What are pupus? Nah, these aren’t anything gross. What does ono mean in Hawaiian? Ono means delicious! This is another very common word you will hear in Hawaii.Įxample: Sistah, how you learn cook so good? Choke ono kine grindz. Want to make musubi at home? Buy a musubi maker and enjoy spam musubi at home anytime! We love ours. In Hawaii, Spam musubi is a popular snack – try it!Įxample: Those haoles keep calling dis musubi “Spam sushi”. What is musubi? Musubi is a Japanese word for rice ball wrapped in nori (seaweed). How do you pronounce lilikoi? lih-lee-KOY What is lilikoi? Lilikoi is the Hawaiian word for passion fruit and is one of the most popular flavors in Hawaii. Li hing mui is very popular in Hawaii and the powder is used to flavor many snacks! What is li hing mui? Li hing mui originates from China and is salty dried plum. What does kanak attack mean? This pidgin phrase refers to how you feel when you eat too much and need to take a nap.Įxample: Plenty good grindz. It is often used to make kalua pig.Įxample: Da pig stay ready? Imu stay hot. What is an imu? An imu is a Hawaiian barbecue pit/underground oven. How do you pronounce haupia? how-PEE-uh Imu What is haupia? Haupia is a Hawaiian coconut milk-based dessert and popular flavor for desserts. What does grindz mean? Similarly, grindz is Hawaiian slang for food and a term you will likely hear often!Įxample: “ How’s da grindz, brah?” “Hm, broke da mouth!” What does it mean to grind in Hawaii? To grind means to eat in pidgin! And we do a lot of it in Hawaii!Įxample: Ho brah, where you like grind tonight? Rainbow’s? What are green bottles? When someone says green bottles in Hawaii they are referring to Heineken, a favorite beer in Hawaii.Įxample: Da kine, pick up 12 pack green bottles and one pizza. What is crack seed? Whenever we are in Hawaii we eat a lot of this and when we go home we bring a lot back as gifts! Crack seed is locals’ favorite snack food, and can be salty, sweet or sour.Įxamples: Japanese arare, li hing mango, candied ginger, dried cuttlefish, Hurricane popcorn Green bottles What does broke da mouth mean? This is one of my favorite pidgin phrases meaning something that tastes so good it hurts your mouth! Delicious.Įxample: “ How’s da spicy tuna?” “So good! Broke da mouth.” Crack seed How do you pronounce aku? AH-koo Broke da mouth What is aku? Aku is the Hawaiian word for shipjack tuna, a local favorite in Hawaii. What does kapu mean? Kapu is the Hawaiian word for forbidden, not allowed, stay out.Įxample: No go Stairway to Heaven hike. What does junk mean? Junk is Hawaiian slang for not good.Įxample: “ How the waves?” “Junk. What does irrahz mean? Hawaiian slang short for irritating, annoying.Įxample: Stop that complaining. How do you pronounce choke? Exactly like how it is pronounced in English. What does choke mean? In Hawaiian pidgin, choke means to have a lot of something.Įxample: “ So, you catch any fish?” “Oh yeah. What does chang mean? This pidgin word means to be frugal or have a tight wallet, aka cheap.Įxample: No tip? You so chang, brah. I’ve broken this dictionary into sections: The following translations are what I have learned the words to mean based on my own observations being in Hawaii along with some help and examples from Ryan. The following are helpful words and phrases to know when you visit Hawaii, with some you may not even hear but are fun to know anyway □ Disclaimer: I have not studied the Hawaiian language, nor Pidgin, so I am not claiming to be an expert. Pidgin also became helpful during WWII when Japanese spies tried to intercept local radios but couldn’t understand what was being said. With Ryan’s Japanese background and my Filipino background, it’s always interesting for us when we recognize Japanese and Filipino words mixed in with Pidgin! It is a mix of English, Hawaiian, Japanese, Filipino, Chinese and Portuguese words that came about in the 19th century when migrants came from those respective countries to work the plantations in Hawaii. Hawaiian slang, more popularly known as Pidgin, is Hawaii’s unofficial local language and can be heard spoken throughout the islands by the locals. Hawaiian Slang Directions, Places and Things.Hawaiian Slang Words and Pidgin Phrases You’ll Want to Know.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |