Wikijunior:Languages/Hawaiian

What writing system(s) does this language use? edit

Hawaiian uses the Latin alphabet, just like English. However, it only uses the letters a, e, i, o, u, h, k, l, m, n, p, w. The five vowels (a, e, i, o, u) use macrons, which are lines written over the letter to make the sound longer (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū). There's also the ʻokina, which looks like this: ʻ. It tells you that you should put a short break between two letters, like the short pause you hear in the word uh-oh.

How many people speak this language? edit

There are about 200 native speakers of Hawaiian. There is a total of about 27,000 people who can speak Hawaiian. Many people are starting to learn Hawaiian, especially little kids, who learn Hawaiian at special schools. Some of these children learn Hawaiian and English at the same time, so they become bilingual.

 

native speaker — someone who learned to speak a language as a child.

 

bilingual — being able to speak two languages without any trouble.

Where is this language spoken? edit

Hawaiian is mainly spoken in Hawai'i. Most of the people who live on the island of Ni'ihau are native speakers. There are also some speakers on the mainland United States.

What is the history of this language? edit

Hawaiian has been spoken in Hawaii since 1000 A.D.

Who are some famous authors or poets in this language? edit

What are some basic words in this language that I can learn? edit

Nā aloha Greetings
Aloha Hello, goodbye, love
Aloha kakahiaka Good morning
Aloha awakea Good mid-day
Aloha ʻauinalā Good afternoon
Aloha ahiahi Good evening
Pehea ʻoe How are you?
Nā pane Responses
ʻAe Yes
ʻAʻole No
Paha Maybe/probably
Nā māmalaʻōlelo Phrases
Aia i hea? Where?
Mahalo. Thanks.
Aloha wau iā ʻoe. I love you.
E ʻoluʻolu... Please...
ʻAʻole pilikia. No problem.
  • ke kai - the sea
  • ka moana - the ocean
  • ke kupuna - the grandparent/ancestor
  • ka mele - the song

What is a simple song/poem/story that I can learn in this language? edit

ʻEkolu Mea Nui edit

ʻEkolu Mea Nui

ʻEkolu mea nui ma ka honua
ʻO ka manaʻoʻiʻo, ka manaʻolana,
A me ke aloha, ke aloha ka i ʻoe aʻe
Pōmaikaʻi nā mea āpau
Pōmaikaʻi nā mea āpau

Three Greatest Things

Three important things in the world
Faith, hope,
And love, love is the best
And everything is blessed
And everything is blessed

References edit