Lae‘ahi. place name. A Hawaiian name for Diamond Head. Lē‘ahi is a variant spelling of Lae‘ahi. For more information, see Lae‘ahi.

   
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.

 
leho. noun. Cowrie or cowry. The cowry, a marine gastropod mollusk, and its shell. The cowry shell was used for octopus lures (lūhe‘e). The picture above shows a tiger cowry shell.
   See the leho entry in the Sea Life Category.

 
lehua. noun. The flower of the ‘ōhi‘a tree; also the tree itself.
   See the lehua entry in the Plants Category.

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.

lei. noun. Figuartively a beloved person or child. Lei is used in the place name Kapolei (beloved Kapo).

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

 
lēkiō. noun. Radio. Transliterated from the English "radio." The PE dictionary shows the Hawaiian word for radio spelled with only one kahakō on the last vowel, but Māmaka Kaiao shows it spelled with two kahakō. I'm going with the Māmaka Kaiao version.

 
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 lemon or lime? The Māmala Kaiao term for lime is laimi and I prefer this term to differentiate it from lemon and lemi.
   See the lemi entry in the Food & Drink Category.

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

 
leo. noun. Voice.

 
leokani. noun. Vowel. Literally "voiced (leo) sound (kani)." Also see kani, leo. Compare with woela (vowel). Contrast with leokanipū (consonant).

 
leokanipū. noun. Consonant. Literally "sound voiced together", because consonants are sounded together (pū) with a vowel. The Hawaiian language has eight consonants; h, k, l, m, n, p, w and ‘ (‘okina). Also see kani, leo, pū. Contrast with leokani (vowel).

 
leo ki‘eki‘e. noun. High pitched voice, falsetto. Literally "high (ki‘eki‘e) voice (leo)." Also see ki‘eki‘e, leo.

 
lepa. noun. Flag, ensign, place marked by a flag. Compare with hae (flag).

 
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 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. Li‘i is used in the place name Mokoli‘i (little lizard). 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.

 
like. stative verb. Alike, like, similar, equal. It may seem like the Hawaiian word like has been transliterated from the English word like, but the similarity of meaning and spelling is coincidental, or so the Boche would like us to believe.

   
Likelike. place name. Similar. The name of a highway that runs over the Ko‘olau mountains from Honolulu to Kāne‘ohe, and vice versa, named for Princess Miriam Likelike.
   See the Likelike entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.

Likelike. princess. Similar. Princess Miriam Likelike (1851-1887) was a sibling of the last reigning king, King David Kalākaua and the last reigning monarch, Queen Lydia Lili‘uokalani. She married Scottish businessman Archibald Scott Cleghorn and was the mother of Princess Ka‘iulani. The name Likelike is a reduplication of the word like and in this case, means similar.
   See the Likelike entry in the Ali‘i Category.

How to pronounce Likelike: LEE–kay–LEE–kay
Do not pronounce this name so that it rhymes with Mike or bike.

 
like‘ole. stative verb. Various, different, not alike. Literally "not (‘ole) alike (like)." It may seem like the Hawaiian word like has been transliterated from the English word like, but the similarity of meaning and spelling is coincidental, or so the Boche would like us to believe. Also see like, ‘ole.

 
liliko‘i. noun. Passion fruit.
   See the liliko‘i entry in the Food & Drink Category.

 
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 Category.
   For a list of the ruling monarchs and a timeline, see mō‘ī (monarch).

How to pronounce Lili‘uokalani: lee–LEE–oo–[w]oh–kuh–LAH–nee
The two capitalized syllables in the pronunciation shown above are stressed and there is a w-glide.

  
lima. noun. Hand, arm.

lima. number. Five. Also see ‘alima, ‘elima.

 
limahana. noun. Labor, laborer, worker, employee.

limahana. stative verb. Industrious, busy.

 
limalima. transitive verb. To hire.

 
limu. noun. Seaweed. Also, the general name for any underwater plant.
   See the limu entry in the Food & Drink Category.

 
limu kohu. noun. One of the most liked edible seaweeds. A highly prized edible seaweed that can be pink or dark red in color. Also see limu.
   See the limu kohu entry in the Food & Drink Category.

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

 
lio. noun. Horse.
   See the lio entry in the Animals Category.

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

 
liona. noun. Lion. Transliterated from the English "lion."
   See the liona entry in the Animals Category.

 
loa. stative verb. Long, tall. The word loa is used in the place name Kualoa (long back).

loa. stative verb. Very.

 
loa‘a. stative verb. To find, get, obtain, acquire, earn, gain, receive.

 
lohe. transitive verb. To hear. Contrast with ho‘olohe (to listen).

 
lo‘i. noun. Irrigated food growing patch, especially for taro. 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.
   See the Lō‘ihi entry in the Hawai‘i Place Names Category.

lō‘ihi. (not Capitalized) noun. Length, height, distance.

lō‘ihi. (not Capitalized) stative verb. Long.

 
loio. noun. Lawyer, attorney. Transliterated from English "lawyer." The picture above shows Mark Bennett, Hawaii's Attorney General from 2003 to 2010 during the two-term administration of Republican Governor Linda Lingle. I really don't know how good an attorney general he was, but he seems like a great guy. It seems that everytime I've ever seen or heard him on TV, radio or elsewhere, he always likes to tell the joke about why after lawyers die they are always buried in much deeper graves than others. Why are lawyers buried in deeper graves? Because really deep down, lawyers are good people.

 
lōkahi. noun, stative 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."
   See the loke entry in the Plants Category.

 
lokelani. noun. Heavenly rose. Literally "heavenly (lani) rose (loke)." Rosa chinensis, a pink rose and the symbol of Maui. Also see lani, loke.
   See the lokelani entry in the Plants Category.

 
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).

 
lole wāwae. noun. Pants, trousers. Also see lole, wāwae.

 
loli. transitive verb. To change, transform, alter, influence.

 
lolo. noun. Brain.

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

 
lolo uila. noun. Computer. Literally "electric brain." Also see lolo, uila. Compare with kamepiula.

 
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.
   See the Lono entry in the Gods, Demigods and Mythical Beings Category.

 
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 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. The word lua is used in the place name Kailua (two seas). Also see ‘alua, ‘elua.

lua. noun. A Hawaiian martial art.

 
luahine. noun. Old woman.

luāhine. pluralized noun. Old women. Luahine 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.

 
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.
   See the lū‘au entry in the Food & Drink Category.
   See the lū‘au entry in the Plants Category.

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.

 
lūhe‘e. noun. Octopus lure. Octopus lures were made using the cowry shell (leho).

 
lulu. noun, intransitive verb. Calm, peace, shelter, protection. The word lulu is used in the place name Honolulu (protected bay). Compare with mālie (calm), malu (peace, shelter, protection).

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

 
lumi ‘aina. noun. Dinning room. Also see ‘aina, lumi.

 
lumi ‘au‘au. noun. Bathroom, restroom. Literally "wash room." Also see ‘au‘au, lumi. Compare with lumi ho‘opau pilikia.

 
lumi holoi. noun. Laundry room. Also see holoi, lumi.

 
lumi ho‘opau pilikia. noun. Bathroom, restroom. Also see ho‘opau, lumi, pilikia. Compare with lumi ‘au‘au.

 
lumi kuke. noun. KItchen. Also see kuke, lumi.

 
lumi moe. noun. Bedroom. Literally "sleeping room." Also see lumi, moe.

 
luna. locative noun. High, above, on top of, upper, up.

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 Category.
   For a list of the ruling monarchs and a timeline, see mō‘ī (monarch).

 
lupe. noun. Kite.

 
lu‘u. intransitive verb. To dive, plunge into water. Lu‘u is used in the place name Kahalu‘u (diving place) and in the place name Punalu‘u.

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