Before you head to Hawaii learn a bit about ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi

It’s a little-known fact that February (Pepeluali) is Hawaiian language month. It’s the time when locals, travellers and tourist come together to appreciate the Hawaiian language (ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi) for its role in the archipelago’s history and culture.

But first, let’s take a look at the history of ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.

It’s one of the oldest living languages in the world and has a tumultuous history. ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi came to the Hawaiian shores along with the first people to arrive from the ancestral homelands of Polynesia. The language evolved alongside the culture into the nuanced, multi-layered ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i we know today.

The Hawaiian language was expected to be extinct toward the end of the 20^th century, but through something of an ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi “renaissance” over the past 40 years more people are interested in learning the language again.

This means that Hawaiian is being taught in language immersion schools, and you can even obtain a Master’s degree in the Hawaiian language from the University of Hawaii (if that’s something you’d like to do).

Couple ordering at a local eatery | Location: Arvo, Salt at our Kakaako, Oahu | Credit: Hawaii Tourism Authority (HTA) / Ben Ono

Here’s a few obscure facts for you about the Hawaiian language:

Official Hawaiian language

Forty years ago ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (the native Hawaiian language) was officially incorporated into the state constitution as the state language, alongside English. This makes Hawaii the only U.S state with two official languages.

The Hawaiian alphabet has 13 letters

People are always shocked to learn when another language doesn’t have 26 letters. Italian has 21 letters, Russian has 33 letters, and Greek has 24, but I was astounded when I found out that Hawaiian has 13 letters. All the English vowels are there—A, E, I, O, U—along with seven consonants—H, K, L, M, N, P, W and the ‘okina symbol which is a glottal stop.

Secrets in the Hawaiian Alphabet

Hawaiian words may start with any letter but always end in a vowel. Every consonant is always followed by a vowel and the syllables in their words consist only of one or two letters, never longer.

Here are a few words and phrases to learn before you go and explore the Hawaiian Islands:

Aloha – Hello / Goodbye

Pronounced a-lo-ha

Can mean either hello or goodbye. It also means peace and affection. Hawaiians greet each other with aloha, treat each other with aloha, and drive with aloha. This means that they have respect for each other in all they do.

Mahalo – Thank you

Pronounced mah-hah-loh

Mahalo nui loa – Thank you very much

Pronounced: mah-hah-loh noo-ee loh-wah

‘Ono grinds – Delicious food

Pronounced oh-no grinds

A hui hou – Until we meet again

Pronounced ah-hoo-wee-ho-oo-uu

A’ ole palikir – You’re welcome/ No problem

Pronounced ah-oh-leh pee-lee-kee-yah

Check out this interactive Hawaiian Pronunciation Guide to play audio clips and enjoy learning some more of the most commonly used words and phrases of the Hawaiian language.

E ola mau ka ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi! Let the Hawaiian language live forever!

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