Hawaiian words may be easily pronounced correctly by using the Spanish
alphabet. There are no silent letters, and all syllables are stressed
equally.
Alae (Hawaiian gallinule): Native bird figuring largely in Hawaiian
legends.
Ao-opua: Talisman, guardian spirit.
Haleakala: House (hale) of the Sun (la).
Haole: White man.
Hau: Native tree much favored for lanais (arbors) and the wood for
outriggers on canoes and floats for its cork-like lightness. (Hibiscus
arnottianus).
Heiau: Ancient Hawaiian temple.
Honu: Turtle, turtle-shaped.
Imu: Underground stove made by scooping a hole in the ground, lining
it with rocks, and building a fire in it. The food to be cooked is
placed in the heated cavern, which is then covered tightly with leaves
and earth.
Kaipaaloa: Inlet or estuary where the sea is quiet.
Keahi: Of the fire.
Kuluua: Of the (gentle) rain.
Lauhala: Leaf (lau) of the puhala tree (Pandanus odoratissimus).
Makai: Toward the sea.
Malihini: Stranger, foreigner.
Mamake: Shrub about ten feet high (Pipturus albidus).
Mamalahoa kanawai o na alii: Your king proclaims this the law of the
land (free translation).
Mauka: Toward the mountains.
Olona: Native flax (Touchardia latifolia).
Pahoehoe: The sterile, flintlike lava as distinguished from aa, the
friable and highly fertile lava.
Pau: The end, finished.
Pili: Grass yielding stout fibres (Andropogon contortus).
Puka: Doorway, entrance, hole.
Puu: Small hill, usually of rounded form.
Ti (formerly written ki): Plant of lily family having bright green
leaves three feet long and six inches wide (Cordyline terminalis).
Waianuenue: Shimmering waters, as a rainbow effect.
Wauke: Native mulberry tree (Broussonetia papyrifera).