The written Hawaiian language is based on English letters. In 1820 western missionaries living in the islands first standardized a written version of the Hawaiian language. There was, up until western contact, no written version of the Hawaiian language.

When Captain Cook discovered the Hawaiian Islands in 1778, he also discovered that Hawaiians had a totally oral tradition. This will also greatly improve your island navigation skills and ability to communicate with locals about the island. Learning a bit about the language can greatly improve your pronunciation and reading of Hawaiian words. However, most of the names of towns, streets, places, and scenic sites are in Hawaiian. Of course, you do not need to speak Hawaiian (or Pidgin for that matter) to enjoy Hawai'i.

However, a 3rd unofficial language is also widely spoken, Pidgin which is a slang combining words from many aspects of island life and culture. Hawai'i is also the only American state to have two official languages, Hawaiian and English. With 25% of the population considering themselves to have at least some Native Hawaiian ancestry and 58% of the population being at least part Asian and 39% having some white ancestry - you can imagine the impact on language within the islands. The recent 2000 US Census showed that over 20% of Hawai'i residents listed ancestors of more than one race, giving the state a much higher percentage of multiracial residents than anywhere else in America. The Hawaiian Islands are a huge melting pot of races. We are certain our Hawaiian speaking friends are rolling their maka and laughing their lemu off at this page - hopefully once they are done they will help us make any corrections necessary. What we can do, however, is give you the basics that makes reading and speaking Hawaiian easier. We are not native Hawaiian speakers - and we did not grow up on the island with an infusion of daily Pidgin. Important Note: There is no way we can teach you either Hawaiian or Pidgin. Hawaiian Dictionary: Hawaiian-English, English-Hawaiian To use this site you must read and agree to our Terms and Conditions - Click Here

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