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Hint for Longer Words: Repetition and Rhythm

Have you noticed the tendency in long Hawaiian words for groups of letters to repeat? That kind of repetition is fairly common. When you see a long Hawaiian word, don’t panic. Identify its repeating letter groups, figure out how to pronounce them individually, then put the whole word together. Chances are you’ll come pretty close to getting it correct.

For example, Waialeale throws a lot of people. But look at the repeating letter group ale (ah-lay). See the word as “Wai/ale/ale.” So, two “a-le”s prefixed with a wai (the ai merges here)—that makes “wai/a-le/a-le.” Once you’ve identified the repeating groups, the rhythm of the word comes naturally. Try this approach for longer words, including the state fish: humuhumunukunukuapuaa: two “hu-mu”s, two “nu-ku”s, and an “a-pu-a-a.” Now try it: “hu-mu/hu-mu/nu-ku/nu-ku/a-pu-a-a.” …Very good!

Makai and mauka

In Hawaii, local people often give directions or describe the location of a place as makai (merge the ai), which means “toward the sea,” or mauka (merge the au), which means “toward the mountains; inland.” I had a terrible time remembering which was which until I came up with this mnemonic: