A number of Hawaiian words have made their way into the English language. Within Hawai'i, an English-speaking state in the United States, the number of Hawaiian words used in everyday conversation is quite large, so the listing here is presumably limited to those words that are known or used by persons otherwise not especially familiar with Hawaiian English. The list could as well include many place names, such as Hawaii and Waikiki, which are "Hawaiian words" known and used by English language speakers who have never lived in Hawai'i. Some Hawaiian names used for children, especially girls, are presently popular in the U.S., although most Americans would not know the meaning of the words.
See also
- aa
- a kind of rough-surface volcanic rock
- akamai
- A hawaiian word meaning "intelligent" or "clever"
- aloha
- Hawaiian word for "hello", "goodbye", and "love"; outside of Hawai'i, only the "hello" (or "goodbye") meaning is common
- haole
- Hawaiian for "foreign" or "foreigner"
- hula
- the ancient Hawaiian form of dance; also see hula hoop
- kahuna
- Hawaiian priest, wizard, shaman; used in the slang phrase "big kahuna"
- pahoehoe
- a kind of smooth-surface volcanic rock
- lei
- a garland of flowers and/or leaves to be worn
- luau
- a Hawaiian feast
- ohana
- Hawaiian word for "family"
- poi
- Hawaiian food made from mashing corms of the taro plant
- ukulele
- a musical intrument; in Hawaiian the word means "jumping flea"
- wiki
- Hawaiian for "fast"; used in "Wikipedia"
See also: Lists of English words of international origin.
Last updated: 08-28-2005 12:23:07
