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When pidgin words are included in the glossary below, we’ll let you know that it is not a Hawaiian word.Īkua: Hawaiian gods. Pidgin or Hawaiian Creole is a combination of Hawaiian, English, and other languages, primarily Chinese, Japanese, and Portuguese. Hawaiian pidgin developed as a third language between people from different cultures who were living and working on the sugar and pineapple plantations in the late 19 th century. If you wish to study more about the Hawaiian language, see the list of resources after the glossary. pau means finished, ended, completed, or done.It can take some practice if you are learning the language. The change in pronunciation can be hard to distinguish. The presence (or absence) of the okina changes the meaning.Īnd of course, the presence of a macron can change things again. Different vowels can also have an ‘okina between them. Two of the same vowel most often have an ‘okina between them. In addition, there are vowel combinations or diphthongs. (If you happen to speak Spanish, Hawaiian vowels are pronounced the same way.)Ī macron over the vowel (ā,ē,ī,ō,ū) changes the pronunciation to a longer sound and also changes the meaning of a word. Vowels a, e, i, o, u are pronounced ah, eh, ee, oh, oo. But they are routinely spelled Hawaii and luau, which is incorrect. A missing okina may change meaning and pronunciation of a word, which can cause confusion.įor example, the correct spelling of two very common words is Hawai’i and lūʻau. You will find the okina used at the beginning of a word or between two vowels but never between consonants. The okina or glottal stop, indicates a pause or break in the word.
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The Hawaiian alphabet consists of 10 vowels (a,e,i,o,u,ā,ē,ī,ō,ū) and 8 consonants (h,k,l,m,n,p,w), including the okina ( ‘ ). The government of Hawaii recognizes both Hawaiian and English as state languages. Hawaiian words and phrases used on this website are linked to definitions in this glossary.