Ka Leka o Ka Pule
A weekly newsletter for anyone learning Hawaiian language. Each issue covers practical lessons on words, expressions, and sentence structures, alongside cultural insights and real stories from the community. This newsletter aims to help you build language skills influenced by native speakers, one issue at a time.
Pana ia: Ever Heard of It?
Aloha,
This past week I was on the phone with Ekolu (@leo_kuahiwi) just catching up. We were talking about a very integral part of Hawaiian culture, lawaia (fishing). Whether or not you are interested in the topic, there is something here for everyone.
I grew up doing pana ia (spearfishing) and s...
Nov 05, 2026
Olelo Hawaii on a Budget
Aloha mai kakou,
This week a new student emailed me and was excited to start my beginner course, Mahele 1: Foundational Hawaiian. Here is what he said:
"I'm a teacher myself and have to say your online learning setup is great. I've tried to learn before but the courses were not set up well, and D...
Oct 24, 2026
Is Olelo Hawaii Actually Doing Well?
Aloha,
This past week I presented at Kamehameha Schools for the annual He Alii Ka Aina Conference. I was asked to speak about the Hawaiian language specifically in the context of the Renaissance era.
I walked the attendees through the 1896 ban of Hawaiian language in schools all the way to the pr...
Oct 16, 2026
Why Your Hawaiian Still Sounds Like English
Aloha,
Hawaiian vowels are different from English, but the consonants are the same except the 'w.' If I had a dime for every time I heard that I would be a wealthy man. It is not entirely true. It is an oversimplification of what makes Hawaiian sounds different from English.
I cannot cover every ...
Oct 01, 2026
These Are Not Helping You "Learn Hawaiian"
Aloha,
As my style of teaching has become more widespread, I get fewer questions about why I don't use the okina and kahako. Every once in a while someone will say something like, "Okina and kahako help me learn Hawaiian."
That is not 100% true. If you were to say that they help you identify a lo...
Sep 24, 2026
No Be Hookiekie
Aloha — to have compassion, empathy, or grace
Hookiekie — lord it over others, disrespectful to seniors, conceit
Aloha e ko'u poe heluhelu,
Once I became fluent in Hawaiian, my wife and mentors encouraged me to take classes at UH Manoa to further my study of olelo Hawaii.
On the first day of cla...
Sep 17, 2026
Pomai Is Not Hawaiian?
Aloha,
I have put out some heavy newsletters recently so let's lighten the mood a little this week.
I want to talk about shortening Hawaiian names. Most people are not aware of this, and if that is you, your mind is about to be blown.
It is not uncommon to hear locals shorten the names of family ...
Sep 10, 2026
Did You Mean Waewae?
Aloha,
Last year I was hired to work on a project teaching Hawaiian directly to staff members. After an initial assessment I started them off with pronunciation because at that point they were butchering words like waiwai, pau, and kuleana.
Months in, some of their pronunciation began to slip, so...
Sep 03, 2026
"I la maikai" is Not Hawaiian
Aloha kakou,
Before reading this newsletter you need to know what a native speaker and 2nd language speaker are. Do not skip the definitions.
Native speaker — a person whose first language is Hawaiian, passed down through an unbroken line of native speakers stretching back to the very origins o...
Aug 27, 2026
Translating: Not as Simple as You Think
Aloha mai kakou,
Idiom: an expression in the usage of a language that has a meaning that cannot be understood from the combined meanings of its elements. Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Keep that definition in mind as you read this one.
I heard my wife calling me from the living room and when I walked...
Aug 22, 2026
Maui and Pimoe
Aloha e ka poe heluhelu,
I hope you have enjoyed the legend of Maui Akalana because this is where our story ends. For future reference, this is just one version of the moolelo of Maui, so do not be surprised if you hear a different one. I recently heard a Tongan version called Maui Atalanga. Can ...
Aug 16, 2026
Maui and the ka La
Aloha no kakou,
Maui was speaking with his mother Hina, who shared about the difficulty of making kapa. She would go through the strenuous work of making it and finally kaulai (hang dry) it, only to find that after a day, a week, even a whole month, "aole e maloo" (it would not dry). The length o...
Aug 06, 2026
Ka Leka o Ka Pule
