Learn a Little Hawaiian

Learning even a few Hawaiian words helps you slow down, listen, and meet Hawaiʻi with greater care.

Language carries memory, values, and ways of seeing. Each word becomes a small anchor to the place you are visiting—and an invitation to connect with the people and culture that make it home.

Begin with aloha, mālama, kuleana, or mahalo, then discover more beautiful words in Hidden Gems.

The words on the board:

Kuleana — Responsibility and privilege; the care one is entrusted to carry for people, place, and community.

Kapu — Sacred, forbidden, off limits; the old system of law and restriction.

Lūʻau — A feast; named for the young taro leaves cooked at such gatherings.

Mahalo — Thank you, gratitude, admiration.

Hana — Work, activity, craft; the good work of one's hands and days.

Nalu — Wave, surf; also to ponder, to turn something over in the mind.