy, messy, sloppy
(kaukau) [kau kau] This is not a Hawaiian word, but a pidgin English word.	food	The Hawaiian term for food is `ai. In Hawaiian, kaukau refers to placing something somewhere. The pidgin word, kaukau, may have come from the Hawaiian word for table, pâkaukau. Or perhaps from a Chinese word for food, chow chow?
keiki [kei' kee]	child	Have you hugged your keiki today?
ki [kee]	leaves of this plant are used for wrapping food, cooking, hula skirts, leis and medicinally	Also, known to ward off evil spirits. Locals often wave these at competitive events (football, volleyball games) for good luck. Some carry it while driving the H3 highway on O`ahu.
kiawe [kee (y)ah' veh]	algaroba tree	Nasty thorns, great charcoal. Aunty Genoa's last name is Keawe, not Kiawe.
kî hô`alu [KEE' HOH' ah loo]	slack key guitar playing; strings are picked, not chorded	Well-known artists: Keola Beamer, Led Ka`apana, George Kuo, Uncle Sol of Baldwin House, Maui.
kinipôpô [kee nee POH' POH']	ball, baseball; to play ball	"Right on the kinipôpô!" (Exactly right!)
koa [koh (w)ah]	Native forest tree, Acacia koa, valuable for its lumber; brave.	Its hardwood was used to build canoes, surfboards; now used for furniture and ukuleles. Also, refers to brave.
kôkua [KOH' koo (w)ah]	help, aid	Learn more Hawaiian values.
kolohe [koh loh' heh]	rascal, mischievous, naughty; prankster	Commonly used in a friendly sense and not in a sense of mockery or ridicule.
kona [koh' nah]	leeward side of the island; wind blowing from the south, southwest	Kona wind is like a Hades experience: hot and sticky.
kônane [KOH' nah neh]	Hawaiian checkers, played with pebbles on carved rock
ko`olau [koh oh lau]	windward side of the island
kope [koh' peh]	coffee	As in, kope beans (coffee beans).
kûkae [KOO' kae]	excrement, feces	Doo-doo, kâkâ.
kukui [koo kui']	candlenut tree; light	Hawai's state tree. The oily nut of this tree was used as a lamp. Thus a symbol of enlightenment.
kuleana [koo leh (y)ah' nah]	responsibility; property, homestead
kuli [koo' lee]	deaf; knee
Kulikuli! [koo' lee koo' lee!]	Quiet! Shut up!	This is a common way to tell someone to be quiet. Depending on the tone of voice, it is merely a request for silence or borders on rudeness. Kulikuli refers to noisiness. Saying "kulikuli kou waha" (your mouth is noisy) can be considered rude. Hâmau means silent or silence, and is a more gentle way of asking someone to be quiet.
kumu [koo' moo]	teacher, master; reason; source	As in kumu hula (hula teacher/master).
kûlolo [KOO' loh loh]	pudding made of baked or steamed taro and coconut cream.	A most delicious, mouth-watering Hawaiian dessert. Learn more desserts in Hawaiian.
kupuna [koo poo' nah]	grandparent, elders, ancestors
ku`uipo [koo oo (w)ee' poh]	my sweetheart	Learn more ways to say sweetheart.