• Home
  • About PubClub.com Nightlife Pubs And Clubs
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us

PubClub

Where The World Goes To Party! A Nightlife, Pop Culture & Travel Blog

Key Hawaiian Terms & Phrases To Help Know When You Visit Hawaii

August 15, 2022 by kevinwilkerson Leave a Comment

Waikiki Beach surfer girl
This whanie goes out for a surf at Waikiki Beach. Photo: PubClub.com




By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Travel Editor

As is the case when you visit any place, it is important to learn a few words and phrases of that destination. This separates you from the average tourist. In Hawaii, the island and the locals will fill you with the “Aloha spirit,” especially if you take the time to learn these key words and phrases of the Hawaiian language.

The Hawaiian Language – Key Words & Phrases

@pubclub.com Hawaiian Trivia-Hawaiian vs Aloha shirt. Do you know the difference? Aloha! #hawaii #hawiaan #hawaiianshirt #pubclub #trivia #traveltip ♬ original sound – PubClub

This is an unofficial unabridged list of Hawaiian words and phrases. In Hawaii, pronounce all the vowels in syllables, so the Likelike Highway is “lee-key, lee-key.”

• Aloha. Hello and goodbye It also means peace, goodwill and all things warm and fuzzy. Hawaii is very proud of its “Aloha Spirit,” which the locals spread throughout the islands.

• Bento. Box lunch, a Hawaiian food staple.

• Brah/Bruddah. A man. Usually the word is used to say hi to someone. Example, “Hey, bruddah, where are you going?” Pronounced “bra” and “brud-da.”

• Da. The, as in “da bruddah is over there.”

Hawaiian food
In Hawaii, people “grind” with food like these typical Hawaiian dishes. Photo: PubClub.com

• Grind. To eat. Pronounced “grine.”

• Hana Hou. Do it again. A crowd often yells it repeatedly it in a bar to encourage a band to continue playing. Pronounced “ha na HO.”

• Haole.A non-Hawaiian male, sometimes used by locals to describe a tourist.
Pronounced “HOW lee.”

• Hawaiian Time. Late, with a built-in 15-minute grace period.

• Howzit. Another way to say “Aloha.” Example: “Howzit brah?”
Pronounced “HOW zit.”

• Kane. A man. Pronounced “KA ne.”

• Keiki. Kids. Pronounced “KA key.

• Mahalo. Thank you. It is utilized frequently to acknowledge something nice someone does for you. Example: “Mahalo for the beer, brah.” Pronounced “ma HA lo.”

• Mainland. The continental United States.

Dukes Waikiki PubClub.com
Okoke maluna from the PubClub.com team in Hawaii! Photo: PubClub.com

• Okole Maluna. Cheers! This is a combination of these two words. Okole is your rear end and maula is the moon. So it quite literally means “bottoms up.”

• Ono. Delicious. Pronounced “OH no.”

• Pau/Pau hana. Pau means “finished” and pau Hana” means work. Locals may say “Pua hana, time for a cocktail,” meaning work is finished and it’s off to Happy Hour. Pronounced “pow HA na.”

• Puku. A hole. The white little shell necklaces are Puku necklaces. Pronounced “POO kah.

• Pupus. Appetizers (seen frequently on restaurant menus; there are also Pupus Platters, which are a variety of appetizers). Pronounced “Poo poos.”

• Shaka. The “thumbs up” hand single, meaning howzit. Pronounced “SHAH ka.”

Waikiki Beach bikini girls
These wahines are bikini babes on Waikiki Beach. Photo: PubClub.com

• Wahine. A woman. Pronounced “wa HEE nay.”

RELATED POST:

• Complete Hawaii Visitor’s Guide



Filed Under: Hawaii, Homepage Fun Stuff Tagged With: Key Hawaiian terms and phrases, PubClub.com, travel, words to know when you visit Hawaii

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

San Francisco New Year’s Eve Party At Cityscape Bar, The City’s Tallest Skybar

Attention Texas & Washington Fans: Here’s Your Complete Sugar Bowl New Orleans Guide

How To See Las Vegas New Year’s Eve Fireworks At Ghostbar In The Palms

Search

Today On PubClub.com

HOT NEWS HEADLINES
• Taylor Swift Is Time’s Person Of The Year
• Iowa Bar Gives Away Free Beer Because Hawkeyes Can’t Score In Big 10 Championship

LET’S BE SOCIAL!
 
PubClub.com is a member of the Travel & Tourism Marketing Association, Inc.​, and the Travel Massive chapters in Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange County (CA). It has been featured in USA Today, the LA Times and other top media outlets.

Contact Us

  • Home
  • About PubClub.com Nightlife Pubs And Clubs
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us

Destinations & Events

Subscribe To The Party Report

About PubClub.com

PubClub.com is a content-oriented nightlife tourist guide dedicated to social-minded travelers with articles on worldwide destinations such as Amsterdam, the Greek Islands, Prague, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Hawaii, Canada, and more. Top keywords for search are pubclub, pub club, party pubs, club pub, travel pub, pub club night, pubs and clubs and the pub club.
Read More...
Our Terms | Privacy

Legal

Ads

Powered by imFORZA