Hawaiian Name Finder

How to Pronounce Hawaiian Names

Hawaiian is one of the easiest languages to read aloud once you know five rules. Every letter is pronounced, and there are no silent vowels.

1. The five vowels never change

  • a as in father, Kalani
  • e as in bet, Keola
  • i as in machine (ee), Kimo
  • o as in go, Koa
  • u as in rule (oo), Pua

Two vowels next to each other are usually both spoken. Leilani is lay-LAH-nee, not LEE-lah-nee. Common pairs blend a little, ai sounds like “eye” (Kai), au like “ow” (Maui), ei like “ay” (Lei).

2. Eight consonants, and W has two sounds

H, K, L, M, N, P are as in English. W is a soft “w” at the start of a word or after a and o (Waiola, Kawena), but sounds like v after i and e (Kāwika is kah-VEE-kah, Iwalani is ee-vah-LAH-nee). Both are accepted for Hawaiʻi itself, hah-WYE-ee or hah-VYE-ee.

3. The ʻokina (ʻ) is a real letter

The ʻokina marks a glottal stop, the catch in your throat in the middle of “uh-oh”. It separates vowels that would otherwise blend. Kaʻiulani is kah-ee-oo-LAH-nee, with a small break after Ka. Leaving it out can change the meaning of a word, so this site keeps the ʻokina in every name where it is documented.

4. The kahakō (ā ē ī ō ū) makes a vowel longer

A line over a vowel means hold it a beat longer and usually stress it. Hōkū (star) is HOH-koo with both vowels drawn out. Nālani and Nalani are said nearly the same way, which is why many families drop the mark in everyday spelling.

5. Stress the second-to-last syllable

For most names the emphasis lands on the next-to-last syllable, ma-LEE-ah, keh-AH-noo, mah-HEE-nah. A kahakō can pull the stress onto itself (NĀ-ma-ka). Long names are just chains of short words, each with its own beat, Ka-la-ni-a-na-ʻo-le.

Ready to practice? Every name in the A to Z list shows its pronunciation with the stressed syllable in capitals.

Questions people ask

Is it Ha-why-ee or Ha-vy-ee?

Both are heard. Native speakers usually say hah-VYE-ee, because w after a can take a v sound. Hah-WYE-ee is also accepted. What matters is the small pause before the final i, marked by the ʻokina.

Do I need to write the ʻokina in a baby's name?

It is your choice. Many families in Hawaiʻi use the ʻokina and kahakō on birth certificates (the state has allowed them since 2013), while others use the plain spelling. Without the marks the meaning can be ambiguous, so this site shows both spellings.

What is the difference between an ʻokina and an apostrophe?

The ʻokina is a distinct letter shaped like a small 6 (ʻ, Unicode U+02BB). An apostrophe (') is often typed in its place and is understood, but the ʻokina is the correct character.