Ka Ipo No Tōkiō Mai – Mokuna 2

(Disclaimer: This endeavor is for fun and in no way reflects the views of the author, whom I hold in high esteem.) (Note: Some translation notes are provided at the bottom. Thanks.) Ke 30 o Ianuali, 1989. ʻO kēia ka ʻumi o koʻu mau lā i Iāpana ma kuʻu ola oʻo. Mahope mai kuʻu hoʻi…

Ka Ipo No Tōkiō Mai – Mokuna 1

(Disclaimer: This endeavor is for fun and in no way reflects the views of the author, whom I hold in high esteem.) (Note: Some translation notes are provided at the bottom. Thanks.) ʻO ke ʻano makepono loa no ka paʻa iaʻu o ka ʻōlelo Kepanī, ʻoia hoʻi kaʻu lilo auaneʻi i kumu ʻōlelo Farani ma…

Tokyo Fiancée – Ka Ipo no Tōkiō Mai – Thoughts & Feels

Aloha mai! It has been a while since I last posted, but life has been busy and crazy. As a means of balancing the crazy with peace and good feels, I enjoy translating. I am probably so-so at it, but I have wanted to be a translator almost as much as I wanted to be…

News – Good, Bad and Worldwide

It’s been a good while since I published my last post on eccentricities of counting in Hawaiian. Life got in the way, in both good ways and bad. So I’d like to provide an update on what’s going on in my life and the world that’s relevant to the ‘ōlelo Hawaiʻi, as well as provide…

How Do You Count in Hawaiian?

One, two, three, four… Counting is simple, right? Not in Hawaiian it isn’t. Counting alone is easy, but you can’t just say the number (e.g., kahi, lua, kolu, hā) — or at least not usually. You need a little doo-hickey on top of the first nine numbers. But which one? There are two such doohickeys:…

What Do Musubis and Laulau Have in Common? It’s a Tie!

Apparently while the world (a.k.a., the US) was in a tizzy over who should be president, an egregious oversight was made on May 12 of this year: Barbara Funamura died at the age of 78. So what, you say. Well, Barbara is credited as creating one of my favorite snacks (and sometimes meals) of all…

How Far I’ll Go (Ryan’s Hawaiian Version) – I Hea Ana Wau

I just love this song so I decided to translate it into Hawaiian because why not? Translating songs is something I love to do and do all the time. I’ve translated many songs into Hawaiian, French, and English, so I go ahead and share the lyrics here as well as some of my word choice…

Lei Poinaʻole – Deconstructed, Part 2: The Lyrics and Translation

(Read part 1 to learn a little bit about the background of the song’s composition.) My brothers DJ and Nathan and our cousin Riki Masaoka are in a band with some renown in Hawaiʻi called Kaleo Maoli (“The True and Native Voice”) and last week Friday their first big single “Leo Poinaʻole” was played on…

Lei Poinaʻole – Deconstructed, Part 1: The Composition and Background

(Read Part 2 for the meaning and my full translation of this song.) I was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, and though I live currently in Seattle, Washington, I still very much think of myself as living in my home town. I go back frequently to catch up with my extensive ʻohana (just in…

Hawaiian Language Review of Disney’s “Moana”

Hōʻike ʻAno no kō Disney Moana (Hawaiʻi) ʻAuhea ʻoukou e nā pulapula Hawaiʻi, eō! Eia iho nei, ʻo wau ʻo Kolomona Keawekāne, e hōʻike i kuʻu mau manaʻo no ua kiʻi ʻoniʻoni kaha ʻia ʻo Moana ʻakahi nō ‘o Disney a ho’opuka maila ma ka Lā Hoʻomaikaʻi o ʻAmelika (ʻoia hoʻi ka Lā Kū ʻOkoʻa…