The Hawaiian Language
In the Hawaiian language, an `okina (`) or glottal stop is frequently seen between two vowels. A glottal stop indicates a total break in sound, so whenever you see one, pause for a second as if you were saying "uh-oh." "Hawaii" doesn't get one because without one it means the state of Hawaii and with a stop it means the Big Island of Hawai`i.
The Hawaiian alphabet (the shortest in the world) contains only 12 letters – the five vowels (a, e, i, o, u) and seven consonants (h, k, l, m, n, p and w). You'll soon figure this out when every name of every street, beach, park, town and Hawaiian person seem to be all "K"s and "W"s.
The sounds of the letters are the same as in English except in the case of the "v" which is often pronounced as a "w." For example, many people pronounce the state as "Ha-vi-e." The language isn't as simple as it seems – the Hawaiian language has 33 words to describe a cloud and 179 terms for sweet potatoes.
When trying to navigate through the Hawaiian language, it may be easier if you break the words into syllables. Hawaiian syllables never contain more than one consonant (h, k, l, m, n, p, w) and each syllable must end with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u). If you follow these rules, you'll realize that each word in the Hawaiian language ends with a vowel.
One of the most popular and intriguing words in the Hawaiian language is the name of the unofficial state fish – the Humuhumunukunukuapua`a! If you break it down, it is a bit easier and can actually be fun (kids love it!). Try Hu-mu-hu-mu-nu-ku-nu-ku-a-pa-a-`a.
Da Pidgin Guide
Pidgin is slang used on the islands by locals. It is not recommended that you use it casually – some people might think that you're making fun of them. If you want to learn more about pidgin, ask a local to explain some terms. In order to understand pidgin a little better, you may want to browse through these definitions:
an' den – and then
broke da mouth – if you eat something and it was really good then it is "broke da mouth"
brah – All guys call each other this, a greeting for locals ("whassup brah?")
da – the
da kine – When you can't think of the word you mean to say, you just say "da kine," i.e. "Where did I put the da kine?" You could be looking for any thing – your car, your lunch, your kid....
fo real – This can be a question or a statement. "Fo real?" could be a question meaning "Really?" Or it could mean agreement to a statement as if someone says, "That ahi dinner hit the spot." The reply, "Fo real," implies agreement.
garans – Guaranteed
garans ballbarans – Also means guaranteed and if you're fortunate enough to have the name "Sharon" as I do, you will probably be called Sharon Ballbarans for the rest of your life.
grind – eat ("I'm so hungry, I'm gonna grind so hard")
grinds – food ("Let's go get some grinds in Hale`iwa")
haole – Caucasian
haole feet – tenderfoot (what you say when you see a pale tourist running across the beach because the sand is so hot)
hele on – moving on
holoholo – to go out ("Let's go holoholo tonight")
howzit? – common greeting meaning "How is everything?"
junk – lousy, horrible ("Last night was so junk")
laydahs – later ("See ya laydahs")
mo bettah – more better (a popular catchphrase on Moloka`i where you'll see the "Moloka`i mo bettah" slogan all over the place)
okole – butt, bottom
ono – delicious ("This poke is so ono")
pakalolo – marijuana
pau – finished, done
pau hana – finished with work (also the name for the beer/drink that you have after work, i.e., "Did you have a pau hana yet?")
puka – hole ("My shirt has a tiny puka")
shaka – hand signal waving thumb and pinky
shishi – pee (used to ask children – "Do you have to go shishi?"
sistah – sister
slippahs – flip flops
stink eye – a dirty look ("That girl over there is giving you stink eye")
talk story – casual talk or gossip ("I'm going to go over to Vinnie's to talk story")
tanks - thanks
tink – think ("I tink I saw a shark in the water")
