Do you speak Hawaiian ?

Don't worry if your heading to Hawaii for a vacation and don't speak Hawaiian. your English will get you by for sure!

Occasionally some signs are in Hawaiian (like for the restrooms) so learning a few Hawaiian phrases is both helpful and fun.


Hawaii’s two official languages are Hawaiian and English. The melodious Hawaiian language is a Polynesian dialect and only has 13 letters. Vowel sounds are generally pronounced as follows:

a	ah, as in "saw"
e	ay, as in "say"
I	ee, as in "see"
o	oh, as in "so"
u	oo, as in "soon"

A few words you should know:

Aloha:

A greeting with love, Hello, Good-bye and more

Hula:

traditional Hawaiian dance

Mahalo:

Thank you

Lei:

A flower garland given for an occasion

Wahine:

Woman

Kane:

Man

Keiki:

Child

‘Ohana:

Family

‘Ono:

delicious

Pau:

Finished