Hawaiian Language Pronounciation guidelines
A few rules may help you in properly pronouncing your Hawaiian name. Unlike English, there are only 12 letters in the Hawaiian alphabet: AEHIKLMNOPU and W.
Hawaiian Language Consonants
Pronounce PK as in English but with less aspiration. Pronounce HLMN as in English. W after I and E is usually pronounced like V, but after U and O usually pronounced like W; initially and after A, it can be pronounced like V or W.
Hawaiian Language Vowels
Each of the 5 Hawaiian vowels is generally uniform with some exceptions such as: A like A in far, tar; also like UH. E like AY in bay, lay; also like E in bet; I like Y in city; also like E in Eve O like O in no, so U like OO in moon; also like U in true.
Hawaiian words, phrases and the Hawaiian language as a whole are basically simple and easy to pronounce if you sound out the words. Here are some examples of Hawaiian vowel pronounciations:
A pronounced: ah as in "star" as in the Hawaiian word ALOHA
E pronounced: ey as in "stay" as in the Hawaiian word LEI
I pronounced: ee as in "see" as in the Hawaiian word HAWAII
O pronounced: oh as in "glow" as in the Hawaiian word MAHALO
U pronounced: oo as in "soon" as in the Hawaiian word HONOLULU
About author & composer
Michael William AngelOh
Michael AngelOh has lived in the Hawaiian Islands for some 35 years. He published his first internationally best selling Book:
“My NDE beneath the SEA” on his Drowning NDE.
