Say Hello in the Hawaiian Language
Hawai’i
A popular tourist attraction, Hawai’i is home to relaxing beaches, active volcanoes, and mountains – truly the best of all words.
It is the only state in the U.S. with two official languages – Hawaiian and English. While Hawaiian has been known to be severely endangered for the longest time, it has been reintroduced over the last few decades through Hawaiian immersion schools where children and adults alike can gain exposure to the lost language. According to a 2016 report by the state government, at least 18,000 people in Hawai’i speak both Hawaiian and English in their homes today.
So, if you’re looking to make a trip there, you could do your part to keep the language alive by familiarizing yourself with some commonly used Hawaiian greetings and phrases. To help, we answer a few common questions like:
- How do you say hi in Hawaii?
- How do you say hello in Hawaiian and introduce yourself?
- What are the Hawaiian words for “thank you” and “you’re welcome”?
| English: | Hello | My name is |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaiian: | Aloha | ‘O-(your name), ko’u inoa |
| Pronunciation: | Ah-loh-hah | OH-(your name), KOH-oo EE-noh-ah |
While aloha literally means love, it is commonly how you say hello in Hawaiian. In fact, it’s quite popular as a greeting across the world as it expresses peace, respect, and compassion. And much like in most languages, there are variations of aloha to greet people at different times of the day:
- Aloha kakahiaka (pronounced a-loh-ha kah-kah-hee-yah-kah) – used to wish someone a good morning
- Aloha ‘auinalā (pronounced a-loh-ha ah-wee-na-lah) – used while wishing someone a good afternoon
- Aloha ahiahi (pronounced a-loh-ha a-hee-yah-hee) – used to say good evening
If you want to express gratitude, mahalo (pronounced mah-hah-loh) is the Hawaiian word for “thank you.” The response to mahalo would be ’a’ ole palikir (pronounced ah-oh-leh pee-lee-kee-yah), which means “you’re welcome.”
Did You Know You Were Speaking Hawaiian?
Words in English from the Hawaiian language:
| lei | lānai |
| lū’au | hula |
| aloha | ‘ukulele |
Hawaiian Alphabet
Learn the basics of the Hawaiian Alphabet here:
Learning Hawaiian
Get acquainted with the basics of the Hawaiian language here:
Hawaiian Culture
Learn more about the Hawaiian culture from these diverse sources:
Who Can You Talk To?
There are around 2,000 people in Hawai’i and California in the United States of America who speak Hawaiian.
Now, you can say hello in Hawaiian to at least 2,000 people!*
*Source: Ethnologue: Hawaiian – (Register for free to access.)
Say Hello to the World was created by Lorri Mon.
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