Helpful Other Words

alaloa - an ancient road around Maui for which remnants remain.

aloha – love, affection, compassion, greeting. Use aloha no for emphasis.

auwe – expression of lament. Auwe! I lost my car keys!

brah – brother.

bumbye – eventually, in good time. It will happen bumbye.

chicken skin – goose bumps.

cockaroach – to steal, sneak away with.

da – the.

funny kine – strange, different.

get – to have You get shoes?

hale – house, home.

heiau – ancient Hawaiian temples constructed of stone. Several survive around the island.

hele – to go, walk.

ho`okipa – to entertain, to welcome. Also the name of a North Shore windsurf beach.

ho`okupu – offering, gift.

hula – danced by all ages and races in both modern and ancient styles.

humbug – bother, hassle.

ichiban – number one, the best.

imua – forward. Cheer at sports events - Imua!

jankenpo – paper-scissors-rock game. Pronounced junkenpo.

junk – terrible, lousy.

ka, ke, na - the.

kapa – tapa bark cloth.

kapakahi – crooked, askew.

kapu – taboo, forbidden.

kine, da kine – thing.

kokua – help.

lanai – porch.

laters – see you later.

lei – wreath of flowers, leaves, shells, paper, or feathers given as a symbol of affection or regard.

like – to want to You like go?

lokahi – unity, agreement.

lomilomi – traditional Hawaiian massage.

lua – toilet.

mahalo – thank you. Mahalo nui loa - thank you very much.

maika`i – good.

makana – gift.

make – to die. Make-die-dead - really dead.

mana – supernatural or divine power.

mele – song, chant.

menehune – mythical small people. Hawaiian leprechauns.

nani – pretty.

no can – cannot. I no can go to the party.

nui – big.

obake – ghost.

`olelo – language, speech. `olelo Hawai`i - Hawaiian language.

one – a You get one car? Do you have a car?

`opala – garbage.

pau – done, the end. pau hana - end of the work day. On Friday we are going to have a pau hana party.

pilau – filth, stench.

pilikia – trouble of any kind, great or small.

pono – goodness, correctness, moral, proper, fitting.

puka – hole.

shaka – hand signal with thumb and little finger extended used in greeting.

shishi – pee.

slipper, slippah , zori – what a malihini would call a flip-flop, not for inside wear.

stay – to be You stay happy?

stink eye – dirty look.

talk story – sharing memories, informal conversation.

`ukulele – small stringed instrument. Improper pronunciation of this word is a sure sign of a malihini.

whatevahs – whatever, it doesn't matter.

wiki or wikiwiki – quick.