Pronunciation Guide

Here’s a basic ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi pronunciation guide, along with how I pronounce some of the words in my books. I am not a native ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi speaker, nor am I anywhere close to fluent. I am taking lessons and encourage anyone interested to do the same. Duolingo is a great option. Noʻeau has other books in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, along with free audio so you can familiarize yourself with the sound and appearance of the words. I utilize wehewehe.org for translating. More resources are found on Kamehameha Schools’ page HERE.

Basic Lesson in sounding out Hawaiian words:

Malia Maunakea:

Anna Leilani Kamaʻehu:

Hawaiʻi and Hawaiian:

Hennley Schinecky:

Hilo:

ʻohana:

ʻōlelo:

Ilikea:

Kaipo:

Kupuna:

Lei:

Li hing mui:

Machete:

Makani:

Moʻolelo:

Musubi:

Naʻau:

Ōʻō:

Pele:

Pīkake:

Tūtū: