lā. noun, stative verb. Sun; sunny.
lā. noun. Day, date. Compare with ao (day).
lā. noun. The letter "l." Also, for a list of the names for the other Hawaiian letters, see hua palapala.

 
lā‘au. noun. Tree, plant, bush, wood, timber.

 
lae. noun. Forehead, brow. Diamond Head, shown above, is called Lae‘ahi (‘ahi brow) because Hi‘iaka (a sister of Pele) compared the mountain to the brow of the ‘ahi fish. Lē‘ahi is a variant spelling of Lae‘ahi and it seems to me that the Lē‘ahi spelling is used more often and is the more popular spelling, but I prefer Lae‘ahi.
lae. noun. Cape, point, promontory.

 
Lāhainā. place name. Cruel sun. Lāhainā is the most populous town on the island of Maui. Lāhainā is a former whaling port and from 1820 to 1845, Lāhainā was the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom until Kamehameha III moved the capital to Honolulu. Also see lā (sun).

 
lā hānau. noun. Birthday. Lā (day) + hānau (birth) = birthday. Also see hānau, lā.

 
lā ho‘omāka‘uka‘u. noun. Halloween. This term comes from Māmaka Kaiao. The PE dictionary says: ho‘omāka‘uka‘u means "to scare, frighten; scared, frightened." Also see lā, ho‘o, maka‘u (māka‘uka‘u is the reduplicated version of maka‘u).

 
lāhui. noun, stative verb. Nation, race, nationality; national, racial.

  
laiki. noun. Rice. Transliterated from English "rice." I couldn't keep myself from including a picture of Condoleezza Rice. I ♥ Condi.

 
laila. locative noun. Then, there. Laila follows a number of particle markers with varying meanings shown in the chart below. You can use the chart to access the entries for the different meanings.

 
laimi. noun. Lime. Transliterated from the English "lime." This term comes from the Māmaka Kaiao.

 
Laka. proper noun. Hula goddess. Goddess of the hula and the forest plants associated with the hula.
Laka. proper noun. Canoe makers god. A God worshipped by canoe makers, also called Kū‘ōhi‘alaka.

 
Lā Kau Pua. noun. Memorial Day. Literally "day (lā) to place (kau) flowers (pua)." Memorial Day holiday commemorates all U.S. military men and women who have died while in the military service and was formerly known as Decoration Day. The practice of decorating the graves of the military dead began in the North during the American Civil War. Decoration Day is a perfectly lovely name and I wish the name had not changed. Also see kau, lā, pua.

 
laki.  noun, stative verb. Luck, lucky. Compare with pōmaika‘i (lucky).

 
lā koho. noun. Election day. Also see koho, lā.

 
lākou. pronoun. They (3 or more people). Used to refer to 3 or more people, other than the speaker and the person being spoken to. Compare with lāua (they, 2 people). For a chart of the Hawaiian personal pronouns, see palapala kuhikuhi o nā paniinoa pilikino.

 
Lā Kū‘oko‘a. noun. Independence Day. The July fourth holiday celebrating America's independence. Also see Kū‘oko‘a, Lā.

 
lalo. locative noun. Down, downward, below, under.
lalo. locative. Leeward, southern.

 
lama. noun. An endemic tree of ebony family, a hardwood tree.
lama. noun. Torch, light, lamp. For light, also see ao, kukui, malama.
lama. noun. Rum. Transliterated from English "rum."

 
lānai. noun. Porch, veranda, balcony, terrace.

 
lani. noun, stative verb. Sky, heaven; heavenly.
lani. noun, stative verb. Very high chief, majesty; royal, exalted, high born.

  
lānui. noun. Holiday, important day or big day. Literally "big (nui) day (lā)." Also see lā, nui.

 
Lānui o nā Limahana. noun. Labor Day. Literally "holiday (lānui) of (o) the workers (nā limahana)." Also see lānui, limahana, nā, o.

   
lāpaki. noun. Rabbit, hare. Transliterated from English "rabbit." Shown above are the Roberts Hawaii rabbit logos. Why is the rabbit sprinting and why is the rabbit waving? Roberts Hawaii was started in 1941 on the island of Kaua‘i by Robert Iwamoto, Sr. as a two car cab company. In the 1960's they expanded their company to O‘ahu and other Hawaiian islands. In the 1970's, Roberts purchased a small fleet of luxary motor coaches and became direct competitors of the much larger, mainland based company Greyhound Tours whose logo was (and is) a sprinting greyhound . Robert Jr. was in Mexico watching the dog races and he noticed that the greyhounds never caught the rabbit, so Roberts Hawaii adopted a sprinting rabbit as their logo. Just that would make a good story, but it gets better. Many years later when Greyhound ceased its operations in Hawai‘i, Roberts Hawaii included the waving rabbit on the back of their coaches. The rabbit is waving "aloha" and "goodbye" to Greyhound. And now you know why the rabbit is waving! Don't take my word for it, visit their website. Today Roberts Hawaii is the largest tour and transportation company in Hawai‘i. Their story is a great American and Hawai‘i success story and they did it with a little humor.

 
Lāpule. noun. Sunday. Literally "prayer day." Also see lā, pule.

  
lau. noun. Leaf, frond. Lau is sometimes contracted into the suffix lā-, as in the name of the town Lā‘ie (‘ie leaf). The picture above shows the wiliwili leaf.
lau. number. Much, many, numerous, four hundred.

 
lāua. pronoun. They (2 people). Used to refer to 2 people, other than the speaker and the person being spoken to. Compare with lākou (3 or more people). For a chart of the Hawaiian personal pronouns, see palapala kuhikuhi o nā paniinoa pilikino.

 
lau ‘ai. noun. Salad. Literally "edible leaves." Also see ‘ai, lau.

  
lauhala. noun. Pandanus leaf. This leaf is used in plaiting like the mat shown above. Also see hala, lau.

  
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.

 
laule‘a. noun. Peace, happiness, friendship.
laule‘a. stative verb. Peaceful, happy, glad.

 
laulima. noun. Cooperation. Literally "many (lau) hands (lima)." Also see lau, lima.
laulima. intransitive verb. Cooperate. Literally "many (lau) hands (lima)." Also see lau, lima.

 
lauwiliwilinukunuku‘oi‘oi noun. A type of butterfly fish. Literally "sharp-beaked wiliwili leaf." The pictures above show a butterfly fish and the wiliwili leaf. Notice the resemblance in shape? A very long Hawaiian word of 25 letters. Compare with another long name for a fish, see humuhumunukunukuāpua‘a.

 
lawai‘a. noun, intransitive verb. Fisherman; to fish, to catch fish.

 
lawe. transitive verb. To take, transport, carry, bring. The picture above is a NASA photograph of the island of Kaho‘olawe. Kaho‘olawe literally means "the carrying away."

 
lawe aku. transitive verb. To take. Also see aku, lawe.

 
lawe mai. transitive verb. To bring. Also see lawe, mai.

  
le‘ale‘a. noun, stative verb. To have a good time; fun, gaiety, amusement. The picture above shows one of the Waikīkī trolleys. For more information about the Waikīkī trolleys visit www.waikikitrolley.com.

 
lehua. noun. The flower of the ‘ōhi‘a tree; also the tree itself.
Lehua. (Capitalized). The name of a small island just west of Ni‘ihau.

 
lei. noun. Garland, wreath; necklace of flowers, leaves, shells, ivory, plastic or paper.

 
leka. noun. Letter (written message). Transliterated from English "letter."

 
lele. intransitive verb. To fly, jump, leap. Lele is used in many compound words like wailele (waterfall), mokulele (airplane), and ‘ukulele.

 
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.

 
lemu. noun. Buttocks. Considered a politer term than ‘ōkole. Compare with ‘ōkole.

 
leo. noun. Voice.

 
lepo. noun. Dirt, earth, ground, soil.
lepo. stative verb. Dirty, soiled.

 
lewa. noun. Sky, atmosphere, upper heavens, space, air. Compare with ea (air), lani (sky, heaven).

 
Liholiho. Kamehameha II, second ruling king of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i. Glowing. His name Liholiho (glowing) is short for his name Kalaninuikualiholihoikekapu (Ka-lani-nui-kua-liholiho-i-ke-kapu) which means "the great chief with the burning back taboo." He was king for 5 years and 55 days from 1819 to 1824 and his role as king was largely ceremonial. Real administrative power was vested in Queen Ka‘ahumanu who held the newly created position of kuhina nui which initially was a regency, but in 1833 under Kauikeaouli the regency was ended and the office of kuhina nui changed to an office of primer minister or premier. Perhaps the most significant event of his reign was when he purposefully broke the ʻai kapu (eating taboo) which forbid men and women from eating together. By eating wth Ka‘ahumanu, the kapu system was ended. Liholiho died of measels in London, England in 1824. See the Liholiho entry in the Ali‘i Glossary Category. For a list of the ruling monarchs and a timeline, see mō‘ī (monarch).
liholiho.  (not Capitalized) stative verb. Very hot, fiery, glowing.

 
li‘i. stative verb. Small, tiny. Compare with iki, li‘ili‘i.
li‘i. Royal, chief, etc. (Short for ali‘i). See ali‘i.

li‘ili‘i. stative verb. Small, little. Compare with iki, li‘i.

   
Likelike. place name. The name of a highway that runs over the Ko‘olau mountains from Honolulu to Kāne‘ohe.
Likelike. princess. Princess Likelike was a sibling of the last reigning king and queen, David Kalākaua and Lydia Lili‘uokalani. She married Scottish businessman Archibald Scott Cleghorn. See the Likelike entry in the Ali‘i Glossary Category.

 
liliko‘i. noun. Passion fruit.

 
Lili‘uokalani. last reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i. Smarting of the high born one. Lili‘u (smarting) + o (of) + ka (the one) + lani (high born) = smarting of the high born one. She was the only ruling monarch to be a Queen and was the last ruling monarch of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i. She reigned for a little under two years from 1891 to 1893 before she was deposed and the Kingdom was abolished. See the Lil‘iuokalani entry in the Ali‘i Glossary Category. For a list of the ruling monarchs and a timeline, see mō‘ī (monarch).

  
lima. noun. Hand, arm.
lima. number. Five. Also see ‘alima, ‘elima.

 
limahana. noun. Labor, laborer, worker, employee.
limahana. stative verb. Industrious, busy.

 
limu. noun. Seaweed. Also, the general name for any underwater plant.

 
lipine. noun. Tape, ribbon. Transliterated from the English "ribbon."

 
lio. noun. Horse.

 
lio lā‘au. noun. Merry-go-round, a horse on a merry-go-round, saw horse. Literally "wood horse." Also see lā‘au, lio.

 
loa. stative verb. Long, tall.
loa. stative verb. Very.

 
lohe. transitive verb. To hear.

 
lo‘i. noun. Irrigated food growing patch, especially for taro, but the word lo‘i is also used for "rice paddy."

 
Lō‘ihi. place name. Long. An active undersea volcano located about 22 miles off the southeast coast of the island of Hawai‘i, on the flank of Mauna Loa, the Earth's largest shield volcano. It is about 3,200 feet under the sea surface. If you can wait, it is expected to emerge above the sea in about 10,000 to 100,000 years, so be sure to plan ahead. You'll want to get a good seat.
lō‘ihi. (not Capitalized) noun. Length, height, distance.
lō‘ihi. (not Capitalized) stative verb. Long.

 
loio. noun. Lawyer. Transliterated from English "lawyer."

 
lōkahi. noun, stattive verb. Unity, agreement, accord, harmony; in unity. The picture above shows the logo for the "Lōkahi Giving Project." You can find out about this project at their website.

 
loke. noun. Rose. Transliterated from English "rose."

 
loko. locative noun. Inside. Contrast with waho (outside).
loko. noun. Lake, pond, pool.

 
lokomaika‘i. stative verb. Good disposition, kind (not cruel), benevolent, beneficent.

 
lole. noun. Cloth, clothes, costume, dress (costume).

 
lolo. noun. Brain.

 
lōlō. stative verb. Paralyzed, numb, febble-minded, crazy.

 
lomi. transitive verb. To massage, squeeze, crush, knead.

 
lomilomi. noun, transitive verb. Masseur, masseuse; to massage.

 
Lono. noun. Major god. One of four major Hawaiian gods. Lono is the god of peace, agriculture and fertility. The Makahiki was a festival season dedicated to Lono. The other three major gods were Kanaloa, Kāne, Kū.

 
Lot Kapuāiwa. Kamehameha V, fifth king of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i. Mysterious taboo. Kapu (taboo) + āiwa (mysterious) = mysterious taboo. He was king, but he is sometimes refered to as Prince Lot. He reigned for about 9 years from 1863 to 1872. See the Lot Kapuāiwa entry in the Ali‘i Glossary Category. For a list of the ruling monarchs and a timeline, see mō‘ī (monarch).

 
lua. noun. Hole, pit.
lua. noun. Toilet.
lua. number. Two, twice. Also see ‘alua, ‘elua.
lua. noun. A Hawaiian martial art.

 
luahine. noun. Old woman.
luāhine. pluralized noun. Old women. Luahine is one of the ten nouns that can be pluralized by lengthening the third to last syllable with a kahakō. Below is a list of the ten nouns.
Ten 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, kānaka - people, kūpuna - grandparents, luāhine - old women, mākua - parents, wāhine - women.

 
lua pele. noun. Volcano, crater. Literally "volcanic pit." Also see lua, pele.

 
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.
lū‘au. noun. Hawaiian feast. Named for the taro tops served at a lū‘au. This is not an ancient Hawaiian term. Formally a feast was known as a pā‘ina or a aha‘aina. Compare with ‘aha‘aina, pā‘ina.

 
lulu. noun, intransitive verb. Calm, peace, shelter, protection. Compare with mālie (calm), malu (peace, shelter, protection).

 
lumi. noun. Room. Transliterated from English "room."

 
luna. locative noun. High, above, on top of.
luna. noun. Boss, foreman, leader, supervisor.

 
Lunalilo. sixth king of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i. Very high (of royalty). Lunalilo reigned for one year and 26 days, the shortest reign of the eight reigning monarchs. See the Lunalilo entry in the Ali‘i Glossary Category. For a list of the ruling monarchs and a timeline, see mō‘ī (monarch).

 
lu‘u. intransitive verb. To dive, plunge into water.

 

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