Hawaiian Pidgin, known in Hawaii simply as Pidgin, is an English-based creole language spoken in Hawaii. It has its’ own unique pronunciation, cadence and rhythm when spoken. Chances are you will hear it during your stay in Hawaii, so some of our Hawaii born-and-raised team members have listed a few words and phrases with their meanings to help you out!

First let’s start with the basics. These words are not pidgin, but they are Hawaiian words you will hear and see many, many times in Hawaii:

Aloha – hello, goodbye, love, kindness

Mahalo – thank you

Mauka – mountainside

Makai – oceanside

Okay, now that we have those two words, let’s get going with some local words and phrases you may not have heard before!

Broke da mouth – describes how delicious a food was

Choke – a lot of something

Talk story – having a conversation with someone

Da Kine – if you can’t remember a specific word, just say “da kine”, similar to “whatchamacallit”

Grind – to eat

Hana hou – once more

Pau – finish

Shoots – another word for “okay”, or you can say “Rajah dat”

Mayjah – major

Brah/Braddah – friend/brother

No make like – don’t act like

Howzit – hello

Ono – delicious

Kau kau – food, meal

Moi-moi – sleep

Kanak attack – being tired after a big meal

Hawaiian time – running late

Hanabata days – one’s childhood, since you were a small child

Shi shi – to go to the bathroom #1

Chee hu – woo hoo! word of intense excitement, meant to be yelled

Small kine – a little bit