Pronunciation

The Hawaiian spelling used today is basically the same as that established
by American missionaries in 1826, who were influenced by English
missionaries in the South Pacific. Hawaiian spelling is therefore very
similar to the spelling used for Sāmoan, Tahitian, Māori, and Tongan.

There are five vowel sounds:

A E I O U

and eight consonant letters:

H K L M N P W ‘ (‘okina)

Click on the link below to hear the letters pronounced, and follow
along by reading the text above it.

You will occasionally see other consonants used in Hawaiian; these are
referred to as huapalapala paipala—bible letters. We will not be
addressing these consonants and their use at this time.

 

Four important rules make the spelling of hua‘ōlelo Hawai‘i easy. If they
are studied carefully, they can be learned by everyone.

1. Every word must have at least one vowel.
2. There are no consonant clusters. (kl, mp, ‘n, etc.)
3. Words cannot end with a consonant. (This applies to the ‘okina also,
because it is a consonant.)
4. A kahakō occurs only over a vowel.
5. A common spelling mistake is the writing of one word as two. This
mistake often occurs in reduplicated words.

Listen to the words below and see how they are incorrectly and correctly spelled. Each word is pronounced twice, and there is a pause between each word so that you can mimic the pronunciation. Please repeat each word after it is pronounced.

Wrong!    >>   Right    >>   Meaning
lau-lau    >>   laulau    >>   a kind of food
pū-pū    >>   pūpū    >>   appetizers, a kind of snacks with drinks
mahi mahi    >>   mahimahi    >>   a fish
mu‘u mu‘u   >>    mu‘umu‘u    >>   a type of dress

 

The best way to make the connection between spelling and sound is through
simple hua‘ōlelo. Read along as the following words are pronounced. Do you know any of them?

Please repeat each word after it is pronounced.

pili (type of grass)   >>   hele (to go)
maka (eye)   >>   hana (to work)
holo (to run)   >>   hulu (feather)
pali (cliff)   >>   pale (pad)
huli (to turn)   >>   wela (hot)
piko (navel)   >>   peku (to kick)
imu (underground oven)   >>   ‘imo (to wink)

 

In standard Hawaiian pronunciation the consonants are very much like those
of English, except 'w'. Which is pronounced something like an English 'v'.

There are some hua‘ōlelo that are spelled either with or without a 'w' in
earlier writings. The 'w' in these words is never pronounced as a v and is
called the w-glide. The w-glide is the natural result of moving or gliding
from 'a', 'u' or an 'o' to another vowel. Today, many people do not write
the w-glide because it leads to confusion with the true 'w' letter. (Refer
to dictionary for alternate spellings.)

Please repeat each word after it is pronounced.

auwē   >>   auē   >>   Oh no!
kauwā   >>   kauā   >>   slave
kowali   >>   koali   >>   a kind of plant
uwila   >>   uila   >>   lightning

 

A symbol that was not used in missionary writing is the kahakō or macron.
The kahakō indicates that the vowel over which it is placed is drawn out,
and, therefore, that it is a long vowel in Hawaiian. Here are some words
which have the kahakō.

Please repeat each word after it is pronounced.

Kaimukī (a place on O‘ahu)
kālā (money)
pūpū (appetizers, snacks with drinks)
huhū (angry)
kāne (man)
pā‘ū (a type of dress worn by women horseback riders)

 

The eighth consonant in the Hawaiian alphabet is called the ‘okina, ‘u‘ina or glottal stop. The symbol for the ‘okina is a single open quote ( ‘ ). The vertical mark (') found in some type fonts for the single open quote
can also be used for the ‘okina. The apostrophe (’) is not an acceptable
symbol for the ‘okina because it serves a different function.

The missionary writing of Hawaiian did not consistently mark the ‘okina ,
probably because the glottal stop does not occur in written English.
Listed below are some words which have the ‘okina.

Please repeat each word after it is pronounced.

Moloka‘i (name of an island)
pua‘a (pig)
he‘e (squid)
O‘ahu (name of an island)

 

Read these pairs of hua‘ōlelo as they are pronounced. Some people cannot
tell them apart. Can you? Why do some people have trouble pronouncing
these words? Each pair of words is pronounced twice, and there is a pause
between each word so that you can mimic the pronunciation.

Please repeat each word after it is pronounced.

wae (choose the good ones)   >>    wai (fresh water)
hao (iron)   >>   hau (a type of tree)
moe (to lie down)   >>   moi (a type of fish)
pō (night)   >>   pou (a post)
hē (grave)   >>   hei (string figure on fingers)
poi (Hawaiian food)   >>   koe (remaining, left over)
lae (point of land)   >>   lai (type of fish)
wao (wilderness)   >>   wau (I, a pronoun)
hoi (type of vine)   >>   hoe (to paddle)
hou (new)   >>   hō (garden hoe)
nei (here, as in Hawai‘i nei)   >>   nē (murmur)
‘oi (best)   >>   ‘oe (you, singular)