Just Some Words to Know

Some Hawaiian that's helpful to know for your 'ohana traveling with keiki:

keiki - kids (pronounced like KAY-kee, CAKE-ee). So look for the keiki menu, keiki discounts, and fun for keiki around town.

'ohana - family (oh-HAN-ah), but you knew that from Lilo and Stitch, right?

shishi - pee-pee (SHE-she). As in, "sweetie, do you need to shishi?" Funny story about how I learned this one... on parts of the mainland it means 'fancy' or 'gaudy.'

lanai - any outdoor balcony, porch, or patio (lah-NIE). As in, "yes, you may eat that - just take it out on the lanai."

mahalo - thank you (ma-HA-low). "Mahalo for taking off your shoes!" Sing it, Laurie. 

wikiwiki - super-fast (WEE-kee-WEE-kee). Also popular on menus - as in "I'll have the wikiwiki chicken."

mauka - towards the mountains (MAO-ka). Essential for understanding directions given by friends, and for finding your car at Ala Moana Shopping Center.

makai - towards the ocean (ma-KAI). This one is easy to remember, as kai means ocean.

pau - done, finished (pow). "All pau with dinner?" "All pau."

This is just a primer for visitors with families, and I'll add more as I think of them. Another very thorough site that provides a helpful start to Hawaiian can be found here.