Hawaiian Word of the Day: April 10th
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Pēlā means “in that way.” And pēlā nō means: that's so, that's it, that's how it is, exactly. It's a handy word to know and our Hawaiian word for today. Pēlā nō – that's it.
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20h ago
Hawaiian Word of the Day: April 9th
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Most of us know ipu to be the gourd we see and hear in the hands of many hula dancers and chanters. But it also has other meanings – it can be used to mean any kind of container; even a dish, mug, calabash, pot, cup, urn, bowl, or a utensil.
on Wed, 3PM
Hawaiian Word of the Day: April 7th
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Lawelawe means "to serve, work for, minister to, tend, attend to." When you serve dinner, that's what you're doing, lawelawe.
on Mon, 3PM
National Endowment for the Humanities terminates grants awarded to local organizations
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The U.S. Department of Government Efficiency is demanding deep cuts to the National Endowment for the Humanities. Those cuts include the agency's grant programs, reducing its staff and rescinding grants.
on Sat, 3AM
Hawaiian Word of the Day: April 4th
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Most of us have seen the Hawaiian word ʻōpala, and know it to mean rubbish or garbage, so by adding the causative prefix hoʻo, we can make it mean “to litter.” The new word is hoʻōpala.
on Fri, 7PM
Hawaiian Word of the Day: April 3rd
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Our Hawaiian word for today is mea maʻa mau, meaning a common thing. Be sure to sound the glottal stop or ʻokina when you say maʻa.
on Apr 3
Hawaiian Word of the Day: April 2nd
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Our Hawaiian word for today is ʻauhau, it means tax. And yes, it's that time of the year again. As you work on your taxes, remember this Hawaiian word: ʻauhau.
on Apr 2
Hawaiian Word of the Day: April 1st
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Our Hawaiian word for today is another borrowed word, ʻApelila is how we say April in Hawaiian. We borrowed ʻApelila from the English language, which borrowed it in turn from Latin. It is the fourth month of the year.
on Apr 1
Hawaiian Word of the Day: March 31st
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Hoʻokaʻaʻike means to communicate. There's a lot more to communicating than just talking, and you'll find this new word very handy.
on Apr 1
Researchers say state funding is crucial to climate data collection
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Lawmakers are advancing a bill to fund a new climate center, which researchers say is critical to the continued collection of climate data. It would employ local climate scientists whose work is currently dependent on federal dollars.
on Mar 29
Hawaiian Word of the Day: March 28th
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Our Hawaiian word for today is lawa, enough. You might hear it from a hula dancer who wants to end the song right then and there, and who tells the singer, “Lawa, enough already.” Or “aʻohe lawa ka manawa” – “there is not enough time.”
on Mar 29
Maui County budget proposal written in ʻOlelo Hawaiʻi for the first time in 100 years
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Maui County's $1.5 billion proposed budget for fiscal year 2026 focuses on recovery, resilience and investments across the county. For the first time in 100 years, the budget will be delivered in both English and ‘Olelo Hawai’i.
on Mar 28
Hawaiian Word of the Day: March 27th
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Pololei means correct. Pololei ʻoe means “you are correct.”
on Mar 27
Hawaiian Word of the Day: March 26th
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Iwakālua, meaning twenty, is our Hawaiian word for today, and a good one to learn since it is a little different from all the other numbers in our counting.
on Mar 26
Hawaiian Word of the Day: March 25th
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Pulelehua is the Hawaiian word for butterfly. There are so many beautiful butterflies in Hawaiʻi, it's good to know what to call them.
on Mar 25
Hawaiian Word of the Day: March 24th
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Our Hawaiian word for today is something we all like to eat, often with kālua pig. Kāpiki means cabbage. The next time you order kālua pig and cabbage, call it kāpiki.
on Mar 25
Hawaiian Word of the Day: March 20th
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If you listen to Hawaiian speakers, you often hear the word mea. Mea just means “thing,” and it can be used in so many different ways, usually with a modifier. A mea hula is a dancer, a mea nui is a large or important thing, and a mea oli is a chanter.
on Mar 20
Hawaiian Word of the Day: March 19th
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Our Hawaiian word for today is another common one, a word we can all use everyday. ʻŌmole is the Hawaiian word for jar, any kind of jar.
on Mar 19
Hawaiian Word of the Day: March 18th
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We all have them, and we all clean them, and we should know what to call them. Our Hawaiian word for today is niho, for tooth. Next time you're going to see your dentist, remember today's word: niho. See if the dentist knows how to say the word “tooth” in Hawaiian!
on Mar 19
Hawaiian Word of the Day: March 11th
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Wānana means “prediction or to predict, to foresee, foretell or to prophesy.”
on Mar 12
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on Mar 11
Hawaiian Word of the Day: March 7th
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Hoʻomākaʻikaʻi means to escort or take someone on a tour like we often do for visiting friends.
on Mar 7
Hawaiian Word of the Day: March 5th
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Hapalua means “half,” a very handy word. Hapalua kālā would be a half dollar, and hapalua kālani would be a half gallon.
on Mar 5
Hawaiian Word of the Day: March 4th
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Helu kuhi means zip code. Remember to use a helu kuhi, or zip code, when addressing your envelopes!
on Mar 4
Hawaiian Word of the Day: February 28th
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Most people know the ipu as a musical instrument made out of a gourd. But ipu is a general word used for any type of container. Such as a: dish, mug, calabash, pot, cup, bowl, basin, or even a utensil.
on Feb 28
Hawaiian Word of the Day: February 27th
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We all fill out forms, and you should know that those blanks you must fill in are hakahaka. Hakahaka just means “vacant space,” like those blanks on a form.
on Feb 27
Hawaiian Word of the Day: February 26th
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ʻAle is a wave out at sea, not to be confused with nalu, a wave or surf nearing land. A better English equivalent might be a billow.
on Feb 26
Hawaiian Word of the Day: February 25th
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Hawaiian word for today is kaʻa mio. Kaʻa is a “car,” and by adding mio that makes it a sports car. Mio means to move swiftly. You might not own a kaʻa mio, but we all see them driving by. And now you know what to call them in Hawaiian.
on Feb 25
Hawaiian Word of the Day: February 24th
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Pāʻia means noisy. It is best known as a small town in East Maui, and because it is so often misspelled, it is mispronounced.
on Feb 24
Hawaiian Word of the Day: February 21st
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Wakinekona is a Hawaiian-ization, if you will, of Washington. It is how we say the name of the state, the nation's capital, and the first president of the United States. Wakinekona — a borrowed word for Washington.
on Feb 21
Hawaiian Word of the Day: February 20th
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Did you ever sit on a stool without a back and wonder what to call it in Hawaiian? Well, you might say noho kū.
on Feb 20
Hawaiian Word of the Day: February 19th
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Our Hawaiian word for today is leo ʻekolu, literally third voice, it is how we say tenor in Hawaiian. Leo means voice, and ʻekolu means three. Not counting falsetto, leo ʻekolu is the highest of the male voices.
on Feb 20
Hawaiian Word of the Day: February 18th
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Although many people use kaona to mean town, you may also say kūlanakauhale for town or city.
on Feb 18
Hawaiian Word of the Day: February 14th
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Another of our beautiful place names so often mispronounced is Kuapā. Kuapā is the old name for Maunalua Fish Pond where the Hawaiʻi Kai Marina is now located. Kuapā was partly filled in when Hawaiʻi Kai was built.
on Feb 14
Hawaiian Word of the Day: February 13th
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Not to be confused with kamaliʻi, which means children, kamāliʻi means royal child. Kamāliʻi has a macron or kahakō over the second letter “a” — that's the difference between the two words. So a kamāliʻi kane is a prince.
on Feb 14
Hawaiian Word of the Day: February 11th
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Pu'uwai means heart. And since it is that time of the year when we all celebrate Valentine's Day with hearts and flowers, you'll find a use for this handy word.
on Feb 11
Hawaiian Word of the Day: February 10th
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Pea ki'i is one way to say teddy bear. And lots of folks are probably shopping for those cuddly little toys as Valentine's Day approaches.
on Feb 10
Asia Minute: Spicy South Korean ramen fires up international controversy
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A food that's popular in Hawaiʻi is causing an international controversy this week. The story is about ramen — spicy ramen — and a government that has stepped in with its own judgment about how hot is too hot. HPR's Bill Dorman has more in today's Asia Minute.
on Feb 9
Hawaiian Word of the Day: February 7th
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Our Hawaiian word for today is something relatively new to Hawai'i. Nuʻuoʻa means high rise, and it wasn't too many years ago that there were no high rises in Hawai'i. That's still true on some islands, but there are plenty of them on Oʻahu.
on Feb 7
Hawaiian Word of the Day: February 6th
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ʻOhana ʻālani, or orange family, is how we say citrus in Hawaiian. ʻOhana of course is family. And ʻālani for orange.
on Feb 6
Hawaiian Word of the Day: February 5th
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Ulia kaʻa is an auto accident, and we hope you never have one. But if you do, you'll know what to call it, ulia kaʻa.
on Feb 5
Hawaiian Word of the Day: February 4th
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ʻAha mele means concert. ʻAha is a gathering, and mele is music. So ʻaha mele is a concert.
on Feb 4
Hawaiian Word of the Day: February 3rd
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Kaila hou is how we say modern in Hawaiian. Literally it means new style. Kaila means style and hou for new.
on Feb 3
U.S. Mint's new $1 coin features Native Hawaiian scholar Mary Kawena Pukui
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A new $1 coin will feature a Native Hawaiian scholar that many credit for preserving and protecting ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. The U.S. Mint’s 2025 Native American coin features Mary Kawena Pukui — a scholar, author, composer, hula expert and educator.
on Feb 2
Hawaiian Word of the Day: January 31st
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Kanu means to bury or to plant something, almost anything. If you dig a hole and put something into it, that is what you are doing.
on Jan 31
Hawaiian Word of the Day: January 30th
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Often times at vigils and some rallies, you see people carrying lighted candles. Well, our Hawaiian word for today is ihoiho, for candle.
on Jan 30
Hawaiian Word of the Day: January 29th
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Since the legislature is in session, ʻaha ʻōlelo seems to be a good Hawaiian word for today. Whether you like what they do or not, call that body an ʻaha ʻōlelo.
on Jan 29
Hawaiian Word of the Day: January 28th
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We all know that waiwai is rich and riches, and we hear it so often. But how do we say poor in Hawaiian? ʻIlihune and that's our Hawaiian word for today. And it means just that, poor, impoverished.
on Jan 28
'Lahaina Town' tribute song written by a Kula musician releases a music video
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The song pays tribute to the victims of the 2023 Lahaina wildfires. The music video features sweeping shots of Maui vistas and behind-the-scenes video of local musicians recording the track. Among the featured artists are John Cruz and Willie Nelson’s son, Lukas.
on Jan 26
Hawaiian Word of the Day: January 24th
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Our Hawaiian word for today is kinipōpō pōhīnaʻi. Kinipōpō means ball, and pōhīnaʻi means the sport of basketball. So the ball used in basketball is a kinipōpō pōhīnaʻi.
on Jan 25