the hawaiian language. background pronunciation alphabet samples click the orchid to return home...
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BackgroundThe Hawaiian Language (Olelo Hawai’i) along with English is an official language of the state of Hawaii which became a state in 1959.
AlphabetThere are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet: five vowels – a,e,i,o,u and seven consonants – h,k,l,m,p,and w. The ‘okina is used between vowels to make a distant separation and is considered a consonant making 13 letters altogether.
Hawai’iA ‘okina is placed between double vowels to emphasize
the pronunciation of each vowel sound.
‘okina
PronunciationEvery letter is pronounced the same way each time and every
syllable ends in a vowel sound. The vowels sounds are:A – ahE – a (long a)I – e (long e)O- o (long o)U – oh
The seven consonants are always pronounced the same way. Explore some examples with this glossary of Hawaiian words.
Samples
Use the Hawaiian Electronic Library to try your own words.
beach
kahaone
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Samples
forest
ululāʻau
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Samples
Use the Hawaiian Electronic Library to try your own words.
volcano
luapele
Samples
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sunset
napoʻo ʻana o ka lā
Samples
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lava
ʻā pele (rough lava); pāhoehoe (smooth)
Samples
Use the Hawaiian Electronic Library to try your own words.
mountain
mauna
Samples
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coast
kapakai
Works Cited PageInformation:
"Hawaii Language - Hawaii Native Language." WanderPlanet Travel | Vacation with Travel Deals, Discount Hotels Resorts, Cheap Airfares, Car Rentals. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. <http://www.wanderplanet.com/vacation-hawaii/hawaii-language.htm>. "Hawaiian language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_language>. "Hawaiian Language." Hawaii Vacation Travel Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. <http://www.alternative-hawaii.com/hacul/language.htm>. "Nā Puke Wehewehe ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi." Nā Puke Wehewehe ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. <http://wehewehe.org/>. Information:
Images:
"Maps of Hawaii." Hawaiian Maps. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan. 2011. <www.hawaii-map.org/hawaii-map.jpg>. All other images are originals taken by Karen C. Seddon