ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi / Hawaiian Language

“For me, the ānuenue represents hope, love, equality and joy. All things that we need a little bit more of in Hawaiʻi and the world today!” — UH Mānoa alumnus Kedan Waiokila Frank

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is a fan of the palaka aloha (Aloha Shirt) and has been for more than two decades, including when he was head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Most people know the slang for police in Hawaiʻi: Five-O. It stems from the TV police drama that first aired in 1968, with a revamped, modernized version of the series popular today.

In Hawaiian, a food garden is a māla ʻai (ʻai means food) and a flower garden is a māla pua (pua means flower).

Mokulele Elementary School on O’ahu said the significance of the school logo represents the Hawaiian interpretation of the word Mokulele, meaning “flying ship or airplane.”

Our favorite version is ʻAʻohe hana i koe, Hawaiian for “No work is left!”

The word of the day for Feb. 7 is “palaoa,” which is one of the colossal giants of the deep ocean, a necklace worn by royalty and a character in the Herman Melville 1851 classic novel.

The word holoholona is part of the title of several children’s books written in Hawaiian.

Today’s “Hawaiian Word of the Day” is akeakamai. It roughly corresponds to lover (ake) of wisdom (akamai).

February is Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, or Hawaiian Language Month.

On Kaua‘i, the upcoming Waimea Town Celebration will feature a two-day finale Ho‘olaule‘a on Feb. 24 and 25.

Today’s “Hawaiian words of the day” are in honor of the rare green comet that flew as close to Earth last night as it has in 50,000 years.

Like most indigenous languages throughout the world, the Hawaiian language faced a significant decline due to colonization.