This list is in no way complete, but it will continue to expand. Also, this list is somewhat O‘ahu-centric because I am not as familiar with the other islands and besides, "O‘ahu nō ka ‘oi." ;-) For a list of 55 O‘ahu place names, many of which are not on this page, see the O‘ahu Place Names page. Also, for all the Waikīkī street names, see the Waikīkī Street Names page.


Go to the English to Hawaiian Directory for the Hawai‘i Place Names Category

 
‘A‘ala. place name. Fragrant. A park and street in Honolulu. The park in downtown Honolulu called ‘A‘ala Park is actually ‘A‘ala International Park. I don't know what is so international about it. Maybe because homeless people come from all around the world to smoke crystal meth and urinate (mimi) in the bushes of ‘A‘ala International Park. ‘A‘ala means "fragrant", but nowadays there is a wholly different fragrance going on at ‘A‘ala International Park, the sweet smelling mixed aroma of smoked "Ice" and urine (mimi). It's a family friendly park, that is if you're a member of the Manson family.
   For the glossary entry, see ‘a‘ala.

 
Ala Moana. place name. Ocean street. Literally "ocean (moana) steet (ala)." A boulevard, beach park and shopping center in Honolulu.

 
Ala Wai. place name. Freshwater way. Literally "[fresh] water (wai) way (ala)." Boulevard and canal in Waikīkī.
   For the glossary entry, see Ala Wai.

 
Bishop Museum. noun. Hawai‘i State Museum of Natural and Cultural History (obviously not a Hawaiian name). The full name is the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum and the Hawaiian name is Hale Hō‘ike‘ike o Kamehameha.
   For more information see Hale Hō‘ike‘ike o Kamehameha.

 
‘Ewa. place name. Crooked. A town and plain on O‘ahu. According to "Place Names of Hawaii" this ‘Ewa means "crooked.
   For the glossary entry, see ‘ewa.

‘ewa. directional term. ‘Ewa is a widely used directional term on O‘ahu, generally meaning westward when giving directions or describing something west of a location in Honolulu. Its opposite directional terms are "Diamond Head" and "Koko Head."
   For the glossary entry, see ‘ewa.

‘ewa. stative verb. Crooked, out of shape, imperfect, ill-fitting.
   For the glossary entry, see ‘ewa.

 
Ha‘ikū. place name. Speak abrupty or sharp break. Ha‘ikū is a combination of two words, ha‘i and kū. Ha‘ikū is a place name for a valley, a street, a stairway in Kāne‘ohe, O‘ahu and a town on Maui.

How to pronounce Ha‘ikū: HAH–ee–
Ha‘ikū is not pronounced HAI-koo like the Japanese poetry form. Ha‘ikū is a three syllable word, not a two syllable word; an ‘okina (‘) separates the a and the i and indicates that there is no ai diphthong as there are in the two words Hawai‘i and Waikīkī, which both have an ai diphthong. Although Ha‘ikū is often written as Haiku without the ‘okina (‘) and the kahakō, it should still be pronounced as if they were there. For various reasons, the ‘okina and kahahō are often omitted from the spelling of Hawaiian words that have them; stripped of these elements it is often difficult to determine the correct pronunciation, unless one knows better. Although the omission of the ‘okina and/or kahakō may make understandable a mistake in pronunciation, it is not a justification for a change in pronunciation. A good comparison to Ha‘ikū is Lā‘ie, a town on the windward side of O‘ahu. Like Ha‘ikū, Lā‘ie is often stripped of the ‘okina and kahakō in spelling, but to pronounce the town Laie (Lā‘ie) as a two syllable word with an ai diphthong (like LAI-eh), would be roundly disapproved; however, Ha‘ikū is commonly accepted when mispronounced as HAI-koo. Ha‘ikū is more often than not mispronounce on television and radio, further compounding the problem and leading people to conclude that the HAI-koo pronunciation is acceptable and correct. HAI-koo can not even be considered an alternative pronunciation, it simply is incorrect and wrong. Ha‘ikū should be pronounced HAH–ee– with stress on the capitalized syllables and the kahakō over the u indicates a long vowel sound for the last syllable; hence the stretching out of the OO in the last syllable.
   For the glossary entry, see Ha‘ikū.

 
Haleakalā. place name. House [used] by the sun. Literally "house (hale) by (a) the (ka) sun (lā)." A national park and volcano on the island of Maui.

How to pronounce Haleakalā: HAH–lay–[y]ah–kah–
The pronunciation of this name is fairly simple. Just remember there is a y-glide after the word hale that is attached to the front-end of the word a (by). Also, the last syllable is stressed and longer in pronunciation because of the kahakō as indicated by the stretched out ah in the last syllable in the pronunciation shown above. Only the first and last syllable receive stress.
   For the glossary entry, see Haleakalā.

 
Hale Hō‘ike‘ike o Kamehameha. noun. The Hawaiian name for the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum. Literally "exhibition hall of Kamehameha." The Bishop Museum was founded in 1889 by Charles Reed Bishop in memory of his wife Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop who passed away in 1884. Today, it is the Hawai‘i State Museum of Natural and Cultural History. It is the largest museum in Hawai‘i and has the largest collection of Poynesian artifacts.
   For the glossary entry, see Hale Hō‘ike‘ike o Kamehameha.

 
Hale‘iwa. place name. Frigate bird house or House [of the] frigate bird. Literally "frigate bird (‘iwa) house (hale)." The name of a town and a beach park on the north shore of O‘ahu. This is a modern name for the area, formally this area was call Wai‘alua, the name of the town southwest of Hale‘iwa. In 1899, Hawai‘i businessman Benjamin Franklin Dillingham opended a two story, 40 room Hotel and named it after a women's seminary dormitory that was named Hale‘iwa for the ‘iwa (frigate bird) nest or house. The name of the area began to change because it became associated with the Hale‘iwa Hotel and the domitory.
   For the glossary entry, see Hale‘iwa.

 
Hanalei. place name. Crescent bay. A village and bay on the north side of Kaua‘i.

 
Hau‘ula. place name. Red hau (a plant, Hibiscus tiliaceus). Literally "red (‘ula) Hibiscus tiliaceus (hau)." A small town and stream on the windward side of O‘ahu.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see Hau‘ula.

 
Hawai‘i. place name. The meaning of this word is unknown and uncertain. The island of Hawai‘i, the 50th state and the archipelago (pae moku) called the Hawaiian Islands.
   For the glossary entry, see Hawai‘i.

Hawai‘i. stative verb. Hawaiian.
   For the glossary entry, see Hawai‘i.

Hawai‘i. not Hawaiian. Underworld. Elsewhere in Polynesia, Hawai‘i or a cognate of the word Hawai‘i is the name of the underworld or the ancestral home, but in Hawai‘i the name has no known or certain meaning. For the Hawaiian name for the underworld, see Milu.
   For the glossary entry, see Hawai‘i.

 
Hawai‘i Kai. place name. Sea Hawai‘i. Literally "sea Hawai‘i." This is a modern, contrived and nonsensical Hawaiian name. Hawai‘i Kai is a mostly residential Honolulu subdivision and marina next to Koko Crater. Hawai‘i Kai was developed by industrialist Henry John Kaiser in the early 1960's, and so the Kai (short for Kaiser) is a play on words more than a meaningful Hawaiian name.
   For the glossary entry, see Hawai‘i Kai.

 
Honolulu. place name. Sheltered bay or protected bay. Literally "sheltered or protected (lulu) bay (Hono-)." The capital of the State of Hawai‘i and the only incorporated city in the state. In 1845, Kamehameha III moved the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom from Lāhainā to Honolulu and purchased a stately house which became the first Hale Ali‘i (royal palace) in Honolulu.
   For the glossary entry, see Honolulu.

 
‘Ilikai. place name. Surface of the sea. Literally "sea (kai) surface (‘ili)." Hotel and Condominium in Waikīkī that appeared prominently in the TV series Hawaii Five-O that ran from 1968 to 1980.
   For the glossary entry, see ‘ilikai.

 
‘Iolani. place name. Royal hawk. Literally "royal (lani) hawk (‘io)." The picture above shows the second royal palace (hale ali‘i).The first royal palace was a wood structure that became termite ridden, it was razed and replaced with the second palace. The first royal palace were simply called Hale Ali‘i. After the death of Kamehameha IV in 1855, his brother Kamehameha V (Prince Lot) succeeded him as reigning monarch. Kamehameha V wanted to rename the palace for his recently passed brother. ‘Iolani was one of the names of Kamehameha IV. The construction of the second palace (shown above) was started in 1879 and it was completed in 1882.
   For the glossary entry, see ‘Iolani.

 
Iwilei. place name. Collar bone or a unit of measurement. A road and a section of Honolulu, perhaps best known as the location of the Dole cannery, which is no longer a cannery, but is now used for retail and office space. Many years ago, Iwilei was also a center for prostitution.
   For the glossary entry, see Iwilei.

   
Ka‘a‘awa. place name. The wrasse (a fish). Literally "the (ka) wrasse (‘a‘awa)." A place name consisting of two words ka (the) and ‘a‘awa. Ka‘a‘awa is a small town (1,324 people, 2000 census) on the windward side of O‘ahu. The pictures above show a wrasse fish and an aerial picture of Ka‘a‘awa valley, most of which is owned by Kualoa Ranch. Not shown and to the right of the picture, Ka‘a‘awa also has a small residential community which in 2000 had a population of 1,324 people. Its "business district" consists of a 7-11, a small eatery and a US post office.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see Ka‘a‘awa.

 
Ka‘elepulu. place name. The moist blackness. Literally "the (ka) moist (pulu) blackness (‘ele)." A pond in Kailua, O‘ahu that used to be a fish pond and today it is also known as Enchanted Lake.
   For the glossary entry, see Ka‘elepulu.

 
Kahekili. place name. The thunder. Literally "the (ka) thunder (hekili)." A highway in west Maui and highway in windward O‘ahu named for the Maui chief Kahekili.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see Kahekili.

 
Kaho‘olawe. place name. The carrying away (by currents). Literally "the (ka) carrying away (hoo- + lawe)." Kaho‘olawe is the smallest of the eight main islands of Hawai‘i. It is 45 square miles in size and is located 7 miles southwest of island of Maui. Beginning in World War II, the island was used as a training ground and a bombing range by the US military. After decades of protests, the Navy ended live-fire training on Kaho‘olawe in 1990. The island has no permanent residents.
   For the glossary entry, see Kaho‘olawe.

 
Kahuhipa. place name. Shepard. Literally "sheep (hipa) attendant (kahu)." A street in Kāne‘ohe on O‘ahu.
   For the glossary entry and more information, see Kahuhipa.

 
Kailua. place name. Two seas. Literally "two (lua) sea[s] (kai)." A town on the windward side of O‘ahu. There are villages called Kailua on the islands of Hawai‘i and Maui. The Kailua on the Big Island is usually called Kailua-Kona to differentiate it from the much more populous Kailua on O‘ahu.
   For the glossary entry, see Kailua.

 
Kaimukī. place name. The ti [root] oven. Literally "the (ka) ti (kī) oven (imu)." A section of Honolulu.
   For the glossary entry, see Kaimukī.

 
Ka‘iulani. place name. The royal sacred height. The name of a Hotel and an avenue in Waikīkī named for the Princess.
   For the glossary entry, see Ka‘iulani.
Ka‘iulani. heir to the throne (crown princess). The royal sacred height. If you look-up ‘iu in the PE dictionary, it says that Ka‘iulani means "the royal sacred one." Literally "the (ka) royal (lani) sacred height (‘iu)" or literally "the (the...one being spoken of) (ka) royal (lani) sacred (‘iu)."
   For the glossary entry, see Ka‘iulani.

 
Kalaeoka‘ō‘io. Place. The point of the bone fish. Kalaeoka‘ō‘io = the (ka) + point (lae) + of (o) + the (ka) + bonefish (‘ō‘io). A point of land on the windward side of O‘ahu that separates the moku Ko‘olau Poko from the moku Ko‘olau Loa.

 
Kalākaua. place name. The day [of] battle. An avenue that runs through Waikīkī and the main thoroughfare of Waikīkī.
   For the glossary entry, see Kalākaua.

Kalākaua. the seventh reigning monarch. The day [of] battle. Literally "the (ka) day (lā) [of] battle (kaua)." The last king and the second to last reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom. The picture above shows a painting of King David Kalākaua.
   For the glossary entry, see Kalākaua.

How to pronounce Kalākaua: kuh––KAU–[w]ah
The two capitalized syllables in the pronunciation shown above are stressed and the second syllable is longer because of the kahakō as indicted by the stretched out AH. The third syllable KAU rhymes with how and cow. Also there is a w-glide.

 
Kalaniana‘ole. place name. The royal chief without measure. A highway on O‘ahu named for Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole.
   For the glossary entry, see Kalaniana‘ole.

Kalaniana‘ole. a Hawaiian prince. The royal chief without measure. Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole born in 1871. He later become a politician in the Territory of Hawai‘i as a delegate to the United States Congress. His most lasting legacy is the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1921. If you look-up lani in the PE dictionary, it says that Kalaniana‘ole means "the incomparably exalted one." Literally "the (ka) royal chief (lani) without (‘ole) measure (ana)."

How to pronounce Kalaniana‘ole: kah–LAH–nee–[Y]AH–nuh–OH–lay
The pronunciation of Kalaniana‘ole is fairly straight forward, but it is sort of long. All the capitalized syllables in the pronunciation shown above are stressed. For this name every other syllable is stressed after the first syllable and there is a y-glide after the word lani that is attached to the first syllable of the word ana.
   For the glossary entry, see Kalaniana‘ole.

 
Kamehameha. royal chief, king. The lonely one. Literally "the (the...one being spoken of) (ka) lonely (mehameha)." Kamehameha the Great united the Hawaiian Islands and created the Hawaiian Kingdom.
   For the glossary entry, see Kamehameha.

Kamehameha. place name. The lonely one. A highway on the island of O‘ahu named of the royal chief that united the Hawaiian Islands and created the Hawaiian Kingdom.
   For the glossary entry, see Kamehameha.

Kamehameha. noun. The Kamehameha butterfly. One of two species of butterfly that is native to Hawai‘i. The Kamehameha butterfly is shown in the picture above.
   For the glossary entry, see Kamehameha.

 
Kāne‘ohe. place name. A town on the windward side of O‘ahu. Literally "bamboo (‘ohe) husband (kāne)." Bamboo husband is the interpretation given in the great reference book Place Names of Hawaii, but others have told me it means "Kāne's (kāne) bamboo (‘ohe)."
   For the glossary entry, see Kāne‘ohe.

 
Kapahulu. place name. The worn-out soil. Literally "the (ka) worn-out soil (pahulu)." An avenue that runs northward toward the foothills from the Waikīkī. Pahulu is soil that has been exhausted from over farming.

 
Kapi‘olani. place name. The arch [of] heaven. A boulevard and a county regional park on O‘ahu between Diamond Head and the heart of Waikīkī.
   For the glossary entry, see Kapi‘olani.

Kapi‘olani. queen consort. The arch [of] heaven. Literally "the (ka) arch (pi‘o) [of] heaven (lani)." If you look-up pi‘o in the PE dictionary, it says that Kapi‘olani means "the heavenly arch." The arch of heaven is a reference to rainbows. The picture above shows Kapi‘olani, wife of King David Kalākaua.
   For the glossary entry, see Kapi‘olani.

 
Kaua‘i. place name. Unknown meaning. A county of the State of Hawai‘i and the fourth largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago. On his third voyage of exploration, Captain James Cook became the first European and foreigner to visit the Hawaiian Islands when he make landfall at Waimea, Kaua‘i in January 1778. Kaua‘i is sometimes jokingly refered to as "Hawaii's Original Visitor Destination".

How to pronounce Kaua‘i: KAU–[W]AH–ee
Kaua‘i is commonly mispronounced two different ways. The most common mispronunciation is to pronounce Kaua‘i as if it was spelled like Hawai‘i, but with a K instead of an H as Kawai‘i. The second way Kaua‘i is mispronounced is to pronounce Kaua‘i as if it was spelled like the two syllable word Kawai. Both pronunciations are incorrect. In both of the incorrect pronunciations, the vowel u is wrongly treated as if it were a w consonant. At least Kawai recognizes there is only one i in Kaua‘i, but it disregards the ‘okina between the a and i. However unique and strange, the ‘okina is a real consonant in the Hawaiian language. The ‘okina affects pronunciation so it should not be ignored in writing or speech. An ʻokina separates the a and the i in Kaua‘i and indicates that there is no ai diphthong. Hawaiian diphthongs are two vowels pronounced together, like the ai diphthongs in the place names Waikīkī and Hawai‘i. For various reasons, the ‘okina is often omitted from the spelling of Hawaiian words that have them. Although the omission of the ‘okina may make understandable a mistake in pronunciation, it is not a justification for a change in pronunciation. So how is Kaua‘i correctly pronounced? First, there is an au diphthong in Kaua‘i that is not recognized in the Kawai‘i and Kawai pronunciations. Au should be pronounced like the au diphthong in the word for the Hawaiian feast known as a lū‘au. The first syllable is Kau (rhymes with cow and how) and is pronounced like the KAU in kaukau and Kalākaua. The second syllable has a w-glide. W-glides are natural occurrences of the spoken Hawaiian language. W-glides can follow u vowels. In the case of the word Kauaʻi, a w-glide follows the first syllable and is added to the front end of the second syllable, so the second syllable is pronounced like [W]AH. The last syllable is pronounced like ee. So put it all together and you get KAU–[W]AH–ee. All the capitalized syllables receive stress. It amazes me that so many people who live in Hawai‘i mispronounce this word. Hawaiian pronunciation is actually very simple and straight forward, but problems with correct pronunciation arise, because some words have been corrupted in usage by lazy speakers.
   For the glossary entry, see Kaua‘i.

 
Kealakekua. place name. The pathway [of] the god. Literally "the (ke) pathway (ala) [of] the (ke) god (kua)." Land section, village and bay on the island of Hawai‘i. Captain Cook was killed by the Hawaiians at this bay on February 14, 1779.
   For the glossary entry, see Kealakekua.

 
Kīlauea. place name. Spewing, much spreading. An active volcano on the island of Hawai‘i. The definition of this place name is a reference to volcanic eruptions.

How to pronounce Kīlauea: –LAU–[W]EH–[y]uh
Kīlauea is often mispronounced like KIL-luh-WEH-uh. This mispronunciation gets only one out of the four syllables right. Kīlauea is a compound word made up of three words; kī (spewing), lau (much) and ea (spreading). The first syllable is pronounced , like the kī syllables in Waikīkī and the sound is elongated because of the kahakō. The second syllable has an au diphthong like in the word lū‘au or the word laulau and is pronounced LAU so that it rhymes with cow and how. This diphthong is hardly ever recognized in pronunciation and is one reason why Kīlauea is so often mispronounced. Ea is the last word, it has two syllables and a y-glide. And in this context, ea also has a w-glide because it follows a u vowel in the word lau. These glides are natural occurences of the spoken Hawaiian language and are not optional nor are they used as alternative pronounciations. The third syllable has a w-glide and it is pronounced [W]EH (kind of like way). The fourth and last syllable has a y-glide and is pronounced like [y]uh. Put it all together and we get –LAU–[W]EH–[y]uh. All the capitalized syllables receive stress and the first syllable is elongated and stressed because it has a kahakō; hence the stretching out of the EE in the first syllable.
   For the glossary entry, see Kīlauea.

 
Ko‘olau. place name. Windward. The windward mountain range on the island of O‘ahu.
   For the glossary entry, see ko‘olau.

 
Kualoa. place name. Long back. Literally "long (loa) back (kua)." Land section, ranch and beach park on the windward side of O‘ahu.
   For the glossary entry, see Kualoa.

 
Kūhiō. place name. Standing diagonally. Literally "standing (kū) diagonally (hiō)." A bay in Hilo and a main avenue in Waikīkī named for Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalaniana‘ole.
   For the Waikīkī Street Name entry, see Kūhiō Avenue.

Lae‘ahi. place name. ‘Ahi brow. Literally " ‘ahi (tuna) (‘ahi) brow (lae)." Lae‘ahi is the Hawaiian name for Diamond Head. It is called Lae‘ahi (‘ahi brow) because Hi‘iaka (a sister of Pele) compared the profile of the mountain to the brow of the ‘ahi fish. Lē‘ahi is a variant spelling of Lae‘ahi and it seems to me that the Lē‘ahi spelling is used more often and is the more popular spelling, but I prefer Lae‘ahi.
   For the glossary entry, see Lae‘ahi.

 
Lāhainā. place name. Cruel sun or cruel day. Literally "cruel (hainā) day or sun (lā)." Lāhainā is the most populous town on the island of Maui and was given this name because Lāhainā was on the dry, leeward side of the island. Lāhainā is a former whaling port and from 1820 to 1845, Lāhainā was the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdon until Kamehameha III moved the capital to Honolulu. Today, Lāhainā spelled without the two kahakō as Lahaina is an accepted alternate spelling, however it renders the the name meaningless and therefore I am against it.
   For the glossary entry, see Lāhainā.

 
Lāna‘i. place name. Day [of] conquest. Literally "day (lā) [of] conquest (na‘i)." Lāna‘i is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands.

 
Lanakila. place name. Victory. Street and section of Honolulu named in honor of the victory of King Kamehameha at the battle of Nu‘uanu in 1795.

lanakila. (not Capitalized) noun. Victory, triumph. The picture above shows one of the greatest men of the 20th century. Winston Churchill gives the victory sign.

lanakila. (not Capitalized) transitive verb. To triumph, win, prevail, conquer, overcome. Compare with na‘i (conquer).
   For the glossary entry, see Lanakila.

Lae‘ahi. place name. A Hawaiian name for Diamond Head. Lē‘ahi is a variant spelling of Lae‘ahi. For more information, see Lae‘ahi.

 
Līhu‘e. place name. Cold chill. A city on the island of Kaua‘i that is the seat of the county of Kaua‘i. The island of Ni‘ihau is also part of the county of Kaua‘i.

   
Likelike. place name. Similar. The name of a highway that runs over the Ko‘olau mountains from Honolulu to Kāne‘ohe, and vice versa, named for Princess Miriam Likelike.
   For the glossary entry, see Likelike.

Likelike. princess. Similar. Princess Miriam Likelike (1851-1887) was a sibling of the last reigning king, King David Kalākaua and the last reigning monarch, Queen Lydia Lili‘uokalani. She married Scottish businessman Archibald Scott Cleghorn and was the mother of Princess Ka‘iulani. The name Likelike is a reduplication of the word like and in this case, means similar.
   For the glossary entry, see Likelike.

How to pronounce Likelike: LEE–kay–LEE–kay
Do not pronounce this name so that it rhymes with Mike or bike.

 
Lō‘ihi. place name. Long. An active undersea volcano located about 22 miles off the southeast coast of the island of Hawai‘i, on the flank of Mauna Loa, the Earth's largest shield volcano. It is about 3,200 feet under the sea surface. If you can wait, it is expected to emerge above the sea in about 10,000 to 100,000 years, so be sure to plan ahead. You'll want to get a good seat.
   For the glossary entry, see Lō‘ihi.

 
Mākua. place name. Parents. Mākua, with a kahakō, is the plural version of the singular makua. A town on the leeward side of O‘ahu.
   For the glossary entry, see mākua.

 
Māmala. place name. Meaning unknown. A bay on the south side of O‘ahu. The reference book Place Names of Hawaii says it extends from Pearl Harbor to Honolulu, but I think it is much wider and extends from Kalaeloa Point to Diamond Head.

 
Mokulē‘ia. place name. Isle [of] abundance. Literally "isle (moku) [of] abundance (lē‘ia)." The last village on the west-end of the North Shore.
   For the glossary entry, see Mokulē‘ia.

 
Nu‘uanu. place name. Cool heights. Literally "cool (anu) heights (nu‘u)." An avenue, a valley and the name of a famous battle in 1795 in which Kamehameha the Great drove the opposition up the Nu‘uanu valley and over the pali (cliff).
   For the glossary entry, see Nu‘uanu.

 
Punahou. place name. New spring. Literally "new (hou) spring (puna)." A section of Honolulu that was formerly called Kapunahou. Punahou is perhaps best known as the home of the famous college preparatory school of the same name. Punahou school was founded in 1841 and is the largest coeducational, independent school on a single campus in the United States. The senior class typically numbers around 425.

 
Pūowaina. place name. Hill of deposits. Literally "hill (pū, a variant spelling of pu‘u) of (o) deposits (waina)." An extinct volcanic tuff cone located in Honolulu, better known by the name of Punchbowl. Since 1948, Punchbowl has been the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. The Hawaiian name for the Punchbowl is Pūowaina. Pūowaina means "hill of deposits ", a reference by the Hawaiians to the human sacrifices for which this place was used.

 
Wahiawā. place name. Place of Noise. Literally "place (wahi) of (a) noise (wā)." A town in the center of O‘ahu, called "place of noise" because it is said that rough seas could be heard from there.

How to pronounce Wahiawā: WAH–hee–[y]uh–.
Wahiawā is comprised of three words, wahi (place) + a (of) + wā (noise). Wahiawā is a four syllable word, but it is commonly mispronounced as a three syllable word because the middle a and the kahakō are ignored, so it is incorrectly pronounced like wah-HEE-wah with stress on CAPITALIZED syllables. It should be pronounced as a four syllable word with a y-glide and the last syllable is longer in pronunciation because of the kahakō; hence the stretching of the AH in the last syllable. It should be pronounced something like WAH–hee–[y]uh–.
   For the glossary entry, see Wahiawā.

 
Wai‘anae. place name. Mullet water. Literally "mullet (‘anae) water (wai)." A mountain range and a town on the leeward side of O‘ahu.
   For the glossary entry, see Wai‘anae.

 
Waikīkī. place name. Spouting water. Literally "spouting (kīkī) water (wai)."
   For the glossary entry, see Waikīkī.

 
Wailuku. place name. Water [of] destruction. Literally "water (wai) [of] destruction (luku)." A city on the island of Maui that is the seat for the county of Maui. Four of the state's main islands make up the county; Kaho‘olawe, Lāna‘i, Maui and Moloka‘i.

 
Waimānalo. place name. Potable water. Literally "potable (mānalo) water (wai)." A small town on the southern tip of windward O‘ahu. I have a pet peeve about the pronunciation of the word potable. It is not pronounced pot-a-ble (pot-uh-buhl) like so many people pronounce the word. The correct pronunciation of potable is po-ta-ble (poh-tuh-buhl). Po-ta-ble water is drinkable water and pot-a-ble water is the water in a water pipe and is not drinkable unless you are a doper.
   For the glossary entry, see Waimānalo.

 
Waipahū. place name. Bursting water. Literally "bursting (pahū) water (wai)." A town and stream on O‘ahu. According to Place Names of Hawai‘i it was originally spelled with a kahakō as Waipahū. Now spelling it as Waipahu without the kahakō seems to be an accepted Hawaiian spelling according to the PE dictionary on page 301 under the pahu entry. Usually when the ‘okina and/or kahakō is stripped from the spelling of a Hawaiian word it renders the word meaningless, but in this case we still have a meaningful name. Also it is very unusual that the meanings with or without the kahakō are very similar. Waipahu means "pushing (pahu) water" and is said to be named for the water that pushed its way out of the ground at this place.
   For the glossary entry, see Waipahū.

 
Waipi‘o. place name. Curved water. Literally "curved (pi‘o) water (wai)." Town, peninsula and steam on O‘ahu.
   For the glossary entry, see Waipi‘o.

English to Hawaiian Directory

‘ahi brow. See Lae‘ahi.
arch [of] heaven, the. See Kapi‘olani.
bamboo husband. See Kāne‘ohe.
Bishop Museum. See Bishop Museum.
bursting water. See Waipahū.
carrying away, the (by currents). See Kaho‘olawe.
collar bone. See Iwilei.
cold chill. See Līhu‘e.
cool heights. See Nu‘uanu.
crescent bay. See Hanalei.
crooked. See ‘Ewa.
cruel sun. See Lāhainā.
curved water. See Waipi‘o.
day [of] battle, the. See Kalākaua.
day [of] conquest. See Lāna‘i.
Diamond Head. See Lae‘ahi / Lē‘ahi.
exhibition hall of Kamehameha. See Hale Hō‘ike‘ike o Kamehameha.
fragrant. See ‘A‘ala.
freshwater way. See Ala Wai.
frigate bird house. See Hale‘iwa.
Hawai‘i. See Hawai‘i.
heavenly arch, the. See Kapi‘olani.
hill of deposits. See Pūowaina.
house [of the] frigate bird. See Hale‘iwa.
house [used] by the sun. See Haleakalā.
incomparably exalted one, the. See Kalaniana‘ole.
isle [of] abundance. See Mokulē‘ia.
Kāne's bamboo. See Kāne‘ohe.
lonely one, the. See Kamehameha.
long. See Lō‘ihi.
long back. See Kualoa.
moist blackness, the. See Ka‘elepulu.
mullet water. See Wai‘anae.
new spring. See Punahou.
ocean street. See Ala Moana.
parents. See Mākua.
pathway [of] the god, the. See Kealakekua.
place of noise. See Wahiawā.
point of the bone fish, the. See Kalaeoka‘ō‘io.
potable water. See Waimānalo.
protected bay. See Honolulu.
red hau. See Hau‘ula.
royal chief without measure, the. See Kalaniana‘ole.
royal hawk. See ‘Iolani.
royal sacred height, the. See Ka‘iulani.
sea Hawai‘i. See Hawai‘i Kai.
sharp break. See Ha‘ikū.
sheltered bay. See Honolulu.
shepard. See Kahuhipa.
speak abrupty. See Ha‘ikū.
spewing, much spreading (spewing [and] much spreading). See Kīlauea.
spouting water. See Waikīkī.
standing diagonally. See Kūhiō.
surface of the sea. See ‘Ilikai.
the arch [of] heaven. See Kapi‘olani.
the carrying away (by currents). See Kaho‘olawe.
the day [of] battle. See Kalākaua.
the heavenly arch. See Kapi‘olani.
the incomparably exalted one. See Kalaniana‘ole.
the lonely one. See Kamehameha.
the moist blackness. See Ka‘elepulu.
the pathway [of] the god. See Kealakekua.
the point of the bone fish. See Kalaeoka‘ō‘io.
the royal chief without measure. See Kalaniana‘ole.
the royal sacred height. See Ka‘iulani.
the thunder. See Kahekili.
the ti [root] oven. See Kaimukī.
the worn-out soil. See Kapahulu.
the wrasse. See Ka‘a‘awa.
thunder, the. See Kahekili.
ti [root] oven, the. See Kaimukī.
two seas. See Kailua.
victory. See Lanakila.
water [of] destruction. See Wailuku.
windward. See Ko‘olau.
worn-out soil, the. See Kapahulu.
wrasse, the. See Ka‘a‘awa.

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