“Did you know there is a puka in your shirt?” You can also fill in the pukas on a document or fix the pukas in your sail.ħ. “I don’t enjoy working with Sally she’s so high maka maka.”Ħ. High maka maka is a great expression and difficult to translate. Hele on means get out of here/move along. Pau hana hana is when you are off for Aloha Friday (TGIF) afternoon and ready for a beer.Ĥ. “When will the construction be pau?” Ask your child if they are pau with their meal. You can easily throw this one in everyday transactions. If you are complimenting something and can’t think of a proper superlative, or to replace the tired out “awesome,” just call it “da kine.”ģ. Da kine: If you can’t think of the word, da kine is a useful substitute. “We’re going to the other side of the island today, want to come holo-holo with us?”Ģ. When in Hawaii, using a few Hawaiian and Pidgin expressions shows respect for our culture and keeps the language alive while spicing up the vocabulary…here are a few of my favorites along with some tips:ĭouble Shaka Mixed Plate Vocabulary Wordsġ. Head lice (“ʻukus”) (Hawaiian lit.Hawaii 20 Easy Ways to Speak Mo’ Bettah Pidgin Today of bad characterĪn appetizer (Hawaiian lit., any marine shell)

eyes with dusty pia )Ī type of fish fig., a small thing, “NBD” To remove (really means removed, extracted, or opened)( Traditional workshop or school of learning Hawaiian Words and Expressions in Hawaiian Creole English (“Pidgin English”) If you are interested in how Pidgin English came to be in Hawaiʻi, please read Hawaiian Pidgin English: A Brief History here on ʻŌlelo Online. If you are learning Hawaiian language, then you should probably get all of the following 126 terms memorized right away, because most are used by local adults and elders who don’t even speak Hawaiian! Learning these words is a fun way to help perpetuate the Hawaiian language! Note that I am not including Pidgin words that come from the many other languages that formed the basis for HCE you can find those words in books, in blogs, and especially amusingly, in YouTube videos. The following is a listing of many of the Hawaiian words that are still in daily use by speakers of Hawaiian Creole English (commonly known locally as “Hawaiian Pidgin English” or simply, “Pidgin English”).

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