Kaila Hawai'i

Today’s Hawaiian word of the day is kai a Pele, or tsunami or tidal wave.
The inspiration for today’s choice was obviously the events of this past February 27, 2010, following the oceanic surge sent throughout the Pacific Ocean by the Chilean quake. On a side note, I must say that some celebratory champagne from [...]

Today’s Hawaiian word of the day is nalu.
Nalu most commonly refers to the waves or surf of the moana, the ocean. It’s also a verb, showing the state of waves… Ke nalu nei ka moana, The ocean is full of waves.
Nalu carries more poetic, less obvious meanings, however.
In keeping with the concept of water and [...]

Today’s Hawaiian word of the day is honua, or world, earth, or land. It may also mean fundamental.
There is a quite beautiful ʻōlelo noʻeau (traditional saying) that refers to this great earth of Kāne, the Hawaiian akua of fresh water and life.
Ka honua nui a Kāne i hōʻinana a ‘ahu kīnohinohi.
{The great Earth animated and [...]

Today’s Hawaiian word of the day is one, or sand.
One kind of black sand, specifically that created from ʻaʻā lava (the rocky, slow-moving variety), is called one ʻā. The phrase can also refer to volcanic cinder as well as gunpowder.  Recounting the fiery power of Pele, the famous traditional hula “Puʻu Onioni” speaks of one [...]

Today’s Hawaiian word of the day is waiūpa‘a, or cheese.
Admittedly, waiūpa‘a is not one of the first culinary words to pop in my head when I’m thinking in Hawaiian. The usual words are poke, ‘uala, or ‘awa. But waiūpa‘a became part of my vocabulary by a happy surprise when visiting Whole Foods Kāhala a few [...]

Today’s Hawaiian word of the day is uli, a word with a rich depth of meaning.
Uli can refer to any dark color from the black of dark clouds to the blue of the deep ocean to the verdant green of cliffs. Even the dark color of a bruise, such as a black eye, can be [...]

Today’s Hawaiian word of the day is ‘iwa, or the frigate bird, one of the most famed birds of Hawai‘i.
The ʻiwa appears in the kaʻi, or entrance hula, “Hoʻopuka ka lā i ka hikina” (The Sun Rises in the East”):
Haʻa mai nā ʻiwa me Hiʻiaka.
The ʻiwa dance forth with the Goddess Hiʻiaka.

Today’s Hawaiian word is hīhīmanu. I particularly like it because it may refer to the ocean, the land, or aestheics. The Hawaiian Dictionary tells us that hīhīmanu can translate into English as three distinctive things:

sting rays or eagle rays
elegant, lavish, magnificent
a peak on the island of Kaua‘i

The linguistic example that Pukui and Elbert provide is: [...]

You may perhaps call this an ultimate expression of dorkiness, but with the recent release of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek on DVD, I have found myself wondering how to say some of the series classic lines ma ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i. While this may seem entirely purposeless, one way that the Hawaiian language will survive centuries [...]