Notes on the use of olelo Hawaii, the Hawaiian language, in Hana Hou!

The State of Hawaii has recognized both English and olelo Hawaii as its two official languages since 1978. Hana Hou! does not, therefore, italicize words in olelo Hawaii as we do other non-English words.

Written Hawaiian frequently includes two diacritic marks: the okina, indicating a glottal stop, and the kahako, a macron denoting a long vowel. These marks are helpful in pronouncing Hawaiian words correctly. While Hana Hou! includes okina and kahako in its print edition, these characters can present technical difficulties in digital formats. We have therefore opted not to include diacritics in our digital editions.

Those interested in the accepted contemporary transliteration of words in olelo Hawaii may refer to our print edition or consult the digital version of Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel Elbert’s Hawaiian Dictionary at Ulukau, the Hawaiian Electronic Library.