 |
                        |
|---|
ka. definite article. The. Usually replaced by "ke (the)" when used before words beginning with a, e, o and k. An interesting fact is that, at one time there was only ke, and ka was not used, but at an uncertain time, well before western contact, the ka version of ke came into usage. Compare with ke.
ka. noun marker. Sometimes ka is not translated as a word and is simply used as a noun marker before the noun. A good example of this is in the State of Hawai‘i motto, "Ua mau ke ea o ka ‘āina i ka pono." The ka before pono is not translated as "the." Click on the motto for more information about the state motto. Compare with ke.
ka. The one, the person being spoken of. For example: Kamehameha is comprised of two words "ka" and "mehameha (lonely)" and is translated as "the lonely one."
kā. preposition. Of, belonging to. The a-class version of the possessive kō.
Compare with kō.
kā. noun, transitive verb. Canoe bailer, to bail.
kā. noun. Czar. Transliterated from the English "czar."
kā. noun. Tar, asphalt. Transliterated from the English "tar."
ka‘a. intransitive verb. To roll, turn, revolve.
ka‘a. noun. Vehicle, automobile, car, carriage, wagon, coach, buggy.
Ka‘a‘awa. place name. The wrasse (a fish). A place name consisting of two words ka (the) and ‘a‘awa. Ka‘a‘awa is a small town (1,324 people, 2000 census) on the windward side of O‘ahu. The pictures above show a wrasse fish and an aerial picture of Ka‘a‘awa valley, most of which is owned by Kualoa Ranch. Not shown and to the right of the picture, Ka‘a‘awa also has a small residential community which in 2000 had a population of 1,324 people. Its "business district" consists of a 7-11, a small eatery and a US post office. Also see ‘a‘awa (wrasse), ka (the).
See the Ka‘a‘awa entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.
ka‘a hehi wāwae. noun. Bicycle, tricycle. Literally "vehicle (ka‘a) press (hehi) feet (wāwae)" or "pedal vehicle." The picture above shows the type of bike rack that is installed around Honolulu. Also see ka‘a, wāwae. Compare with paikikala (bicycle).
ka‘a ho‘olimalima. noun. Taxi, rental car. Also see ho‘olimalima, ka‘a.
Ka‘ahumanu. place name. The bird [feather] cloak. A street in Honolulu.
Ka‘ahumanu. queen, favorite wife of Kamehameha I, first kuhina nui. The bird [feather] cloak. Ka (the) + ‘ahu (cloak) + manu (bird) = the bird [feather] cloak. She was the favorite wife of Kamehameha I. Ka‘ahumanu created the office of kuhina nui after the death of Kamehameha the Great in 1819. She was kuhina nui during the reign of Kamehameha II from 1819 to 1824 and during the reign of Kamehameha III from 1824 until her death in 1832. With Kamehameha II, she instigated the breaking of the ancient kapu system. There is a very good, short biography of Ka‘ahumanu at hawaii.gov.
See the Ka‘ahumanu entry in the Ali‘i Category.
ka‘a kaua. noun. War tank, war chariot. Also see ka‘a, kaua.
ka‘a kinai ahi. noun. Fire truck. Literally "fire extinguishing vehicle." Compare with kalaka kinai ahi. Also see ahi, ka‘a, kinai.
ka‘a lawe ma‘i. noun. Ambulance. Also see ka‘a, lawe, ma‘i.
ka‘a lawe ‘ōhua. noun. Bus. Also see ka‘a, lawe, ‘ōhua.
ka‘a lawe ‘ōpala. noun. Garbage truck. Literally "garbage transport vehicle." Also see ka‘a, lawe, ‘ōpala.
ka‘a ‘ōhua. noun. Vehicle carrying passengers for hire, as a bus or taxi. Also see ka‘a, ‘ōhua. The picture above shows the logo for The Cab company. For more info about The Cab see the tūtū entry.
ka‘a uila. noun. Streetcar, electric bus, electric vehicle. Literally "electric vehicle." Also see ka‘a, uila. The picture above shows an actual trolley in Honolulu. I have to do more research into this, but Honolulu had an electric trolley system from about 1899 to 1941 and for about 12 years before that, Honolulu had a horse-drawn trolley system.
Ka‘elepulu. place name. The moist blackness. Literally "the (ka) moist (pulu) blackness (‘ele)."A pond in Kailua, O‘ahu that used to be a fish pond and today it is also known as Enchanted Lake. Also see ‘ele, ka, pulu.
See the Ka‘elepulu entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.
kaha. noun. Punctuation mark, accent mark. Compare with kiko (puctuation mark).
kaha. noun, transitive verb. To scratch, mark, sketch, cut.
kaha. locative noun. Place. Used in the place name Kahalu‘u (kaha + lu‘u) which means "diving place."
kahakai. noun, locative noun. Beach, seashore, seaside. Literally "sea place." Also see kaha, kai.
kaha ki‘i. noun. Artist. The picture above is a self-portrait by the artist Vincent van Gogh. His self-portrait is ear-ily similar to how he looked. Also see kaha, ki‘i.
kahakō. noun. Macron. The image above shows the diacritic mark, called a kahakō in Hawaiian and a macron in English, above the 5 Hawaiian vowels. A kahakō makes a vowel and the syllable associated with it a long sound, with approximately a double count of length of a regular vowel. And syllables with a kahakō always receive stress when pronounced. Kahakō is comprised of the two words, kaha (mark) and kō (long vowel sound) and literally means "long vowel sound mark." Along with the ‘okina, the kahakō is an unusual "element" of the Hawaiian language. For various reasons, the ‘okina and kahakō are often excluded in the spelling of Hawaiian words, but the ‘okina and kahakō are important for correct spelling and pronunciation; they are just as important as any Hawaiian letter. For instance, you can spell the place name Waikīkī without the two kahakō as Waikiki, however the word Waikiki is an Anglicized version of a Hawaiian word and to that extent it is a legitimate spelling, but it is not a correctly spelled Hawaiian word. Also see kaha, kō.
kahawai. noun. River, stream, creek; valley, gulch, ravine. Kahawai is comprised of two words, kaha and wai and literally means "water place." Also see kaha, wai. Compare with awāwa (valley, ravine).
kāhea. transitive verb. To call out.
Kahekili. place name. The thunder. Literally "the (ka) thunder (hekili)." A highway in west Maui and highway in windward O‘ahu named for the Maui chief Kahekili. Also see hekili, ka.
See the Kahekili entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.
kahi. number. One. Also see ‘ekahi.
kahi. locative noun. Place. A contraction of two words, ka and wahi. Compare with wahi.
kahi. transitive verb. Shave, comb.
kahi. noun. Comb. Comb, as the fleshy deeply serrated outgrowth on the top of the heads of some birds, especially the rooster (moa kāne).
kahi ‘ē. locative noun. Elsewhere, somewhere else. Literally "elsewhere place." Also see kahi.
Kahiki. (Capitalized) place name. Tahiti.
See the Kahiki entry in the Non-Hawaiian Place Names Category.
kahiki. noun, stative verb. Any foreign country, foreign.
kahiko. stative verb. Old, ancient.
kahiko. noun. Old person.
kāhiko. pluralized noun. Old persons. Kahiko is one of the eleven nouns that can be pluralized by lengthening the third to last syllable with a kahakō. Below is a list of the eleven nouns.
11 nouns that are pluralized by lengthening the third to last syllable with a kahakō:
aumākua - family gods, ‘elemākule - old men, kāhiko - old persons, kāhuna - priests, kaikamāhine - girls, kaikuāhine - sisters of a male, kānaka - people, kūpuna - grandparents, luāhine - old women, mākua - parents, wāhine - women.
kāhili. noun. Feather standard. The kāhili is a symbol of royalty.
Kaho‘olawe. place name. The carrying away (by currents). Literally "the (ka) carrying away (hoo- + lawe)." Kaho‘olawe is the smallest of the eight main islands of Hawai‘i. It is 45 square miles in size and is located 7 miles southwest of the island of Maui. Beginning in World War II, the island was used as a training ground and a bombing range by the US military. After decades of protests, the Navy ended live-fire training on Kaho‘olawe in 1990. The island has no permanent residents. The picture above is a NASA photograph of the island. Also see ho‘o-, ka, lawe.
See the Kaho‘olawe entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.
kahu. noun. Honored attendant, guardian, attendant. The word kahu is used in the place name Kahuhipa (sheep attendant).
kahu. noun. Pastor, minister, preacher. Compare with kahuna pule.
kahua. noun. Foundation, base, site, location, grounds.
kahua ho‘olulu mokulele. noun. Airport. Literally "airplane (mokulele) site for shelter." Airport can also be just kahua mokolele. Also see kahua, mokulele.
kahua hō‘ike‘ike holoholona. noun. Zoo. Literally "animal exhibition site." Also see hō‘ike‘ike, holoholona, kahua.
kahuhipa. (not Capitalized) noun. Shepard. Kahuhipa = sheep (hipa) + attendant (kahu). Also see hipa, kahu.
Kahuhipa. place name. Shepard. A street in Kāne‘ohe on O‘ahu. Also see hipa, kahu.
kahuna. noun. Expert (in any profession), priest.
kāhuna. pluralized noun. Experts (in any profession), priests. Kahuna is one of the eleven nouns that can be pluralized by lengthening the third to last syllable with a kahakō. Below is a list of the eleven nouns.
11 nouns that are pluralized by lengthening the third to last syllable with a kahakō:
aumākua - family gods, ‘elemākule - old men, kāhiko - old persons, kāhuna - priests, kaikamāhine - girls, kaikuāhine - sisters of a male, kānaka - people, kūpuna - grandparents, luāhine - old women, mākua - parents, wāhine - women.
kahuna pule. noun. Preacher, pastor, minister. Literally "pray expert." Also see kahuna, pule. Compare with kahu.
kai. noun. Sea, sea water. The word kai is used in many place names like ‘Ilikai (sea surface) and Kailua (two seas). The picture above shows "the seven seas."
kai. noun. Gravy, sauce, soup.
See the kai entry in the Food & Drink Category.
kaiāulu. noun. Community. If you look-up community in the English to Hawaiian section of the PE Hawaiian Dictionary, you will see "wahi noho like o ka po‘e" which means "mutual dwelling place of people." A long phrase, but I kind of like it because it uses the name of this website. Curiously, Māmaka Kaiao shows the spelling of kaiāulu without the kahakō as kaiaulu in both the English and Hawaiian section, but I'm going with the PE version that has a kahakō.
kai e‘e. noun. Tsunami, tidal wave. Literally "mounting sea." Also see e‘e, kai.
kaikaina. noun. Younger sibling or younger cousin of the same gender. Contrast with kaikua‘ana (older sibling).
See the kaikaina entry in the Family & Relationships Category.
kaikamahine. noun. Girl, daughter, niece.
See the kaikamahine entry in the Family & Relationships Category.
kaikamāhine. pluralized noun. Girls, daughters, nieces. Kaikamahine is one of the eleven nouns that can be pluralized by lengthening the third to last syllable with a kahakō. Below is a list of the eleven nouns.
11 nouns that are pluralized by lengthening the third to last syllable with a kahakō:
aumākua - family gods, ‘elemākule - old men, kāhiko - old persons, kāhuna - priests, kaikamāhine - girls, kaikuāhine - sisters of a male, kānaka - people, kūpuna - grandparents, luāhine - old women, mākua - parents, wāhine - women.
kai kohola. noun. Lagoon, shallow sea within the reef. Literally "reef sea." Also see kai, kohola. The picture above shows the lagoon harbor called Pearl Harbor. The Hawaiian name for Pearl Harbor is Pu‘uloa which means "long (loa) hill (pu‘u)."
Picture key: A - West Lock; B - Waipi‘o Peninsula; C - Middle Loch; D - Pearl City Peninsula; E - East Lock; F - Ford Island; G - ‘Ewa Plain; H - Māmala Bay; I - Hickam Air Force Base; J - Honolulu International Airport.
kaikua‘ana. noun. Older sibling or older cousin of the same gender. Contrast with kaikaina (younger sibling).
See the kaikua‘ana entry in the Family & Relationships Category.
kaikuahine. noun. Sister or female cousin of a male.
See the kaikuahine entry in the Family & Relationships Category.
kaikuāhine. pluralized noun. Sisters or family cousins of a male. Kaikuāhine is one of the eleven nouns that can be pluralized by lengthening the third to last syllable with a kahakō. Below is a list of the eleven nouns.
11 nouns that are pluralized by lengthening the third to last syllable with a kahakō:
aumākua - family gods, ‘elemākule - old men, kāhiko - old persons, kāhuna - priests, kaikamāhine - girls, kaikuāhine - sisters of a male, kānaka - people, kūpuna - grandparents, luāhine - old women, mākua - parents, wāhine - women.
kaikunāne. noun. Brother or male cousin of a female.
See the kaikunāne entry in the Family & Relationships Category.
kaikū‘ono noun. Bay, gulf. Compare with kū‘ono.
Kaikū‘ono o Mekiko. place name. Gulf of Mexico. Literally "gulf (Kaikū‘ono) of (o) Mexico (Mekiko)." Also see kaikū‘ono, Mekiko, o.
See the Kaikū‘ono o Mekiko entry in the Non-Hawaiian Place Names Category.
Kailua. place name. Two seas. Literally "two (lua) sea[s] (kai)." A town on the windward side of O‘ahu. There are villages called Kailua on the islands of Hawai‘i and Maui. The Kailua on the Big Island is usually called Kailua-Kona to differentiate it from the much more populous Kailua on O‘ahu. Also see kai, lua.
See the Kailua entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.
Kaimukī. place name. The ti [root] oven. A subdivision of Honolulu. This name is a combination of three words Ka (the) + imu (oven) + kī (ti). Also see imu, ka, kī.
See the Kaimukī entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.
kai piha. noun. High tide. Also see kai, piha.
Ka‘iulani. place name. The royal sacred height. The name of a Hotel in Waikīkī and an avenue in Honolulu named for the Princess. Also see ka (the), lani (royal).
See the Ka‘iulani entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.
Ka‘iulani. heir to the throne (crown princess). The royal sacred height. Ka (the) + ‘iu (sacred height) + lani (royal) = the royal sacred height. If you look-up ‘iu in the PE dictionary, it says that Ka‘iulani means "the royal sacred one." Also see ka (the), lani (royal).
See the Ka‘iulani entry in the Ali‘i Category.
kakahiaka. noun. Morning. Kakahiaka is used in the greeting "Aloha kakahiaka."
kakahiaka nui. noun. Early morning. Also see kakahiaka, nui.
kakalina. noun. Gasoline. Transliterated from English "gasoline."Compare with ‘ailea.
kākau. transitive verb. To write.
kākau. noun, transitive verb. Tattoo, to tattoo.
kākou. pronoun. We, us (3 or more, inclusive); We or us as in "we all" or "us all." Used to refer to 3 or more people, the speaker and 2 or more other people, including the person being spoken to. Compare with kāua (we, 2, inclusive), māua (we, 2, exclusive), mākou (we, 3 or more, exclusive).
For a chart of the personal pronouns, see palapala kuhikuhi o nā paniinoa pilikino.
kala. transitive verb. Pardon, excuse. Used in the common expression "E kala mai ia‘u."
kala. noun. Surgeonfish, unicorn fish.
See the kala entry in the Sea Life Category.
kālā. noun. Dollar, money. Transliterated from English "dollar."
kālai. transitive verb. To carve, cut, hew, to shape a canoe. Kālai is used in the name of a street in Waikīkī called Kālaimoku Street (island carver).
kalaiwa. transitive verb. To drive. Transliterated from the English "to drive."
kalaka. noun. Truck (vehicle). Transliterated from English "truck."
kalaka kinai ahi. noun. Fire truck. Literally "fire extinguishing truck." Compare with ka‘a kinai ahi. Also see ahi, kalaka, kinai.
Kalākaua. place name. The day [of] battle. Literally "the (ka) day (lā) [of] battle (kaua)."An avenue that runs through Waikīkī and the main thoroughfare of Waikīkī. Also see ka (the), kaua (battle), lā (day).
See the Kalākaua entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.
Kalākaua. the seventh reigning monarch. The day [of] battle. The last king and the second to last reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom. The picture above shows a painting of King David Kalākaua. Also see ka (the), kaua (battle), lā (day).
See the Kalākaua entry in the Ali‘i Category.
For a list of the ruling monarchs and a timeline, see mō‘ī (monarch).
How to pronounce Kalākaua: kuh–
–KAU–[w]ah
The two capitalized syllables in the pronunciation shown above are stressed and the second syllable is longer because of the kahakō as indicted by the stretched out AH. The third syllable KAU rhymes with how and cow. Also there is a w-glide.
kālani. noun. Gallon. Transliterated from the English "gallon."
Kalaniana‘ole. place name. The royal chief without measure. A highway on O‘ahu named for Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole. Also see ka (the), lani (royal chief), ‘ole (without), ana (measure).
See the Kalaniana‘ole entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.
Kalaniana‘ole. a Hawaiian prince. The royal chief without measure. Ka (the) + lani (royal chief) + ana (measure) + ‘ole (without) = the royal chief without measure. Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole born in 1871. He later become a politician in the Territory of Hawai‘i as a delegate to the United States Congress. His most lasting legacy is the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1921. If you look-up lani in the PE dictionary, it says that Kalaniana‘ole means "the incomparably exalted one." Also see ana, ka, lani, ‘ole.
How to pronounce Kalaniana‘ole: kuh–LAH–nee–[Y]AH–nuh–OH–lay
The pronunciation of Kalaniana‘ole is fairly straight forward, but it is sort of long. All the capitalized syllables in the pronunciation shown above are stressed. For this name every other syllable is stressed after the first syllable and there is a y-glide after the word lani that is attached to the first syllable of the word ana.
See the Kalaniana‘ole entry in the Ali‘i Category.
kālā pa‘a. noun. Coin. Literally "solid money." Also see kālā, pa‘a.
Contrast with kālā pepa.
kālā pepa. noun. Paper money. Also see kālā, pepa.
Contrast with kālā pa‘a.
Kaleponi. place name. California. Transliterated from English "California." California is the most populous state in the United States of America. According to the US Census Bureau, on May 2010, the whole USA had a population of about 309 million people and California had a population of just about 37 million people. Twelve percent (12%) of the population of the USA lives in California. Almost one of every eight Americans lives in California.
See the Kaleponi entry in the Non-Hawaiian Place Names Category.
kali. intransitive verb. To wait for.
Kalikimaka. Christmas. Transliterated from English "Christmas." Used in the expression for "Merry Christmas"(Mele Kalikimaka).
kalima. noun. Cream. Transliterated from the English "cream." Kalima is used in the term haukalima (ice cream).
See the kalima entry in the Food & Drink Category.
kalipa. noun. Slippers, flip-flops. Transliterated from the English "slipper."
kalo. noun. Taro. From the earliest of times, taro was a food staple in Hawai‘i. The bulblike part of the kalo called a corm is cooked and used to make poi and pa‘i ‘ai.
See the kalo entry in the Food & Drink Category.
See the kalo entry in the Plants Category.
kālua. transitive verb. To bake in a ground oven. Nowadays a modern oven (‘oma) is more often used than the traditional imu (ground oven) for food that is called "kālua." Also see ‘oma (bake), puhi (bake).
kama. noun. Child, person. Compare with kanaka (person), keiki (child).
See the kama entry in the Family & Relationships Category.
kama‘āina. noun, intransitive verb. Native-born, native, one born in a place; acquainted, familiar. The word kama‘āina is commonly used nowadays to describe a person who lives in Hawai‘i, so in that sense it also means "local person." Literally "land child." 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. Also see ‘āina, kama. Compare with kupa (native), maoli (native), ‘ōiwi (native). Contrast with malihini (newcomer, visitor).
See the kama‘āina entry in the Family & Relationships Category.
kama‘īlio. intransitive verb. Converse, talk.
kamali‘i. noun. Children. Used only in the plural.
See the kamali‘i entry in the Family & Relationships Category.
kamāli‘i. noun. Royal child. A contraction of kama (child) and ali‘i (royal). Also see ali‘i, kama.
See the kamāli‘i entry in the Family & Relationships Category.
Kamāmalu. place name. The protector. A short avenue and a State office building at the corner of Richards street and South King street.
Kamāmalu. fifth kuhina nui. The protector. Ka (the) + māmalu (protector). She was daughter of Kīna‘u and Mataio Kekūanaō‘a and was the highest ranking chiefess of the time, but today she is not as well known because she was often overshadowed by her female contemporaries, such as Lili‘uokalani and Queen Emma. As kuhina nui, she was also call Ka‘ahumanu IV. She was kuhina nui for about 7 years and 11 months from 1855 to 1863. There is a very good, short biography of Kamāmalu at hawaii.gov.
See the Kamāmalu entry in the Ali‘i Category.
kāmano. noun. Salmon. Transliterated from the English "salmon".
See the kāmano entry in the Sea Life Category.
See the kāmano entry in the Food & Drink Category.
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. Also see lomi, kāmano.
See the kāmano lomi entry in the Food & Drink Category.
Kamehameha. royal chief, king. The lonely one. Ka (the...one being spoken of) + mehameha (lonely) = the lonely one. Kamehameha the Great united the Hawaiian Islands and created the Hawaiian Kingdom.
See the Kamehameha entry in the Ali‘i Category.
For a list of the ruling monarchs and a timeline, see mō‘ī (monarch).
Kamehameha. place name. The lonely one. A highway on the island of O‘ahu named of the royal chief that united the Hawaiian Islands and created the Hawaiian Kingdom.
See the Kamehameha entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.
Kamehameha. noun. The Kamehameha butterfly. One of two species of butterfly that is native to Hawai‘i. The Kamehameha butterfly (pulelehua) is shown in the picture above.
kameleona. noun. Chameleon. Transliterated from the English "chameleon." The picture above shows a Jackson's chameleon. The Jackson's chameleon seems to have been introduced to Hawai‘i from Kenya via California during the 1970's.
See the kameleona entry in the Animals Category.
kamepiula. noun. Computer. Transliterated from the English "computer." Compare with lolo uila.
kāna. singular possessive. His, her, hers, its. Singular, a-class possessive.
kanaka. noun. Human being, man, person. Also, a term for a "Hawaiian (Hawaiian person)."
kānaka. pluralized noun. Human beings, men, people. Kanaka is one of the eleven nouns that can be pluralized by lengthening the third to last syllable with a kahakō. Below is a list of the eleven nouns.
11 nouns that are pluralized by lengthening the third to last syllable with a kahakō:
aumākua - family gods, ‘elemākule - old men, kāhiko - old persons, kāhuna - priests, kaikamāhine - girls, kaikuāhine - sisters of a male, kānaka - people, kūpuna - grandparents, luāhine - old women, mākua - parents, wāhine - women.
Kanaka. (Capitalized) place name, stative verb. Canada; Canadian. Transliterated from English "Canada."
See the Kanaka entry in the Non-Hawaiian Place Names Category.
kanaka hele wāwae. noun. Pedestrian. Literally "walking person." Also see hele, hele wāwae, kanaka, wāwae.
kanaka maoli. noun. Full-blooded Hawaiian person. Literally "genuine person." Also see kanaka, maoli.
kanakē. noun. Candy. Transliterated from the English "candy."
See the kanakē entry in the Food & Drink Category.
Kanaloa. noun. Major god. One of four major Hawaiian gods. Kanaloa is the god of the ocean and the ocean winds. The other three major gods were Kāne, Kū, Lono.
See the Kanaloa entry in the Gods, Demigods and Mythical Beings Category.
Kānāwai Māmalahoe. proper noun. Law of the Splintered. Literally "law (kānāwai) [of the] splintered (māmala) paddle (hoe)." This was Kamehameha the Great's most well know edict, it guaranteed the safety of the paths and roads to all women, children, the sick, the aged and basically all no-combatants under penalty of death. If you want to learn more you may want to visit my Kānāwai Māmalahoe page. Also see hoe, kānāwai.
kāne. noun. Male, man, husband. Contrast with wahine (female).
See the kāne entry in the Family & Relationships Category.
Kāne. (Capitalized) proper noun Major god. One of four major Hawaiian gods. Kāne is a creator god, procreator of the life subtances such as sunlight and fresh water. The other three major gods were Kanaloa, Kū, Lono.
See the Kāne entry in the Gods, Demigods and Mythical Beings Category.
Kāne‘ohe. place name. A town on the windward side of O‘ahu. Literally "bamboo husband." "Bamboo husband" is the interpretation given in the great reference book Place Names of Hawaii, but others have told me it means "Kāne's bamboo." Also see kāne, ‘ohe.
See the Kāne‘ohe entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.
kani. noun. Sound or noise of any kind. Compare with wā (noise).
kanu. noun. Planting, burial.
kanu. transitive verb. To plant, bury.
kao. noun. Goat.
See the kao entry in the Animals Category.
kaona. noun. Hidden meaning. Hidden meanings were (and are) used in poetry and song to conceal the reference to a person, place or thing.
kaona. noun. Town. Transliterated from English "town." Compare with kūlanakauhale (town).
kapa. noun. Tapa cloth. Kapa is a cloth made from pounded plant bark from the wauke plant or māmaki plant and is often called "bark cloth."
kapa. transitive verb. To give a name to.
Kapalakiko. place name. San Francisco. Transliterated from English "San Francisco." A bay and a city in the State of California (Kaleponi).
See the Kapalakiko entry in the Non-Hawaiian Place Names Category.
kapena. noun. Captain. Transliterated from English "captain."
See the kapena entry in the Family & Relationships Category.
kāpiki. noun. Cabbage. Transliterated from English "cabbage."
See the kāpiki entry in the Food & Drink Category.
See the kāpiki entry in the Plants Category.
Kapi‘olani. place name. The arch [of] heaven. A boulevard and a county regional park on O‘ahu between Diamond Head and the heart of Waikīkī. Also see ka (the), lani (heaven).
See the Kapi‘olani entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.
Kapi‘olani. queen consort. The arch [of] heaven. Ka (the) + pi‘o (arch) + lani (heaven) = the arch [of] heaven. If you look-up pi‘o in the PE dictionary, it says that Kapi‘olani means "the heavenly arch." The arch (pi‘o) of heaven is a reference to rainbows. Rainbows signified the presence of royalty. The picture above shows Kapi‘olani, wife of King David Kalākaua. Her motto was Kūlia i ka nu‘u. Also see ka, lani, pi‘o.
See the Kapi‘olani entry in the Ali‘i Category.
kapu. noun, stative verb. Taboo, prohibition, a system of prohibitions; prohibited, forbidden, sacred, holy; no trespassing, keep out. Kapu is used in the place name Mōkapu (taboo district). Contrast with noa (freed from taboo). Compare with taboo.
kapuahi. noun. Fireplace, stove, furnace. Compare with ‘oma (stove).
kau. transitive verb. To place, to put, to hang.
kau. noun. Season, semester. The word kau is used in the term for summer, kau wela (hot season).
kau. particle. Pluralizing particle. Much less used than nā and mau.
ka‘u. possesive. My, mine. Singular, a-class possessive.
kāu. possesive. Your, yours. Singular, a-class possessive.
kaua. noun, transitive verb. War, battle; army, war party; to make war, fight. Used in the name Kalākaua, the last king of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the famous street in Honolulu named in his honor. Kalākaua means "the (ka) day (lā) [of] battle (kaua)."
kāua. pronoun. We, us (2 people, inclusive). Used when speaking of 2 people, the speaker and the person being spoken to. Compare with kākou (we, 3 or more, inclusive), māua (we, 2, exclusive), mākou (we, 3 or more, exclusive).
For a chart of the personal pronouns, see palapala kuhikuhi o nā paniinoa pilikino.
kauā, kauwā. noun. Outcast, pariah, slave, untouchable. The word kauā or kauwā was later used in the Bible and formal correspondence to translate servant. For servant, also see ‘ōhua.
Kaua‘i. place name. Unknown meaning. A county of the State of Hawai‘i and the fourth largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago. On his third voyage of exploration, Captain James Cook became the first European and foreigner to visit the Hawaiian Islands when he made landfall at Waimea, Kaua‘i in January 1778. Kaua‘i is sometimes jokingly refered to as "Hawaii's Original Visitor Destination".
How to pronounce Kaua‘i: KAU–[W]AH–ee
Kaua‘i is commonly mispronounced two different ways. The most common mispronunciation is to pronounce Kaua‘i as if it was spelled like Hawai‘i, but with a K instead of an H as Kawai‘i. The second way Kaua‘i is mispronounced is to pronounce Kaua‘i as if it was spelled like the two syllable word Kawai. Both pronunciations are incorrect.
In both of the incorrect pronunciations, the vowel u is wrongly treated as if it were a w consonant. At least Kawai recognizes there is only one i in Kaua‘i, but it disregards the ‘okina between the a and i. However unique and strange, the ‘okina is a real consonant in the Hawaiian language. The ‘okina affects pronunciation so it should not be ignored in writing or speech. An ʻokina separates the a and the i in Kaua‘i and indicates that there is no ai diphthong. Hawaiian diphthongs are two vowels pronounced together, like the ai diphthongs in the place names Waikīkī and Hawai‘i.
For various reasons, the ‘okina is often omitted from the spelling of Hawaiian words that have them. Although the omission of the ‘okina may make understandable a mistake in pronunciation, it is not a justification for a change in pronunciation.
So how is Kaua‘i correctly pronounced? First, there is an au diphthong in Kaua‘i that is not recognized in the Kawai‘i and Kawai pronunciations. Au should be pronounced like the au diphthong in the word for the Hawaiian feast known as a lū‘au. The first syllable is Kau (rhymes with cow and how) and is pronounced like the KAU in kaukau and Kalākaua. The second syllable has a w-glide.
W-glides are natural occurrences of the spoken Hawaiian language. W-glides can follow u vowels. In the case of the word Kauaʻi, a w-glide follows the first syllable and is added to the front end of the second syllable, so the second syllable is pronounced like
[W]AH. The last syllable is pronounced like ee. So put it all together and you get KAU–[W]AH–ee.
All the capitalized syllables receive stress. It amazes me that so many people who live in Hawai‘i mispronounce this word. Hawaiian pronunciation is actually very simple and straight forward, but problems with correct pronunciation arise, because some words have been corrupted in usage by lazy speakers.
See the Kaua‘i entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.
Kauikeaouli. Kamehameha III, third ruling king of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i. Place (put) in the dark clouds. Kau (place(put)) + i (in) + ke (the) + ao (cloud) + uli (any dark color, the short version of uliuli) = place in the dark clouds. Keaikeaouli was the longest reigning king. He reigned for about 29 and one half years from 1824 to 1854. He became king at the age of 11. Real administrative power resided with the regent Ka‘ahumanu who was the first kuhina nui. Ka‘ahumanu died in 1832 and Kauikeaouli's half-sister, Elizabeth Kīna‘u became the second kuhina nui. In 1833, the regency of kuhina nui was changed from a regent to a prime minister or premier. Under Kauikeaouli, Hawai‘i evolved from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy with the signing of the first constitution of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i called the 1840 Constitution and later he signed a 1852 Constitution. He also spoke the phrase that would become the motto of the Kingdom and later, the motto of the State of Hawai‘i; "Ua mau ke ea o ka ‘āina ika pono."
See the Kauikeaouli entry in the Ali‘i Category.
For a list of the ruling monarchs and a timeline, see mō‘ī (monarch).
kauka. noun. Doctor, physician. The picture above shows Brigadier General Charles Stuart Tripler for which Tripler Army Medical Center is named.
kaukani. number. Thousand. Transliterated from English "thousand."
See the kaukani entry in the Numbers Category.
kaukau. noun. Chant of lamentation.
kaukau. pidgin word, not Hawaiian. Food. Warning: for the meaning of food, kaukau is not a Hawaiian word. The word kaukau which is sometimes written as two words or with a hyphen (kau kau, kau-kau), is sometimes defined as food, but this definition is pidgin and not Hawaiian. The Hawaiian word kaukau has nothing to do with food. It is uncertain how the pidgin word "kaukau" came about, but it may be a corruption of chow (food) and/or maybe the Hawaiian word kau (place (to put)). For the Hawaiian word for food, see ‘ai, mea ‘ai.
kaula. noun. Rope, string, cord, line.
kāula. noun. Prophet, seer, magician.
kaula‘i. transitive verb. To hang up to dry, as in the sun. Kaula‘i = kau (to hang) + -la‘i (transitivier suffix). Also see kau.
kaulana. stative verb. Famous, celebrated, renowned.
kaumaha. stative verb. Heavy. Figuratively means "sad."
kauoha. noun. Command, order.
kauoha. noun. Testament.
kau wela. noun. Summer. Literally "hot season." Also see kau, wela. Contrast with kupulau (spring), hā‘ule lau (fall), ho‘oilo (winter).
kāwele. noun. Towel, napkin, dishcloth. Transliterated from English "towel."
kāwele. transitive verb. To wipe or dry with a cloth. Transliterated from English "towel."
 |
|
|---|
HOME • HAWAI‘I • ‘ŌLELO HAWAI‘I • POLITICS
THIS & THAT • EXTERNAL LINKS
WHAT'S NEW • CONTACT • FAQ
