Go to the English to Hawaiian Directory for the Food & Drink Category

 
‘ai. noun. Food. Compare with mea ‘ai.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘ai.

 
‘aila. noun. Any lard, oil, grease.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘aila.

 
‘aka‘akai. noun. Common onion. The tops of the onion resemble the tops of the great bulrush plant called ‘aka‘akai.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘aka‘akai.

 
‘alani. noun. Orange. Any kind of orange, both the fruit and the tree.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘alani.

 
‘āpala. noun. Apple. Transliterated from English "apple."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘āpala.

 
‘awa. noun. Kava. The kava plant, a shrub native to the Pacific islands. The root of the kava plant is the source of a narcotic drink.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘awa.

 
halakahiki. noun. Pineapple. Literally "foreign hala." The pineapple is not native to Hawai‘i, but comes from South America.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see halakahiki.

 
haukalima. noun. Ice cream. Literally "creamed ice."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see haukalima.

 
haupia. noun. Coconut pudding. Formally made with arrowroot (pia), but now usually made with cornstarch.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see haupia.

 
hē‘ī. noun. Papaya. A small tree and its fruit, native to South America.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see hē‘ī.

 
hua. noun. Fruit, egg, seed.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see hua.

 
hua ‘ai. noun. Edible fruit or seed.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see hua ‘ai.

 
hua makekemia. noun. Macadamia nut. The nut from the Macadamia tree from Australia.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see hua makekemia.

 
hua moa. noun. Chicken egg.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see hua moa.

 
i‘a. noun. Fish. Usually means fish, but i‘a can be used for any sea animal, as an eel, oyster, lobster, crab, or whale.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see i‘a.

 
‘inamona. noun. Relish made with candlenut. Relish made from the cooked and mashed kernal of the kukui nut with salt (pa‘akai).
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘inamona.

 
‘i‘o. noun. Flesh, meat.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘i‘o.

 
‘i‘o holoholona. noun. Meat. Literally "animal flesh."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘i‘o holoholona.

 
‘i‘o pipi. noun. Beef. Literally "beef meat."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘i‘o pipi.

 
‘i‘o pua‘a uahi. noun. Bacon. Literally "smoked (uahi) pork (pua‘a) flesh (‘i‘o)."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘i‘o pua‘a uahi.

  
kai. noun. Gravy, sauce, soup.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see kai.

 
kalima. noun. Cream. Transliterated from the English "cream."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see kalima.

 
kalo. noun. Taro. From the earliest of times, taro was a food staple in Hawai‘i. Used to make poi and pa‘i a‘i.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see kalo.

 
kāmano. noun. Salmon. Transliterated from the English "salmon".
   For the glossary entry and more information, see the kāmano.

 
kāmano lomi. noun. A salmon side dish. A cold salad of salmon, typically prepared by mixing the raw salted, diced salmon with tomatoes and onions. The salmon is shredded or diced and this was traditionally done by hand, hence the term lomi.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see kāmano lomi.

 
kanakē. noun. Candy. Transliterated from the English "candy."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see kanakē.

 
kāpiki. noun. Cabbage. Transliterated from English "cabbage."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see kāpiki.

 
kele. noun. Jelly, jam. Transliterated from English "jelly."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see kele.

 
keli. noun. Cherry. The Pukui / Elbert Hawaiian Dictionary [PE] has no word for "cherry", keli comes from Māmaka Kaiao [MK]. Transliterated from English "cherry."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see keli.

 
kī. noun. Tea. Transliterated from English "tea."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see kī.

 
kini. noun. Gin. Transliterated from the English "gin."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see kini.

 
kō. noun. Sugar cane.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see kō.

 
koiū. noun. Shoyu sauce. Soy sauce. Transliterated from Japanese "shoyu." The image above shows a dispenser of Aloha Shoyu brand soy sauce. In 1946, five Japanese families created the Aloha Shoyu Company in a small factory in Kalihi on the island of O‘ahu and today they are the leader in Hawai‘i soy sauce sales. To learn more about Aloha Shoyu, you can visit their website at alohashoyu.com.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see koiū.

 
koka. noun. Soda. Transliterated from English "soda."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see koka.

 
kokoleka. noun. Chocolate. Transliterated from English "chocolate."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see kokoleka.

 
kōpa‘a. noun. Sugar. Literally "hard sugar cane."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see kōpa‘a.

 
kope. noun. Coffee, coffee beans. Transliterated from English "coffee."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see kope.

 
kuawa. noun. Guava. Transliterated from the English "guava." A plant and its fruit that is native to South and Central America and areas as far north as Mexico.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see kuawa.

 
kuki. noun. Cookie. Transliterated from the English "cookie." Compare with mea ‘ono kuki.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see kuki.

 
kūlina. noun. Corn.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see kūlina.

 
kūlolo. noun. Taro and coconut pudding. A pudding made from cooked, grated taro (kalo) and coconut cream.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see kūlolo.

  
laiki. noun. Rice. Transliterated from English "rice."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see  laiki.

 
laimi. noun. Lime. Transliterated from the English "lime." This term comes from the Māmaka Kaiao.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see laimi.

 
lama. noun. Rum. Transliterated from English "rum."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see lama.

 
lau ‘ai. noun. Salad. Literally "edible leaves."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see lau ‘ai.

  
laulau. noun, transitive verb. Wrapping, wrapped package; packages using ti leaves or banana leaves to wrap pork, beef, fish, or taro tops. The wrapped packages are then baked in an imu (nowadays, usually an oven) or steamed, or broiled.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see laulau.

 
lemi. noun. Lemon. Transliterated from the English "lemon." According to the Pukui/Elbert Hawaiian Dictionary lemi can also be used for lime, but this might lead to confussion when using the word lemi, is the meaning a lemon or lime. The Māmala Kaiao term for lime is laimi and I prefer this term to differentiate it from lemon.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see lemi.

 
liliko‘i. noun. Passion fruit.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see liliko‘i.

 
limu. noun. Seaweed. Also the general name for any underwater plant.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see limu.

 
limu kohu. noun. One of the most liked edible seaweeds. A highly prized edible seaweed that can be pink or dark red in color.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see limu kohu.

 
lū‘au. noun. Young taro tops. Young taro top leaves, used in many food items, especially as baked with coconut cream and chicken or octopus.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see lū‘au.

 
mai‘a. noun. All kinds of bananas and plantains.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see mai‘a.

 
Mai Tai. noun. An alcoholic cocktail. Warning: This is not a Hawaiian word. A corruption of the Tahitian word maita‘i which is a three syllable word and means "good." A corruption of maita‘i, because the ‘okina goes missing and a space is added, so it becomes a two syllable term. The Hawaiian word maika‘i (good) is a cognate and the Hawaiian version of the Tahitian word maita‘i.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see Mai Tai.

 
makalē. noun. Mackerel, canned sardines. Transliterated from the English "mackerel."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see makalē.

 
manakō. noun. Mango. Transliterated from English "mango."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see manakō.

 
manapua. noun. Chinese pork cake.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see manapua.

 
mea ‘ai. noun. Food.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see mea ‘ai.

 
mea ‘ai īlio. noun. Dog food. Is dog food, food that you feed a dog or food made from dog meat?
   For the glossary entry and more information, see mea ‘ai īlio.

 
mea ‘ai pōpoki. noun. Cat food. Is cat food, food that you feed a cat or food made from cat meat?
   For the glossary entry and more information, see mea ‘ai pōpoki.

 
mea inu. noun. Beverage, drink.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see mea inu.

 
mea ‘ono. noun. Cake, cookie, pastry, dessert. Literally "delicious thing." I borrowed the image above from the Leonard's Bakery website. Leonard's is an "institution" in Hawai‘i and is famous for its malasadas. If you don't know what a malasada is, here is a wikipedia link about malasadas. If you have never had a malasada, you really must go to Leonard's Bakery. If you are going to vacation on O‘ahu perhaps you may want to visit Leonard's, especially if you have kids. Be sure to try a haupia filled malasada.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see mea ‘ono.

 
mea ‘ono kuki. noun. Cookie. Compare with kuki.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see mea ‘ono kuki.

 
meli. noun. Honey.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see meli.

 
moa. noun. Chicken.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see moa.

 
na‘aukake. noun. Sausage, weiner. Literally "sausage (kake Eng.) intestines (na‘au)."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see na‘aukake.

 
niu. noun. Coconut.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see niu.

 
‘ōhi‘a. noun. Tomato.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘ōhi‘a.

 
‘ōhi‘a ‘ai. noun. The mountain apple. Literally "edible ‘ōhi‘a."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘ōhi‘a ‘ai.

 
‘ōhi‘a lomi. noun. Tomato. The common table tomato, that people often squeeze or crush (lomi) during meal preparation.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘ōhi‘a lomi.

 
‘ōkolehao. noun. Ti root spirits. Liquor distilled from the ti root. Before western contact, the Hawaiians would produce a fermented, intoxicating drink that was much used by the natives. After western contact, the fermented product began to be distilled to a high proof spirit; hence the term ‘ōkolehao which literally means "iron bottom", indicating part of the equipment used in the distilling process. Later, other fermentable ingredients were sometimes used such as sugar, pineapple, taro and rice.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘ōkolehao.

 
‘ōpae. noun. Shrimp.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘ōpae.

 
‘ōpihi. noun. Limpet. A shellfish.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘ōpihi.

 
‘ōpū pipi. noun. Beef tripe, beef tripe stew.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘ōpū pipi.

 
‘ōpū pua‘a. noun. Pig tripe, pig tripe stew.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘ōpū pua‘a.

 
pa‘akai. noun. Salt. Pa‘akai is comprised of two words pa‘a and kai. Literally "firm sea or solid sea."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see pa‘akai.

 
pa‘i ‘ai. noun. Cooked and pounded, undiluted taro (kalo). It is also called "hard poi." Contrast with poi.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see pa‘i ‘ai.

 
paipika. noun. Pizza, pizza pie. From the Māmaka Kaiao dictionary. Transliterated from English "pizza pie." Or just "pika" if you want to say just "pizza."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see paipika.

  
paka. noun. Butter. Transliterated from English "butter." Compare with waiūpaka.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see paka.

 
palaoa. noun. Flour, bread, wheat. Transliterated for English "bread." Compare with pelena (bread).
   For the glossary entry and more information, see palaoa.

 
palaoa palai. noun. Pancake. Literally "fried flour."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see palaoa palai.

 
pā mea ‘ai. noun. Plate lunch. The plate lunch is unique and intrinsic to modern Hawaiian culture and cuisine. The typical plate lunch, as shown above, consists of two scoops of rice, a scoop of macaroni salad and a serving of protein, as beef, chicken, pork or seafood.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see pā mea ‘ai.

 
pāpa‘i. noun. General name for various kinds of crab.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see pāpa‘i.

 
pelena. noun. Cracker, biscuit, bread. Transliterated from English "bread." Compare with palaoa (bread).
   For the glossary entry and more information, see pelena.

  
pelena poepoe. noun. Saloon pilot. A saloon pilot is a cracker and in Hawai‘i they are usually round (poepoe). Literally "round cracker." Here is an interesting 2003 Star-Bulletin article about the closing of the famous Hilo Macaroni Factory and it also discusses how saloon pilots were used and enjoyed. Today, Diamond Bakery seems to be the biggest supplier of saloon pilots in Hawai‘i and they have an interesting company history in Honolulu. According to Diamond Bakery, they have been "Making People Smile since 1921." On the picture above you can see the lettering on the truck, but it isn't legible. It reads "Diamond Bakery Co., LTD., PHONE 4279, 1753 S. KING ST., CRACKER & BREAD FACTORY". It is hard to tell, even from a larger picture, but I think the phone number is 4279. I just thought it was interesting that it was only a four digit phone number. Today there is a Zippy's restaurant at the original South King Street location and the Diamond Bakery is now located in Kalihi Kai.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see pelena poepoe.

 
pepa. noun. Pepper. Transliterated from English "pepper."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see pepa.

 
pia. noun. Beer. Transliterated from English "beer."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see pia.
pia. noun. Polynesian arrowroot.
   For the glossary entry and other possible meanings, see pia.

 
pipi. noun. Beef. Transliterated from English "beef."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see pipi.

 
pipi kaula. noun. Jerked beef. Literally "rope beef." Beef that has been salted or marinated and dried to preserve it, then it is usually broiled before eating.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see pipi kaula.

 
poi. noun. Poi. A Hawaiian staple food made from cooked taro (kalo) corms which are pounded and thinned with water.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see poi.

 
poke. noun. A raw fish salad. A name for the raw fish salad which consists of raw fish sliced into small pieces and other ingredients, served as an appetizer or main course.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see poke.

 
pua‘a. noun. Pig, pork.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see pua‘a.

 
pūpū. noun. Hors d'oeuvre, appetizer.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see pūpū.

 
‘uala, ‘uwala. noun. Sweet potato. ‘Uwala, showing a w in the word is a common alternative spelling and perhaps the more legitimate spelling. I used to think the w was just a w-glide spelled in the word, but the w came about in a different way than most w-glides. I have been told that the word ‘uwala was derived from the Sāmoan word umala for the sweet potato. Somehow the m became a w. The sweet potato originaly came to Hawai‘i from South America. It is now thought that Polynesian explorers encountered South America and acquired the sweet potato through trade. ‘Uala and ‘uwala are pronounced exactly the same. The picture above shows the sign at the entrance of Pu‘u‘ualaka‘a (rolling sweet potato) State Park.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘uala.

 
‘uala kahiki. noun. The white or Irish potato. Literally "foreigh sweet potato." Of course the Irish potato is not a sweet potato, the Hawaiians were simply comparing the Irish sweet potato to the only potato that they had previously known.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘uala kahiki.

 
uhi. noun. Yam (Dioscorea Alata). The yam from southeast Asia. A climber with large underground tubers. The uhi should not be confused with the sweet potato.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see uhi.

 
ula. noun. Loster. The picture above shows a spiny lobster.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ula.

 
‘ulu. noun. Breadfruit tree and its fruit.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see ‘ulu.

 
wai. noun. Water, juice, honey.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see wai.

 
wai hua ‘ai. noun. Fruit juice.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see wai hua ‘ai.

 
wai lemi. noun. Lemonade.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see wai lemi.

 
waina. noun. Wine. Transliterated from the English "wine."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see waina.

 
wai ‘ona. noun. Intoxicating liquor or spirits, liquor. For different types of liquor, see ‘awa (kava, not a liquor, but a narcotic drink), kini (gin), lama (rum), Mai Tai (cocktail), ‘ōkolehao (ti root spirit), pia (beer), waina (wine).
   For the glossary entry and more information, see wai ‘ona.

 
waiū. noun. Milk; breast. Literally "breast liquid." The picture shows chocolate milk. For the Hawaiian word for chocolate, see kokoleka.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see waiū.

 `
waiūpa‘a. noun. Cheese. Literally "solidified milk."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see waiūpa‘a.

 
waiūpaka. noun. Butter. Compare with paka.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see waiūpaka.

 
wanila. noun, stative verb. Vanilla. Transliterated from English "vanilla."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see wanila.

 
wīneka. noun. Vinegar. Transliterated from English "vinegar."
   For the glossary entry and more information, see wīneka.

English to Hawaiian Directory

appetizer. See pūpū.
apple. See ‘āpala.
arrowroot. See pia.
banana. See mai‘a.
bacon. See ‘i‘o pua‘a uahi.
beef. See ‘i‘o pipi / pipi.
beef tripe. See ‘ōpū pipi.
beer. See pia.
biscuit. See pelena.
bread. See palaoa / pelena.
breadfruit. See ‘ulu.
butter. See paka / waiūpaka.
cabbage. See kāpiki.
cake. See mea ‘ono.
candy. See kanakē.
cat food. See mea ‘ai pōpoki.
cheese. See waiūpa‘a.
cherry. See keli.
chicken. See moa.
chicken egg. See hua moa.
Chinese pork cake. See manapua.
chocolate. See kokoleka.
coconut. See niu.
coconut pudding. See haupia.
coffee. See kope.
coffee beans. See kope.
cookie. See kuki / mea ‘ono / mea ‘ono kuki.
corn. See kūlina.
crab. See pāpa‘i.
cracker. See pelena.
cream. See kalima.
dessert. See mea ‘ono.
dog food. See mea ‘ai īlio.
drink. See mea inu.
edible fruit. See hua ‘ai.
edible seed. See hua ‘ai.
egg. See hua.
fish. See i‘a.
fish salad, raw. See poke.
flesh. See ‘i‘o.
flour. See palaoa.
food. See ‘ai / mea ‘ai.
fruit. See hua.
fruit juice. See wai hua ‘ai.
gin. See kini.
gravy. See kai.
grease. See ‘aila.
guava. See kuawa.
honey. See meli / wai.
hor d'oeuvre. See pūpū.
ice cream. See haukalima.
jam. See kele.
jelly. See kele.
jerked beef. See pipi kaula.
juice. See wai.
kawa. See ‘awa.
kukui nut relish. See ‘inamona.
lard. See ‘aila.
lemon. See lemi.
lemonade. See wai lemi.
lime. See laimi.
liquor. See wai ‘ona.
lobster. See ula.
lomi salmon. See kāmano lomi.
macadamia nut. See hua makekemia.
Mai Tai. See Mai Tai.
mackeral. See makalē.
mango. See manakō.
meat. See ‘i‘o / ‘i‘o holoholona.
milk. See waiū.
oil. See ‘aila.
‘ōkolehao. See ‘ōkolehao.
oinon. See ‘aka‘akai.
orange. See ‘alani.
pancake. See palaoa palai.
papaya. See hē‘ī
passion fruit. See liliko‘i
pastry. See mea ‘ono.
pepper. See pepa.
pig tripe. See ‘ōpū pua‘a.
pineapple. See halakahiki.
pizza. See pai pika.
pizza pie. See pai pika.
plantains. See mai‘a.
plate lunch. See pā mea ‘ai.
poi. See poi.
polynesian arrowroot. See pia.
potato. See ‘uala kahiki.
pudding. For coconut pudding, see haupia or for taro and coconut pudding, see kūlolo.
raw fish salad. See poke.
relish. For a kind of Hawaiian relish, see ‘inamona.
rice. See laiki
rum. See lama.
salad. See lau ‘ai.
salmon. See kāmano.
saloon pilot. See pelena poepoe.
salt. See pa‘akai.
sardines (canned sardines). See makalē.
sause. See kai.
sausage. See na‘aukake.
seaweed. See limu. Also see limu kohu.
seed. See hua.
shoyu sauce. See koiū.
shrimp. See ‘ōpae.
soda. See koka.
soup. See kai.
spirits (liquor). See wai ‘ona.
sugar. See kō.
sugar cane. See kōpa‘a.
sweet potato. See ‘uala kahiki.
taro. See kalo. For cooked and pounded taro, see pa‘i a‘i / poi. Also, for specific parts of taro, see lū‘au.
taro and coconut pudding. See kūlolo.
taro tops, young. See lū‘au.
tea. See kī.
tomato. See ‘ōhi‘a / ‘ōhi‘a lomi.
vanilla. See wanila.
vinegar. See wīneka.
weiner. See na‘aukake.
wheat. See palaoa.
wine. See waina.
yam. See uhi.

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