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

 
pia. noun. Beer. Transliterated from English "beer."
   See the pia entry in the Food & Drink Category.

pia. noun. Polynesian arrowroot.
   See the pia entry in the Food & Drink Category.
   See the pia entry in the Plants Category.

 
piha. stative verb. Full, full-blooded. Full-blooded, as a full-blooded Hawaiian (Hawai‘i piha).

 
pihi. noun. Button, badge. Compare with hō‘ailona (badge).

 
pīhoihoi. stative verb. Disturbed, worried excited, emotional, anxious, upset, astonished.

 
piholo. intransitive verb. To drown, sink.

 
pi‘i. intransitive verb. To climb, climb up, ascend, mount.

 
pīkake. noun. Peacock. Transliterated from English "peacock."
   See the pīkake entry in the Animals Category.

pīkake. noun. Arabian jasmine. An introduced plant. Princess Ka‘iulani was fond of both peacocks and the flower from this plant, so the plant and flowers were given the same name as the peacock (pīkake).
   See the pīkake entry in the Plants Category.

 
piko. noun. Navel, belly button.

 
pila. noun. Any string musical instrument. Transliterated from English.

pila. noun. Bill (document). Transliterted from English "bill."

pila. transitive verb. To make out a bill. Transliterted from English "bill."

 
pilau. noun, stative verb. Stench; to stink; putrid, spoiled, rotten.

 
pili. noun. Close relationship, relationship.

pili. intransitive verb. To cling, stick, adhere, touch, join, adjoin, associate with, be with, close, adjacent.

pili. noun. A type of grass. A grass formerly used to thatch houses.
   See the pili entry in the Plants Category.

 
pilikia. noun, intransitive verb. Problem, trouble. Pilikia is used in the expression "‘A‘ole pilikia" which means "no problem."

 
pilikino. stative verb. Personal, private, subjective, worldly.

 
piliona. number. Billion. Transliterated from English "billion."
   See the piliona entry in the Numbers Category.

Pilipino. stative verb. Filipino. Transliterated from English "Filipino." For Philippines, see ‘Āina Pilipino.

 
pinepine. stative verb. Often, frequently; frequent.

 
pi‘o. noun. Arch, arc, curve. The picture above shows Saint Louis Gateway Arch in Saint Louis, Missouri, the tallest man-made monument in the United States. Pi‘o is used in the place names Waipi‘o and Kapi‘olani.

pi‘o. stative verb. Bent, arched, curved.

pi‘o. noun. Marriage of full brother and sister of the nī‘aupi‘o rank.

 
pipi. noun. Beef, cattle, ox. Transliterated from English "beef." The image above shows a cow which is pipi wahine, literally "female beef." A bull is called a pipi kāne, literally "male beef."
   See the pipi entry in the Animals Category.
   See the pipi entry in the Food & Drink Category.

pipi. noun. Pearl oyster, Hawaiian pearl oyster. Compare with ‘ōlepe (oyster).

 
pipi‘i. intransitive verb. Expensive, high priced. Contrast with emi (cheap).

 
pipi kaula. noun. Jerked beef. Literally "rope beef." Beef that has been salted or marinated and dried to preserve it, then it is usually broiled before eating. Also see kaula, pipi.
   See the pipi kaula entry in the Food & Drink Category.

 
pipi kuapu‘u. noun. Bison. Literally "beef (pipi) [with] humped (pu‘u) back (kua)." Also see kua, pipi, pu‘u.
   See the pipi kuapu‘u entry in the Animals Category.

 
pō. noun. Night. Formerly pō meant the period of 24 hours beginning at nightfall; hence its meaning can also be day as in a 24 hour period, not just the time the sun is out. The days of Monday through Saturday, are named beginning with the word pō. For example, Monday is called Pō‘akahi which literally means "first day."

 
po-. prefix. Time. Used in the words pōmaika‘i and pō‘ino which literally mean "good (maika‘i) time" and "evil (‘ino) time", respectively; however, their meanings are more like good luck or fortunate for pōmaika‘i and Misfortune or bad luck for pō‘ino.

 
Pō‘ahā. noun. Thursday. Literally "fourth day." Also see ‘ahā, pō.

 
Pō‘akahi. noun. Monday. Literally "first day." Also see ‘akahi, pō.

 
Pō‘akolu. noun. Wednesday. Literally "third day." Also see ‘akolu, pō.

 
Pō‘alima. noun. Friday. Literally "fifth day." Also see ‘alima, pō.

 
Pō‘alima Maika‘i. noun. Good Friday. Literally "Good (Maika‘i) Friday (Pō‘alima)." Also see Maika‘i, Pō‘alima.
   See the Pō‘alima Maika‘i entry in the Important Days Category.

 
Pō‘alua. noun. Tuesday. Literally "second day." Also see ‘alua, pō.

 
Pō‘aono. noun. Saturday. Literally "sixth day." Also see ‘aono, pō.

 
po‘e. noun. People, population, group. Also see pae (group).
   See the po‘e entry in the Family & Relationships Category.

po‘e. plural marker. Can be used in place of the plural marker mau, for example: ka po‘e kāne = the men. Compare with mau.

 
poepoe. stative verb. Round, rounded, circular, full (as the moon).

poepoe. noun. Sphere.

 
pōhaku. noun. Rock, stone. The pictures above show the Rock of Gibraltar. Today, one of the tourist attractions of the Rock are some 230 Barbary Macaques monkeys that inhabit the upper areas of the Rock. Call me superstitious and an Anglophile, but I hope that the Barbary monkeys inhabit the Rock of Gibraltar forever, because legend has it that as long as the Barbary monkeys roam the Rock of Gibraltar, the territory will remain safely under British rule. Hail Britannia (Pelekania)!

pōhaku. stative verb. Rocky, stony.

 
poi. noun. Poi. A Hawaiian staple food made from cooked taro (kalo) corms which are pounded and thinned with water. Compare with pa‘i ‘ai.
   See the poi entry in the Food & Drink Category.

 
po‘imalau. noun. Portuguese man-of war. Contrast with pololia (jellyfish). Also for Portuguese, see Pukikī. For a website dedicated to Box Jellyfish and Man-of-War sting treatments and their Hawai‘i arrival dates, go to www.808jellyfish.com. Unlike the Box Jellyfish, the Man-of-War has no means of propulsion, but merely floats on the sea surface and is reliant upon the wind, currents and tides to get around.
   See the po‘imalau entry in the Sea Life Category.

 
poina. transitive verb. To forget. Contrast with ho‘omana‘o (rememeber).

 
poina ‘ole. transitive verb. Unforgetable. Also see ‘ole, poina.

 
pō‘ino. noun, stative verb. Misfortune, bad luck, ill fate, unfortunate. Literally "evil time." This term is comprised of two words, the suffix "pō- (time)" (not to be confuse with pō, the word for night) and ‘ino. Also see ‘ino, po-. Contrast with pōmaika‘i (good luck).

 
poke. transitive verb. To slice, cut crosswise into small pieces.

poke. noun. A raw fish salad. A name for the raw fish salad which consists of raw fish sliced into small pieces and other ingredients, served as an appetizer or main course.
   See the poke entry in the Food & Drink Category.

 
poko. stative verb. Short. Short version of pōkole. The word poko is used in the name Ko‘olau Poko, one of two districts (moku) that make up the windward (ko‘olau) side of O‘ahu.

 
pōkole. noun. Shortage, shortness.

pōkole. stative verb. Short, brief. Compare with poko (short).

 
Pokukala. place name. Portugal. For Portuguese, see Pukikī.
   See the Pokukala entry in the Non-Hawaiian Place Names Category.

Polenekia. place name, stative verb. Polynesia, Polynesian. Transliterated from English "Polynesia." Polynesia is from Greek meaning "many islands."
   See the Polenekia entry in the Non-Hawaiian Place Names Category.

 
poloka. noun. Frog, toad. Transliterated from the English "frog."

 
pololei. stative verb. Straight, correct, right, accurate. Compare with pono (correct or right).

 
pōloli. stative verb. Hungry.

 
pololia. noun. Jellyfish. Contrast with po‘imalau (Portuguese man-of-war). For a website dedicated to Box Jellyfish and Man-O-War sting treatments and their Hawai‘i arrival dates, go to www.808jellyfish.com.
   See the pololia entry in the Sea Life Category.

 
polū. stative verb. Blue. Transliterated from English "blue." The color blue, but not the blue of the sea or the sky. The image above shows the logo of "Big Blue (polū nui)."
   See the polū entry in the Color Category.

 
pōmaika‘i. noun, intransitive verb. Good luck; fortunate, lucky, blessed. Literally "good time." This term is comprised of two words, the suffix "pō- (time)" (not to be confuse with pō the word for night) and "maika‘i". Also see maika‘i, po-. Contrast with pō‘ino (bad luck). The picture above shows a building at 1804 Ala Moana street in Waikīkī. It is on the mauka side of Ala Moana, across the street from the new Grand Waikikian.

 
poni. stative verb. Purple. The picture above shows the purple finger of a female Iraqi voter. We can blame that horrible unspeakable monster and criminal warmonger George W. Bush for that. If only we could reinstall that charming and lovable dictator Saddam Hussein and go back to the way things were when Iraq was stable and at peace with the world. Iraqis are too backward to embrace democracy and besides women shouldn't be allowed to vote. The next thing you know, Iraqi women might start going around without their head-covering. And God forbid, they might even start driving. We all know that women don't know how to drive, especially Iraqi woman. Allowing an Iraqi woman to drive is no better than unleashing a blood thirsty homicidal bomber on humanity. Damn you George Bush, DAMN YOU TO HELL!
   See the poni entry in the Color Category.

 
pono. noun, stative verb. Rightous, proper, correct, right, just. The Hawai‘i State seal shows the state motto "Ua mau ke ea o ka ‘āina i ka pono" which means "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness." Compare with pololei (correct or right).

 
pono‘ī. noun, stative verb. Self, own, personal, private.

 
po‘o. noun. Head.

 
po‘okela. noun. Champion.

po‘okela. intransitive verb. Foremost, best, superior, supreme, greatest. Compare ‘oi (best).

 
pōpoki. noun. Cat. Transliterated from the English expression "poor pussy."
   See the pōpoki entry in the Animals Category.

 
pū. noun. Conch shell.

pū. noun. Cluster of tree stalks, as bananas (pū mai‘a) or pandanus (pūhala).
   See the pū entry in the Plants Category.

pū. particle. Together.

 
pua. noun, intransitive verb. Flower, blossom; to flower, to blossom. Pua is used in the name of a street in Waikīkī called Pualani Way (royal flower or heavenly flower).
   See the pua entry in the Plants Category.

 
pua‘a. noun. Pig, pork.
   See the pua‘a entry in the Animals Category.
   See the pua‘a entry in the Food & Drink Category.

 
pueo. noun. Hawaiian owl.
   See the pueo entry in the Animals Category.

 
pūhala. noun. Pandanus tree, screw pine tree. Also see hala, pū. Compare with hala (pandanus tree).
   See the pūhala entry in the Plants Category.

 
puhi. noun. Eel.
   See the puhi entry in the Sea Life Category.

puhi. transitive verb. To bake. Compare with kālua (bake), ‘oma (bake).
 
puka. noun. Hole. The image above shows a puka. About every 5 seconds, Jack Lord as Steve McGarrett will emerge from the opening in the hole.

puka. noun. Door, entrance, gate, opening.

puka. intransitive verb. To pass through, emerge.

puka. intransitive verb. To graduate.

 
puka aniani, pukāniani. noun. Window. Literally "transparent opening." Pukāniani is the contracted version and alternate spelling of puka aniani. Also see aniani, puka.

     
puke. noun. Book. Transliterated from English "book."
Here is a list of some Hawai‘i book publishers:
 Bess Press — www.besspress.com/
 Bishop Museum Press — www.bishopmuseum.org/press/press.html
 Hawaiian History Society — www.hawaiianhistory.org/
 Kamehameha Publishing — http://www.kamehamehapublishing.org/
 Mutual Publishing — www.mutualpublishing.com/default.aspx
 University of Hawai‘i Press — www.uhpress.hawaii.edu
 Watermark Publishing — www.bookshawaii.net/
 Nā Mea Hawai‘i - Not a publisher, but an online store and distributor of books, music and DVDs on just about everything Hawaiian and about Hawai‘i. — www.nativebookshawaii.com/

 
Pukikī. noun, stative verb. Portuguese. Transliterated from English "Portuguese."

 
pule. noun, transitive verb. Prayer; to pray.

pule. noun. Week.

 
pūlehu. transitive verb. To broil. To broil vegetables, as sweet potatoes or fruit, as breadfruit or bananas directly on coals or embers. Compare with kō‘ala (broil).

 
pulelehua. noun. Butterfly, moth, the Kamehameha butterfly. Pulelehua is a contraction of pulelo (float) and lehua (the flower). The butterfly floats from lehua flower to lehua flower. Also see lehua.
   See the pulelehua entry in the Animals Category.

 
pūlo‘ulo‘u. noun. A tapa covered ball on a staff. A tapa (kapa) covered ball on a staff carried before a chief, or placed at the gate or door of a chief as an insignia of kapu or sign of kapu.

 
pulu. stative verb. Wet, moist, soaked, saturated. The word pulu is used in the place name Ka‘elepulu (the moist blackness).

 
pumehana. noun, stative verb. Affection; warm, warm-hearted.

 
puna. noun. Spring (source of water). The word puna is used in the place name Punahou (new spring).

puna. noun. Coral, lime, plaster, morter.

puna. noun. Spoon. Transliterated form English "spoon."

 
Pūnaewele Puni Honua. noun. World Wide Web. Literally "network around the world." Also see honua, puni.

 
pūnana. noun, intransitive verb. Nest, to nest.

 
puni. stative verb. Surrounded. Puni is used in the name of a street in Waikīkī called Kapuni Street (the surrounding).

puni. transitive verb. To covet, desire, to be fond of.

puni. stative verb. Deceived, deluded.

 
punipuni. noun. Liar. A reduplication of puni. Compare with wahahe‘e.

punipuni. transitive verb. To lie, cheat. A reduplication of puni. Compare with wahahe‘e.

 
pū‘olē‘olē. noun. Conch horn. Also see pū (conch).

 
pū‘olo. noun. Bundle, package, container, parcel.

 
pūpū. noun. Shell. General name for marine and land shells. Pūpū is used in the place name Pūpūkea (white shell).

pūpū. noun. Hors d'oeuvre, appetizer.
   See the pūpū entry in the Food & Drink Category.

 
pupuka. stative verb. Ugly. Contrast with nani (beautiful).

 
pupule. stative verb. Crazy. Sometimes written with a kahakō as pūpule for emphasis.

 
pu‘u. noun. Hill. Can be used for any protuberance from a pimple to a hill.

 
pu‘uhonua. noun. Place of refuge.

 
pu‘uwai. noun. Heart (organ). Contrast with haka (the heart shape).

   
shaka. not a Hawaiian word. A hand gesture meaning something like "right on", a gesture of affirmation or approval. The word shaka is not a Hawaiian word, but the word and the gesture is of modern Hawai‘i origin. The origin of the hand gesture is attributed to the man Hamana Kalili of the town of Lā‘ie on the island of O‘ahu. Hamana Kalili lost the middle three fingers of one hand to a work place accident at the Kahuku Sugar Mill. Hamana was involved with the Church of Latter-Day Saints as choir director and at the annual hukilau fundraiser he would portray King Kamehameha. When he would raise his hand or waved, it was obvious that he was missing fingers, so kids and people began to imitate his wave. The gesture became a sign of affirmation or approval. For more about the shaka, see this Star-Bulletin article and an article at the Polynesian Cultural Center website. In addition to discussing the gesture, the Star-bulletin article also speculates on the origin and meaning of the word shaka.

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