a. preposition. Of, acquired by, belonging to. The a-class version of "o." Used in the place name Haleakalā which means "House (hale) [used] by (a) the (ka) sun (lā)." Compare with o.

a. conjuction. And. A is used before verbs, whereas a me is used before nouns. Note: the PE dictionary spells this word with a kahakō, but I have been taught to spell it without a kahakō. Compare with a me.

 
ā. preposition. Until. Ā is used in the phrase "Ā hui hou" which means "until [we] meet again."

  
‘ā. noun. The letter "a."
   Also, for a list of the names of the other Hawaiian letters, see hua palapala.

‘ā. intransitive verb. Fiery, burning.

 
a‘a. noun. Root, small root, rootlet. A‘a is used in the street named Kea‘ahala in Kāne‘ohe. Kea‘ahala means "the (ke) pandanus (hala) root (a‘a)." I listed a‘a to contrast it with ‘a‘ā. ‘A‘ā is a word seen and used much more often than a‘a. The map above shows six street or highway names in red circles. From left to right and top to bottom: Ha‘ikū Road (pdf file), Kahekili Highway, Kahuhipa Street, Kea‘ahala Road (links shown above), Po‘okela Street and Likelike Highway.
   See the a‘a entry in the Plants Category.

 
‘a‘ā. noun. ‘A‘ā lava, a rough and stony type of lava. One of the three basic types of lava. The other two being pāhoehoe and pillow lava. In the picture above, you can see a glowing red ‘a‘ā lava flow advance over a previous pāhoehoe flow. Contrast with pāhoehoe (smooth lava).

‘a‘ā. stative verb. Stony, abounding with ‘a‘ā lava.

 
‘a‘ala. stative verb. Fragrant, sweet smelling.

‘a‘ala. noun. Fragrance, perfume, aroma, sweet scent.

‘A‘ala. (Capitalized) place name. Fragrant. A park and street in Honolulu.The park in downtown Honolulu called ‘A‘ala Park is actually ‘A‘ala International Park. I don't know what is so international about it. Maybe because homeless people come from all around the world to smoke crystal meth and urinate (mimi) in the bushes of ‘A‘ala International Park. ‘A‘ala means "fragrant", but nowadays there is a wholly different fragrance going on at ‘A‘ala International Park, the sweet smelling mixed aroma of smoked "Ice" and urine (mimi). It's a family (‘ohana) friendly park, that is if you're a member of the Manson family.
   See the ‘a‘ala entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category

 
‘a‘ama. noun. A large, black, edible crab. This crab (pāpa‘i) lives on and runs over shore rocks. ‘A‘ama is a figurative term for a "swift, strong warrior." Compared with pai‘ea (another type of crab).
   See the ‘a‘ama entry in the Sea Life Category.

 
‘a‘awa. noun. Wrasse fish, Hawaiian hogfish. The word ‘a‘awa is used in the place name Ka‘a‘awa.
   See the ‘a‘awa entry in the Sea Life Category.

 
a‘e. directional. Upward, sideways. Contrast with aku, iho, mai.

a‘e. directional. Next.

 
‘ae. interjection. Yes. Contrast with ‘a‘ohe (no), ‘a‘ole (no).

‘ae. transitive verb. To consent, confirm, agree, permit.

 
aha. interrogative. What? Used only in questions.

aha. interrogative. Why? Used only in questions.

 
‘aha. noun. Meeting, gathering, assembly. Compare with hālāwai (meeting).

 
‘ahā. number. Four (usually in counting in a series), four times. ‘Ahā is the older version of ‘ehā. The older ‘a- prefix for numbers survives in the Hawaiian words for the six days of the week, Monday through Saturday. Sunday (Lāpule) is not numbered like the other days of the week. Compare with ‘ehā. Also see Pō‘ahā (Thursday).

 
‘aha‘aina. noun. Feast, dinner party, banquet. Literally "meal gathering." Also see ‘aha, ‘aina. Compare with lū‘au, pā‘ina.

‘aha‘aina. intransitive verb. To feast.

 
āhea. interrogative. When? Used in questions about the future. Contrast with ināhea (when?, used in past tense questions).

 
ahi. noun. Fire, match.

ahi. stative verb. To burn in a fire, destroy by fire. This word is very similar to the word for tuna (‘ahi) shown below, but ahi is spelled without an ‘okina. If you don't know what an ‘okina is, then you may want to read the ‘okina entry.

 
‘ahi. noun. Hawaiian tuna fishes, especially the yellow-fin tuna. This word is very similar to the word for fire (ahi) shown above, but ‘ahi is spelled with an ‘okina. If you don't know what an ‘okina is, then you may want to read the ‘okina entry. ‘Ahi is used in the place name Lae‘ahi (‘ahi brow).
   See the ‘ahi entry in the Sea Life Category.

 
ahiahi. noun. Evening. Ahiahi is used in the greeting "Aloha ahiahi."

ahiahi. intransitive verb. To become evening.

 
‘āhinahina. noun. The silversword. The silversword is a native plant found only on the islands of Maui and Hawai‘i at altitudes above 4,900 feet.
   See the ‘āhinahina entry in the Plants Category.

‘āhinahina. stative verb. Gray.
   See the ‘āhinahina entry in the Color Category.

 
ahu. noun. Heap, pile, mound.

ahu. noun. Altar, shrine.

   
‘ahu. noun. Garment or covering for the upper part of the body and shoulders, as a cape, coat, cloak. Above are pictures of some ‘ahu worn by chiefs. The word ‘ahu is used in the proper noun and place name of Ka‘ahumanu which means "the (ka) bird [feather] (manu) cloak (‘ahu)."

 
‘āhui. noun. Bunch, cluster. Bunch or cluster, as of bananas or grapes. ‘Āhui is used in the place name ‘Āhuimanu (bird cluster). Compare with pae (cluster).

 
Ā hui hou. phrase. Goodbye. Literally "until (ā) [we] meet (hui) again (hou)." Also see ā, hou, hui.
   See the Ā hui hou entry in the Phrase Category.

 
ahupua‘a. noun. Land division, usually extending from the uplands to the sea. Ahupua‘a is the combination of two words, ahu (altar or heap) and pua‘a (pig). An altar of stones with the image of a pig marked the boundary line of the ahupua‘a land division. Many of the names of the old ahupua‘a land divisions are preserved in the names of Hawai‘i towns. Also see ahu, pua‘a.

 
‘ai. noun. Food. Compare with mea ‘ai.
   See the ‘ai entry in the Food & Drink Category.

‘ai. transitive verb. To eat, edible.

 
‘ā‘ī. noun. Neck, neck of a shirt or dress.

 
aia. idiom. There is, there are. Compare with eia (here is, here are).

 
‘aihue. noun. Thief, robber, theft, larceny.

‘aihue. transitive verb. To rob, to steal.

 
‘aila. noun. Any lard, fat, oil, grease.
   See the ‘aila entry in the Food & Drink Category.

‘aila. transitive verb. To oil, grease, lubricate.

‘aila. stative verb. Oily, greasy, fatty.

 
‘ailana. noun. Island. Transliterated from English "island." Compare with moku, mokupuni.

 
‘ailea. noun. Gasoline. A contraction of ‘aila (oil) and ea (air). Also see ‘aila, ea. Compare with kakalina.

 
‘aina. noun. Meal. Compare with pā‘ina. The picture above shows a MRE meal. The MRE is a self-contained, individual field ration in lightweight packaging used by US servicemembers in combat or other field conditions where organized food facilities are not available. And I don't have to tell you, they are mighty tasty (‘ono)!

 
‘āina. noun. Land, earth. This word is used often, because there is so much talk in Hawai‘i about the ‘āina. It is also used in the compound word kama‘āina which is a combination of two words, kama (child) and ‘āina (land). For some reason the kahakō is commonly forgotten in the spelling of kama‘āina, but not the ‘okina, so kama‘āina is often misspelled as kama‘aina. ‘Āina is used in the place name ‘Āina Haina (Hand's land). Compare with honua.

 
‘aina ahiahi. noun. Dinner, supper. Literally "evening meal." Also see ahiahi, ‘aina. Compare with pā‘ina.

 
‘aina awakea. noun. Lunch. Literally "midday meal." Also see ‘aina, awakea.

 
‘āina ‘ē. noun. Foreign country. Literally "foreign land." Also see ‘āina, ‘ē.

 
‘āina hānau. noun. Birthplace, native land, homeland. Also see ‘āina, hānau. Compare with kulāiwi.

 
‘Āina Hau. place name. Iceland. Literally "ice (hau) land (‘āina)." Also see ‘āina, hau. The Straight Dope answers the question "Shouldn't Greenland be known as Iceland and vice versa?" According to Wikipedia's "List of islands by area", Iceland is ranked the 20th biggest island in the world (39.3 thousand sq. miles) and Hawaii's biggest island, the Island of Hawai‘i is ranked as the 76th biggest island (4.029 thousand sq. miles). Iceland is just a little less than 10 times bigger than the the Island of Hawai‘i.
   See the ‘Āina Hau entry in the Non-Hawaiian Place Names Category.

 
‘āina ho‘opulapula. noun. Homestead land. Also see ‘āina, ho‘opulapula.

 
‘aina kakahiaka. noun. Breakfast. Literally "morning meal." Also see ‘aina, kakahiaka.

 
‘Āina ‘Ōma‘oma‘o. place name. Greenland. Literally "green (‘ōma‘oma‘o) land (‘āina)." Also see ‘āina, ‘ōma‘oma‘o. The Straight Dope answers the question "Shouldn't Greenland be known as Iceland and vice versa?" Greenland is the largest island in the world, but the size of Greenland is often exaggerated on maps. The map above is a Mercator projection map, so Greenland and Africa are shown at about the same size on the map, but actually Africa (11.73 million sq. miles) is more than 14 times bigger than Greenland (.822 million sq. miles). South America is shown as being smaller than Greenland, but South America (6.89 million sq. miles) is more than 8 times bigger than Greenland.
   See the ‘Āina ‘Ōma‘oma‘o entry in the Non-Hawaiian Place Names Category.

 
‘Āina Pilipino. place name. Philippines. Literally "Filipino (Pilipino) land (‘āina)." Also see ‘āina, Pilipino.
   See the ‘Āina Pilipino entry in the Non-Hawaiian Place Names Category.

 
akā. conjuction. But, however, nevertheless.

 
‘aka‘aka. noun. Laughter.

‘aka‘aka. intransitive verb. To laugh, laughing.

   
‘aka‘akai. noun. Great bulrush. The great bulrush, a sedge plant that grows on the edge of fresh and brackish water marshes in Hawai‘i.
   See the ‘aka‘akai entry in the Plants Category.

‘aka‘akai. noun. Common onion. The tops of the onion resemble the tops of the great bulrush plant called ‘aka‘akai.
   See the ‘aka‘akai entry in the Food & Drink Category.

 
‘akahi. number. One (usually in counting in a series). ‘Akahi is the older and less commonly used version of ‘ekahi. The older ‘a- prefix for numbers survives in the Hawaiian words for six days of the week, Monday through Saturday. Sunday (Lāpule) is not numbered like the other days of the week. Compare with ‘ekahi. Also see Pō‘akahi (Monday).

 
‘ākala. stative verb. Pink. The pink ribbon is for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM). Each October is NBCAM.
   See the ‘ākala entry in the Color Category.

 
akamai. noun. Expert, smartness, wit. Compare with kahuna (expert).

akamai. stative verb. Smart, clever, expert, intelligent, skilled. Compare with noʻeau. Contrast with hūpō (stupid).

 
‘ākua. noun, stative verb. Right side, right (not left).

‘ākua. noun. North. If you face west (komohana), the right hand is to the north. Contrast with hema, hikina, komohana.

 
ake. noun. Liver.

ake. transitive verb. Want, desire, wish, yearn. Compare with makemake (desire, want).

 
ākea. noun. Width, breadth.

ākea. stative verb. Wide, broad, spacious.

Ākea. (Capitalized) proper noun. Mythical ancestor of the Hawaiians. Ākea is a variant spelling of Wākea. Wākea is also called "sky father" and was married to Pāpā who was also called "earth mother." Also see Wākea. Contrast with Pāpā.

   
akeakamai. noun. Science, philosophy; scientist, philosopher. Literally "to desire wisdom." Also see akamai, ake.

akeakamai. stative verb. Scientific.

 
‘ako. transitive verb. To break or pluck, as flowers. The picture above shows a little girl plucking (‘ako) peddles from a daisy. It is an image from a President Lyndon presidential campaign TV ad sometimes called "Daisy Girl." The ad aired only once (by the campaign) on September 7, 1964 during The NBC Monday Movie.

 
‘akolu. number. Three (usually in counting in a series), three times. ‘Akolu is the older and less commonly used version of ‘ekolu. The older ‘a- prefix for numbers survives in the Hawaiian words for six days of the week, Monday through Saturday. Sunday (Lāpule) is not numbered like the other days of the week. Compare with ‘ekolu. Also see Pō‘akolu (Wednesday).

  
aku. noun. Bonito, skipjack. An important food source.
   See the aku entry in the Sea Life Category.

aku. directional. Particle expressing direction away from the speaker. Compare with a‘e, iho, mai.

 
akua. noun. God, goddess, spirit. Compare with ‘uhane (spirit). Kua is a shortened, variant spelling of akua and is used in the place name Kealakekua. Kealakekua means "the (ke) pathway (ala) [of] the (ke) god (kua)."
   See the akua entry in the Gods, Demigods and Mythical Beings Category.

akua. stative verb. Divine, supernatural, godly.

Akua. (Capitalized) noun. God (Christian).

 
akule. noun. Big-eyed scad.
   See the akule entry in the Sea Life Category.

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