The Language of Hawai‘i Hawai‘i’s two official languages are Hawaiian (‘ōlelo Hawai‘i) and English. There are 13 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet: A, E, H, I, K, L, M, N, O, P, U, W and the ‘okina (‘). The ‘okina is a pause like the sound between the ohs in oh-oh and is a consonant. The ‘okina (‘), or glottal stop, and kahakō (ˉ) or macron, change the pronunciation and meaning of the word. The 18 sounds in the Hawaiian language are a, e, i, o, u, ā, ē, ī, ō, ū, he, ke, la, mu, nu, pi, we and w with a v sound. A few words you should know: aloha: a greeting and farewell, a spirit of love and so much more kama‘āina: a Hawai‘i-born local or a long-time local resident kāne: man wahine: woman keiki: child lei: a garland given for an occasion mahalo: thank you ‘ohana: family pau: finished mālama: to take care of, tend, care for, preserve and protect kuleana: right, privilege or responsibility ma uka: towards the mountains ma kai: towards the ocean Transportation Rental cars are available at all airports, and at some hotels and off-airport locations. Ask for an electric or hybrid vehicle to reduce your carbon footprint while exploring the islands. On most islands, there are some resort and destination airport shuttles, shopping express shuttles, taxicabs, rideshare options and public transportation. Rental bikes, motorcycles and mopeds are also options. Climate It is generally drier on the leeward sides of the islands and wetter on the windward sides. Generally, there are two seasons in Hawai‘i: winter (November through April), when temperatures typically range in the low 70s to mid-80s Fahrenheit (20 to 30°C), and summer when the high can run into the low 90s Fahrenheit (32°C). Trade winds will keep you comfortable year-round. Time Zone Hawai‘i Standard Time is GMT-10 (Pacific Standard Time-2, Eastern Standard Time-5). Since Hawai‘i doesn’t observe daylight saving time, add one hour to the time difference when in effect (March through early November). Essential Hawai‘i M A K I N G A L E I Flights The main point of arrival to the Hawaiian Islands is Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on the island of O‘ahu. Flights to Hawai‘i include many nonstop routes or one-stop connections through major U.S. hubs to all islands: • Service by every major U.S. network carrier and 16 international carriers • Approximately 11 million air seats annually from North America • Approximately 2.6 million air seats annually from Asia, Oceania and South Pacific destinations Year-round, nonstop service to Hawai‘i comes from more than 40 gateway cities — Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Manila, New York/Newark, San Francisco, Seattle, Seoul, Sydney, Tokyo (Haneda/Narita) and Vancouver — plus seasonal service from several more. HAWAIIAN DICTIONARY 800-GoHawaii 133
