* a sounds like [ah] as in above [ah buv ]. * e sounds like [eh] as in bet [beht ]. * i sounds like [ee] as in be [bee]. * o sounds like [oh] as in obey [oh bei ] * u sounds like [oo] as in rule [rool]. |
Hawaiian vowels are pronounced without "off-glides", which are transitional sounds added by the non-native speaker and away from the proper pronunciation, as with a Southern drawl or to "prettify" the language to sound more like English.
Example: haole (white person, non-endemic, Caucasian) is pronounced [hao' leh],
hao as in the English word "how", a diphthong sound without a nasal twang andleh with a short "e" sound, as in the English word, "bet".
Haole is NOT pronounced [how' lay]. Haole is NOT pronounced [how' lee].
Elongated Vowels
When a vowel has a kahakô (usually a straight line over the vowel, still unavailable on the Internet; for our purposes, a "^" is used as a substitute), it is sounded by emphatically elongating the vowel sound.
Vowels Sounds As in:
Examples: â [AH] "Ahh! This is heaven." `âpala (apple) [AH' pah lah]
ê [EH] "Hooray!" `Ê! (Hey!) [EH!]
î [EE] "See!" `îlio (dog)[EE' lee (y)oh]
ô [OH] "OH NO!" `ôpû (belly) [OH' POO']
û [OO] "Oops!" Hûi! (Halloo!)[HOO' (w)ee]
Consonants
p, k - About as in English but with less aspiration.
h, l, m, n - About as in English.
w - When it starts a word or after "a", "w"- sound or "v"-sound is acceptable.
Hawai`i [Hah wai' ee] or [Ha vai' ee]
Welina! (affectionate greeting) [Veh lee' nah!] or [Weh lee' nah!]
w After "i" and "e", usually "v"- sound.
iwi (bone) [ee' vee], Ewa (city on O`ahu) [eh' vah]
w After "u" and "o", usually
"w"-sound. kûwili (to spin in a dance) [KOO' wee lee]
wôwô (to roar, bellow) [WOH' WOH']
` (`okina)
The `okina is a consonant, which sounds like the break in "Oh-oh, I broke it." It signifies a breath break.
Diphthongs
Diphthong: [pronounced dip' thong] a vowel sound made up of two vowel sounds pronounced together, such as ou in house, oi in noise.
As a general rule, vowels are pronounced separately EXCEPT when they appear as diphthongs. The first vowel is always stressed, but the two vowels are not as closely joined as in English.
* "ai" sounds like the "i" in ice.
* "ae" sounds like I or eye.
* "ao" sounds like "ow" in how, but without a nasal twang.
* "au" sounds like the "ou" in house or out, but without a nasal twang.
* "ei" sounds like "ei" in chow mein or in eight.
* "eu" has no equivalent in English;
"eu" sounds like "eh-oo", run together, as a single syllable.
* "iu" sounds like the "ew" in few.
* "oi" sounds like the "oi" in voice
* "ou" sounds like the "ow" in bowl.
* "ui" is an unusual sound for English-speakers, sort of like the "ooey" in gooey, but pronounced as a single syllable.
W and Y Glides
These glide sounds are automatically produced with certain vowel combinations. The w- or y-sound can vary, sometimes barely audible and subtle to distinctly pronounced, depending on the word and the speaker:
* W - glide examples:
* Maui [ Mau' (w)ee] (an island in the Hawaiian chain)
* `oe [oh (w)eh' ] (you)
* Auê [ au (W)EH'! ] (Oh no! Darn! Shucks!)
* lauoho [lau' (w)oh hoh] (hair)
* Y- glide examples:
* ia [ee' (y)ah] (he, she, it)
* `iâia [ee (Y)AH' (y)ah] (him, her; to him, to her)
Accent or Stress: Rules of Thumb
I. For all words: Accent syllables with kahakô.
* Example 1: kahakô [kah hah KOH'] a diacritical mark which indicates the speaker should lengthen the sound of the vowel
* Example 2: kûpuna [KOO' poo nah] elders, ancestors
II. For words without kahakô: Accent syllables with diphthongs.
* Example 1: hau`oli [hau' oh lee] (happy)
* Example 2: umauma [oo mau' mah] (chest)
III. For words without kahakô or diphthongs: Accent the "next-to-last" syllable.
* Example 1: hale [hah' leh] (house)
* Example 2: aloha [ah loh' hah] (greetings, love, affection)
IV. For compound words (words made up of two or more words), break up the word into its separate parts and use the "next-to-last" rule-of-thumb:
* Example 1: ku`uipo [koo' oo (y)ee' poh] = ku`u (my) + ipo (sweetheart)
* Example 2: holoholo [hoh' loh hoh' loh] (going out, carousing) = holo + holo
Exceptions exist: words containing five syllables without kahakô are stressed on the first and fourth syllables: example: `elemakule (old man) [eh' leh mah koo' leh]. The final stress in a word is usually louder than preceding stress or stresses.
Pronunciation Resources and Practice
* 101 Things to Do: Audio Hawaiian Language
* Hawaiian Words with Soundbites
* Native Tongue Glossary by E. Kalani Flores with Soundbites
* Kualono Pronunciation Guide with .au Sound Files