‘Olelo Hawaii: A Few Words to Know Before You Go

Mo’olelo: a myth or story passed down.

Ali’i is the royal class, just below the gods.

Nui means big or great so Ali’i Nui is the supreme leader… like Ali’i Kahekili Nui Ahumanu – the last ruler of the Maui empire with half his body tattooed black. It’s also the name of a park in Ka’anapali which used to be called Airport Beach.

Mo’i is the king or highest ranking of the Ali’i.

Kuleana means responsibility or order – integral to the Hawaiians. This word is used often in the Ni’ihau documentary.

Mauka – Toward the mountains. This is important when receiving directions in Hawaii since no one really uses street names or highway numbers… “Head Ka’anapali, we live just Mauka of the Pukalani farmer’s market…”

Makai – Sea side. Locals are not going to say “park on the West side of the driveway” but “park makai.” Above epic makai side.

Malama means to take care, and it’s often used in regards to the land: Malama Aina. Aina is the land. Please remember we are all visitors here on these sacred islands, so let’s make good decisions to protect our lands for future generations. Easy ways to help: reduce, re-use and recycle… cut down on single-use plastic: water bottles, plastic bags, plastic straws, and plastic cutlery. Pick up plastic bits on the beaches;  more info here.

Kama’aina – A kama’aina is a local or someone who lives in Hawaii, “of the Aina” (land).  But now it seems to mean someone with a Hawaii driver’s license who qualifies for a discount.

Mahalo means thank you. Some might think it means “trash” because it is written on so many trash cans… so Mahalo Nui means big thanks. Mahalo Nui Loa means thank you so so much and I got your back. Avoid Mahalo Nui Loa unless someone has saved your life.

Pakalolo is marijuana, literally the crazy weed (paka = weed, lolo = crazy). This probably doesn’t need explanation, but I wouldn’t want you to eat a green pakalolo cookie in the morning by mistake because no one told you what that herb was…

Ukus are the little varmits that live in da keiki hair, otherwise known as lice. If the word uku is mentioned or someone is scratching their head like crazy, get out of there and wash your hair with the Listerine. Literally soak your head in a tub of that amber-colored Listerine and then comb with a fine-tooth comb. Why Ukulele? Because da fingers jump like ukus on the strings.

Lanai is the veranda or patio – above lanai at Kahana Reef.

 Lanai is also the name of one of the islands you can see from Lahaina town.

Haole – Caucasian, or visitor. Apparently means “no breath” in Hawaiian but we use it widely just to mean a white person… for me, “haole” also has a connotation of being a kook, as in “they came into the restaurant, all haole’d out.”

Why is Spam featured in a blog on the Hawaiian language? Why da choke spam in Hawaii? Hawaii consumes more cans of spam per person than any other state with 7 million cans sold annually.  Because it has a long shelf life and is a comfort food here… it’s a local staple. You will see Spam musubi is everywhere – try it!

Some Tips

I suggest using Hawaiian or pidgin words sparingly… You wouldn’t visit New Jersey and suddenly start speaking like Robert De Niro and saying “fuhgeddaboudit”… Don’t throw in more than one pidgin or Hawaiian word in each conversation. It can be perceived as being patronizing.

Avoid overused words like Aloha and Mahalo, and especially not both together at the end of an email for instance… If you just moved here, avoid using too many Hawaiian words on your voicemail greeting (AlohaKaren@gmail.com), and do consult a kumu (teacher) first before giving your child a Hawaiian name or getting a Hawaiian expression tattoo. You’ll understand what I mean a year or two later after living here!