hā. noun. Breath, life. Compare with ea (life, breath), nohona (life), ola (life).

hā. intransitive verb. To breathe, exhale.

hā. number. Four, fouth. Compare with ‘ehā.

 
ha‘aha‘a. noun. Humility.

ha‘aha‘a. stative verb. Humble, unpretentious.

 
ha‘aheo. noun. Pride, vanity, haughtiness.

ha‘aheo. intransitive verb. Proud, to cherish with pride, haughty. This word is used in the title of the textbook shown above called Ka Lei Ha‘aheo by Alberta Pualani Hopkins and published by the Unversity of Hawai‘i Press. This text book is used for the Elementary Hawaiian Language and Intermediate Hawaiian Language classes at the University of Hawai‘i and its community college system. Ka Lei Ha‘aheo means "The Proud Lei (garland)."

 
hā‘awi. transitive verb. To give, grant (give), allot, offer.

 
ha‘awina. noun. Lesson, assignment, homework.

   
hae. noun. Flag, banner. The word hae is probably used to mean flag because a piece of torn tapa (kapa) was used as a banner. The pictures above show the flag of the State of Hawai‘i and the Union Jack of the United Kindgom. The flag of Hawai‘i has 8 stripes which represent the 8 major Hawaiian islands and the Union Jack in the upper hoist side. The Hawai‘i flag also includes the Union Jack or Union Flag and the Union Jack has an interesting symbolism. The Union Jack was created in the year 1606 and represented the union of England and Scotland by using the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) and the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland), so it looked like this . In the year 1801, the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) was added so that the flag looks like it does today . Compare with lepa (flag, ensign).

hae. transitive verb. To tear.

 
hāhā. transitive verb. To grope, to feel (to feel as with hands).

 
hahai. transitive verb. To follow, pursue, chase, hunt.

 
hāhālua. noun. Manta ray, sea devil. Hāhālua is a combination of two words hāhā and lua (two) and the Pukui / Elbert dictionary says Hāhālua means "two mouths", but I am going to disagree with the highly esteemed PE dictionary. The word for mouth is waha and the the manta ray only has one waha, but it does have two appendages around its mouth. The primary food source of the manta ray is plankton and the two appendages help to guide plankton bearing water into its mouth, so I say that hāhālua means "two feelers or two gropers." Also see hāhā, lua
   See the hāhālua entry in the Sea Life Category.

 
ha‘i. noun. Break, fracture.

ha‘i. transitive verb. To break, fracture. As to break a stick or bones.

ha‘i. transitive verb. To tell, say, mention, state, declare.

 
Ha‘i.kū. place name. Speak abrupty or sharp break. Ha‘ikū is a combination of two words, ha‘i and kū. Ha‘ikū is a place name for a valley, a street, a stairway in Kāne‘ohe, O‘ahu and a town on Maui.

How to pronounce Ha‘ikū: HAH–ee–
Ha‘ikū is not pronounced HAI-koo like the Japanese poetry form. Ha‘ikū is a three syllable word, not a two syllable word; an ‘okina (‘) separates the a and the i and indicates that there is no ai diphthong as there are in the two words Hawai‘i and Waikīkī, which both have an ai diphthong. Although Ha‘ikū is often written as Haiku without the ‘okina (‘) and the kahakō, it should still be pronounced as if they were there. For various reasons, the ‘okina and kahahō are often omitted from the spelling of Hawaiian words that have them; stripped of these elements it is often difficult to determine the correct pronunciation, unless one knows better. Although the omission of the ‘okina and/or kahakō may make understandable a mistake in pronunciation, it is not a justification for a change in pronunciation. A good comparison to Ha‘ikū is Lā‘ie, a town on the windward side of O‘ahu. Like Ha‘ikū, Lā‘ie is often stripped of the ‘okina and kahakō in spelling, but to pronounce the town Laie (Lā‘ie) as a two syllable word with an ai diphthong (like LAI-eh), would be roundly disapproved; however, Ha‘ikū is commonly accepted when mispronounced as HAI-koo. Ha‘ikū is more often than not mispronounce on television and radio, further compounding the problem and leading people to conclude that the HAI-koo pronunciation is acceptable and correct. HAI-koo can not even be considered an alternative pronunciation, it simply is incorrect and wrong. Ha‘ikū should be pronounced HAH–ee– with stress on the capitalized syllables and the kahakō over the u indicates a long vowel sound for the last syllable; hence the stretching out of the OO in the last syllable.
   See the Ha‘ikū entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.

   
haka. noun. Heart (as the ♥ shape). The heart in a deck of cards or the heart used for Valentine's Day. Transliterated for English "heart." Contrast with pu‘uwai (heart organ). The picture above shows the Medal of the Purple Heart. Originally called the Badge of Military Merit, it was established by order of George Washington, the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army. The actual order includes the phrase, "Let it be known that he who wears the military order of the purple heart has given of his blood in the defense of his homeland and shall forever be revered by his fellow countrymen."

haka. noun. Medium, oracle.

haka. noun. Creasted feather helmet. A picture of the this type of helmet is shown above. Compare with mahiole (helmet).

haka. noun. A traditional dance form of the Māori people of New Zealand. Haka are not exclusively war dances as popularize by some sports teams, nor are they performed by men only. Warning: for this meaning, haka is not a Hawaiian word. The Hawaiian cognate of haka is "ha‘a."

 
hakakā. transitive verb. To fight, quarrel.

 
haku. noun. Master, lord, Lord, overseer, employer, owner, proprietor. The picture above is of the American industrialist, John D. Rockefeller (1839 – 1937). Most famous for being an owner of Standard Oil. Standard Oil was an employer of about 60 thousand people in the year 1909. He became the world's richest man and the first American (Amelika) worth more than a billion (piliona) dollars (kālā).

 
haku‘āina. noun. Landowner; landlord. Literally means "land lord." Also see ‘āina, haku. Kamehameha Schools and the Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop Estate is the largest private land owner in Hawai‘i, owning about 10% of all the land in the State of Hawai‘i. Learn more about the formation of the Kamehameha Schools and the Bishop Estate at this link about Bernice Pauahi Bishop's legacy. I completely support Kamehameha Schools because it is a private organization. I believe that they take no government money what so ever. In fact, Kamehameha Schools reduces the budgetary obligations of the State of Hawai‘i by relieving it of having to pay for the education of about 6,500 children from K through 12. There is some controversy about their admissions policy, but because they are a private institution, I believe they should be allowed to admit students using any parameters they like, even race.

 
hala. noun. The pandanus tree, screw pine tree. Compare with pūhala.
   See the hala entry in the Plants Category.

hala. noun. Sin, vice, offense, fault, error. Compare with hewa (sin, fault, error), ‘ino (sin).

hala. intransitive verb. To sin, to error.

  
halakahiki. noun. Pineapple. Literally "foreign hala." The pineapple is not native to Hawai‘i, but comes from South America. Also see hala, kahiki.
   See the halakahiki entry in the Food & Drink Category.
   See the halakahiki entry in the Plants Category.

 
hālau. noun. Long house, meeting house. A long house used for canoe storage, hula instruction or as a meeting house. The word hālau is often used by hula schools of instruction in the names of their institutions. The term hula hālau (hula school) is used by many hula schools as a Hawaiian term to describe what they do, but school is a very loose interpretation of the the word hālau, since this word really refers to the building under which hula instruction would often take place. And besides hula hālau is the wrong word order, it should be hālau hula. See a list of hula schools at www.mele.com/resources/hula.html and notice how often the wrong word order (hula hālau) is used.

 
hālāwai. noun. Meeting. Compare with ‘aha.

hālāwai. intransitive verb. To meet. Compare with hui.

 
hale. noun. House, building, station, hall. The word hale is used in many place names like Haleakalā (house [used] by the sun), Hale‘iwa (frigate bird house) and Hale Māka‘i (police station, the name of the Honolulu Police Department headquartes).

Some examples of terms that use the word hale:
 apartment — hale papa‘i. Literally "uplifted (papa‘i) house (hale)."

 aquarium — See hale hō‘ike‘ike i‘a.

 barn — hale holoholona. Literally "animal (holoholona) house (hale)."

 barracks, armory — hale koa. Literally "soldiers' (koa) house (hale)."

 birdhouse, aviary — hale manu. Literally "bird (manu) house (hale)."

 book store — hale kū‘ai puke. Literally "book (puke) store (hale kū‘ai)."

 capitol building, government building — hale aupuni. Literally "government (aupuni) building (hale)."

 church — See hale pule.

 courthouse — hale ho‘okolokolo. Literally "trial (ho‘okolokolo) house (hale)."

 dairy — hale ‘uwī waiū. Literally "milk (waiū) milking (‘uwī ) house (hale)."

 domitory — See hale noho haumāna.

 factory, workshop — hale hana. Literally "work (hana) house (hale)."

 fire station — See hale kinai ahi.

 grocery store — hale kū‘ai mea ‘ai. Literally "food (mea ‘ai) store (hale kū‘ai)."

 hospital — hale ho‘ōla, hale lapa‘au or hale ma‘i. Literally "healing (ho‘ōla = ho‘o- + ola) house (hale)", "medical (lapa‘au) building (hale)" and "sick (ma‘i) house (hale)."

 jail, prison — See hale pa‘ahao.

 library — hale waihona puke. Literally "book (puke) depository (waihona) house (hale)."

 lighthouse — hale ipu kukui. Literally "lamp (ipukukui) house (hale)."

 mill — hale wili. Literally "turning (wili) house (hale)."

 movie theater — hale ki‘i‘oni‘oni. Literally "movie (ki‘i‘oni‘oni) house (hale)."

 museum — See hale hō‘ike‘ike.

 outhouse — hale li‘ili‘i. Literally "little (li‘ili‘i) house (hale)."

 palace — See hale ali‘i.

 police station — See hale māka‘i.

 post office — See hale leka.

 residence, dwelling — hale noho. Literally "dwelling (noho) house (hale)."

 restaurant — See hale ‘aina.

 school house — hale kula. Literally "school (kula) house (hale)."

 store — See hale kū‘ai.

 sugar mill — See hale wili kō.

 tavern, saloon, bar — hale inu lama. Literally "rum (lama) drinking (inu) house (hale)."

 tent — hale lole. Literally "cloth (lole) house (hale)."

 theater — hale keaka. Literally "theater (keaka) house (hale)."

 warehouse — hale ahuwaiwai. Literally "property (waiwai) collection (ahu) house (hale)."

 workshop, shop (as in workshop) — hale ‘oihana. Literally "industry (‘oihana) house (hale)."

 
hale ‘aina. noun. Restaurant. Also see ‘aina, hale. The image above is the of the Honolulu Magazine Hale ‘Aina Awards logo. The Hale ‘Aina award is awarded to the best restaurants in the islands as voted on by the readers of Honolulu Magazine.

 
Haleakalā. place name. House [used] by the sun. Literally "house (hale) by (a) the (ka) sun (lā)." A national park and volcano on the island of Maui. Also see a (by), hale (house), ka (the), lā (sun).

How to pronounce Haleakalā: HAH–lay–[y]ah–kah–
The pronunciation of this name is fairly simple. Just remember there is a y-glide after the word hale that is attached to the front-end of the word a (by). Also, the last syllable is stressed and longer in pronunciation because of the kahakō as indicated by the stretched out ah in the last syllable in the pronunciation shown above. Only the first and last syllable receive stress.
   See the Haleakalā entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.

 
hala ali‘i. noun. Palace, royal residence. Also see ali‘i, hale. The picture above shows ‘Iolani Palace. The palace that stands today is the second palace. The original palace was a one story wood building built in 1844 by Mataio Kekūanaō‘a and was acquired by Kamehameha III in 1845. It was originally built as a residence. It was a stately house, the largest and the finest house in all of Hawai‘i. The palace was originally called Hale Ali‘i, but just after Kamehameha IV died in 1863 after ruling for almost nine years, the next monarch, Kamehameha V, wanted to name the palace in honor of his brother, so the palace is now called ‘Iolani Palace. ‘Iolani which means "royal (lani) hawk (‘io)" was one of the names of Kamehameha IV. The first royal palace was a wood structure that became termite ridden, it was razed and replaced with the second palace. The construction of the second palace was started in 1879 and was completed in 1882. Also see ‘io (hawk), lani (royal).

 
hale hō‘ike‘ike. noun. Museum, exhibition hall. Literally "exhibition hall." Also see hale, hō‘ike‘ike.

 
hale hō‘ike‘ike i‘a. noun. Aquarium. A building or institution in which fish and other marine animals or plants are kept for exhibit. Aquarium = fish (i‘a) + exhibition (hō‘ike‘ike) + hall or building (hale). The word i‘a is usually used to mean fish, but in a broader sense it can refer to any marine animal. Also see hale, hō‘ike‘ike, i‘a. For aquarium in the sense of a fish tank, see pahu i‘a.

 
Hale Hō‘ike‘ike o Kamehameha. noun. The Hawaiian name for the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum. The Bishop Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in memory of his wife Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop who passed away in 1884. Today, it is the Hawai‘i State Museum of Natural and Cultural History. It is the largest museum in Hawai‘i and has the largest collection of Poynesian artifacts. Literally "exhibition hall of Kamehameha." Also see hale, hō‘ike‘ike, Kamehameha, o.
   See the Hale Hō‘ike‘ike o Kamehameha entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.

 
Hale‘iwa. place name. Frigate bird house or House [of the] frigate bird. The name of a town and a beach park on the north shore of O‘ahu. Hale‘iwa is a modern name for the area, formally this area was call Waialua. Wai‘alua is the name of the town southwest of Hale‘iwa. In 1899, Hawai‘i businessman Benjamin Franklin Dillingham opended a two story, 40 room hotel and named it after a women's seminary dormitory that was named Hale‘iwa for the ‘iwa (frigate bird) nest or house. The name of the area began to change to Hale‘iwa because the northern part of Wai‘alua became associated with the Hale‘iwa Hotel and the Hale‘iwa domitory.
   See the Hale‘iwa entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.

 
hale kinai ahi. noun. Fire station. Also see ahi, hale, kinai.

 
hale kū‘ai. noun. Store, shop. Also see hale, kū‘ai.

 
hale leka. noun. Post office. Literally "letter house." Also see hale, leka.

hale māka‘i. noun. Police station. Also see hale, māka‘i. The picture above left shows an aerial photograph of the current headquarters for the Honolulu Police Department located at 801 South Beretania Street. The current headquarters of the police department is actually called Hale Māka‘i. The next picture shows the building that served as the Honolulu Police Station from 1931 to 1967. This building is still standing at 842 Bethel Street in downtown Honolulu.

 
hale noho haumāna. noun. Dormitory. Literally "student residence." Also see hale, haumāna (student), noho.

 
hale pa‘ahao. noun. Jail, prison. The picture above shows the O‘ahu Community Correctional Center, sometimes called "O-Triple C." It is the largest jail facility in the State of Hawai‘i, and is situated on 16 acres in an urban area of Honolulu called Kalihi Kai. The main prison facility in the State of Hawai‘i is the Hālawa Correctional Facility on the island of O‘ahu. Also see hale, pa‘ahao.

 
hale pe‘a. noun. Menstrual house. Also see hale, pe‘a.

 
hale pule. noun. Church, chapel. Literally "prayer house." Also see hale, pule.

 
hale wili kō. noun. Sugar mill. Also see hale, kō (sugar), wili (mill).

 
hāmana. intransitive verb. Open. Open as a door, barrier or obstruction.

 
hāmau. intransitive verb. Silent; silence; hush.

hāmau. verb phrase. "Silence", "Hush", "Be quiet." A nicer way to say "Be quiet!" than using kulikuli. Compare with kulikuli.

 
hana. noun. Work, labor, job, occupation, activity.

hana. transitive verb. To work, labor, do, make. Hana is used in the phrase "Ā hui hou" which means "until [we] meet again" and in the phrase "Hana hou" which means "encore" or "do again."

 
Hana-. noun suffix. Bay, valley. (used only in place names). Used in the place names Hanalei, Hanapēpē. Compare with Hono-.

 
hana hou. transitive verb and an expression. Encore; to do again, repeat. Also see hana, hou. The picture above shows the June/July 2006 cover of Hana Hou! magazine. The cover features a picture of a portion of downtown Honolulu skyline. The building just below the second "a" in the title of the magazine is the Aloha tower. Hana Hou! is the magazine of Hawaiian Airlines.
   See the Hana hou entry in the Phrase Category.

 
hānai. transitive verb. To raise, adopt, feed, assume responsibility for.

hānai. stative verb. Foster, adopted.

hānai. noun. Foster child, adopted child.
   See the hānai entry in the Family & Relationships Category.

 
hana ‘ino. transitive verb. To abuse, mistreat, injure, mar, mutilate, to treat cruelly, treat carelessly. Also see hana, ‘ino.

 
hānau. noun. Birth.

hānau. intransitive verb. To give birth.

 
hānau hope. noun. Younger brother or sister, the last born. Also see hānau, hope. Contrast with hānau mua (first born).

 
hānau mua. noun. Older brother or sister, first born. Also see hānau, mua. Contrast with hānau hope (last born).

 
hanawai. noun. Irrigation.

hanawai. transitive verb. To water, to irrigate.

hanawai. noun. Menstruation.

hanawai. intransitive verb. To menstruate. Compare with pe‘a.

 
haneli. number. Hundred. Transliterated from English "hundred."
   See the haneli entry in the Numbers Category.

 
hanohano. noun. Honor, glory, prestige.

hanohano. stative verb. Honorable, glorious, magnificent.

 
hao. noun. Iron (the metal).

 
haole. noun. White person, caucasian. Formally, any foreigner. Compare with ‘ilipuakea (a poetic term for a white person).

haole. stative verb. Foreign.

   
hapa. noun. Portion, part, fraction.

 
hapa haole. noun. Part white person, part Caucasian. Also see haole, hapa.

hapa haole. stative verb. Part white and part Hawaiian, as an individual or phenomenon. This term is used for describing some Hawaiian music and song. Also see haole, hapa.

 
hāpai. transitive verb. To carry.

hāpai. intransitive verb. Pregnant, to conceive.

 
hapanui. noun. Majority, most, greatest or largest portion. Also see hapa, nui.

 
hau. noun. A lowland tree (Hibiscus tiliaceus). The word hau is used in the place name for the town on O‘ahu called Hau‘ula (red hau).
   See the hau entry in the Plants Category.

hau. noun. Ice, frost, dew, snow. Hau is used in the term haukalima (ice cream).

hau. stative verb. Cool, iced.

 
haukalima. noun. Ice cream. Literally "creamed ice." Also see hau, kalima.
   See the haukalima entry in the Food & Drink Category.

 
hā‘ule lau. noun. Fall, autumn. Literally "leaf falling." This term has been adopted for autumn. The Hawaiians didn't have a term for autumn, because there were really only two seasons, the rainy season (ho‘oilo) and the hot season (kau wela). Kind of like how Southern California has only two seasons, the fire season followed by the rain and mudslide season. Also see lau. Contast with kupulau (spring), kau wela (summer), ho‘oilo (winter).

 
haumāna. noun. Student.

 
hau‘oli. stative verb. Happy, glad, joyful. Hau‘oli is used in the expression "hau‘oli lā hānau" which means "happy birthday" and in the expression "hau‘oli makahiki hou" which means "happy new year."

hau.‘oli. noun. Happiness, joy. Compare with ‘oli‘oli (joy).

 
hau‘oli lā hānau. phrase. Happy Birthday. Hau‘oli (happy) Lā (day) Hānau (birth). Also see hānau, hau‘oli, lā.
   See the Hau‘oli lā hānau entry in the Phrase Category.
   See the Hau‘oli lā hānau entry in the Important Days Category.

 
haupia. noun. Coconut pudding. Formally made with arrowroot (pia), but now usually made with cornstarch.
   See the haupia entry in the Food & Drink Category.

 
Hau‘ula. place name. Red hau (a plant). A small town on the windward side of O‘ahu. Also see hau, ‘ula.
   See the Hau‘ula entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.

 
Hawai‘i. noun. Hawai‘i. The meaning of this word is unknown and uncertain. The island of Hawai‘i, the 50th state and the archipelago (pae moku) called the Hawaiian Islands.
   See the Hawai‘i entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.

Hawai‘i. stative verb. Hawaiian.

Hawai‘i. not Hawaiian. Underworld. Elsewhere in Polynesia, Hawai‘i or a cognate of the word Hawai‘i is the name of the underworld or the ancestral home, but in Hawai‘i the name and word Hawai‘i has no known or certain meaning. For the Hawaiian name for the underworld, see Milu.

 
Hawai‘i Kai. place name. Sea Hawai‘i. Literally "sea Hawai‘i." This is a modern, contrived and nonsensical Hawaiian name. Hawai‘i Kai is a mostly residential Honolulu subdivision and marina next to Koko Crater. Hawai‘i Kai was developed by industrialist Henry John Kaiser in the early 1960's, and so the Kai (short for Kaiser) is a play on words more than a meaningful Hawaiian name. Also see Hawai‘i, kai.
   See the Hawai‘i Kai entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.

 
hāwana, hāwanawana. noun. Whisper.

hāwana, hāwanawana. intransitive verb. Whispering. The noun and intransitive verb entries of hāwana also show the reduplicative version hāwanawana and both spellings have the same meaning.

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