INDEX - CULTURE
www.islandbreath.org ID# 0714-02


SUBJECT: HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE

SOURCE: JUAN WILSON juanwilson@mac.com

POSTED: 24 FEBRUARY 2007 - 1:00pm HST

Lesson #2: Counting & Dates

Konane, a traditional Hawaiian game like checkers, as played at the City of Refuge on the Big Island

by Juan Wilson & Linda Pascatore on 24 February 2007

This series is derived from adult education classes in conversational Hawaiian given by the Kauai District of Education at Waimea High School by Kumu (teacher) Kamakua Kahale. She is a young Niihauan who speaks fluent Hawaiian.

See the introduction article for conventions we are using relating punctuation and spelling: Island Breath: Hawaiian Language Intro

In class #1 we began the system of counting with the numbers 1 through 10 and how some of those numbers relate to the names of the days of the week.

Numbers

1 = 'ekahi ('e-kahi) kahi = alone, together as unit, spouse
2 = 'elua ('e-lua) lua = match, duplicate, equal
3 = 'ekolu ('e-kolu)
4 = 'eha ('e-ha) ha = sacred formulistic number used as intensifier
5 = 'elima ('e-lima)
lima = hand
6 = 'eono('e-ono) ono = delicious, craving
7 = 'ehiku('e-hiku)
8 = 'ewalu ('e-walu) walu = multiples of four, to claw (leaving eight marks?),
9 = 'eiwa ('e-iwa)

To move ahead to counting read on.

Counting
Counting from 10 to 19 requires using 'umi
(10) as a prefix and and connecting using kuma (with) and then the desired digit suffix. It is also correct to use a more traditional version of the connector kuma in this form kumama.

Counting from ten it goes:

10 = 'umi = strangle, suppress, choke (with two hands?)
11 = 'umi-kuma-kahi
or 'umikumakahi
12 = 'umi-kuma-lua
13 = 'umi-kuma-kolu
14 = 'umi-kuma-ha
15 = 'umi-kuma-lima
16 = 'umi-kuma-ono
17 = 'umi-kuma-hiku

18 = 'umi-kuma-walu
19 = 'umi-kuma-iwa

Similarly, counting between 20 (‘iwaka-lua) and 29 follows the same pattern:

20 = 'iwaka-lua
21 = 'iwaka-lua-kuma-kahi or
'iwakaluakumakahi
22 = 'iwaka-lua-kuma-lua
23 = 'iwaka-lua-kuma-kolu
24 = 'iwaka-lua-kuma-ha
25 = 'iwaka-lua-kuma-lima
26 = 'iwaka-lua-kuma-ono
27 = 'iwaka-lua-kuma-hiku
28 = 'iwaka-lua-kuma-walu
29 = 'iwaka-lua-kuma-iwa

And again, similarly, counting between 30 (‘kana-kolu) and 39 follows the same pattern:

30 = ‘kana-kolu
31 = ‘kana-kolu-kuma-kahi

...
39 = ‘kana-kolu-kuma-iwa

The rest of the numbers between 40-99 can be dirived in the same way using

40 = kana-ha
50 = kana-lima
or kanalima
60 = kana-ono
70 = kana-hiku
80 = kana-walu
90 = kana-iwa

100 = hanele (English phonetic "hundred" )
100 = ho'o-kahi hanele
(one hundred)
200 = 'e-lua hanele
( two hundred)
900 = 'e-iwa hanele
(nine hundred)

1000 =kau-kani
English phonetic "thousand")
1000 = ho'o-kahi kau-kani
(one thousand)
1900 = 'umi kuma-iwa hanale
(nineteen hundred)

1900 = kau-kani 'e-iwa hanele
(one thousand nine hundred)
1945 =
'umi kuma-iwa hanale me kana-ha me 'e-lima
(nineteen hundred and forty five)


2000 = 'e-lua kau-kani
2007 = 'e-lua kau-kani me 'e-hiku
or 'Elua Kaukani me 'ehiku
(two thousand and seven)


Days of Week
The days of the week follow the seven day tradition of the Europeans and Americans that came to the islands. The Hawiians measured a day as overnight (po), a period of 24 hours beginning sunset (the Hawaiian “day” began at nightfall)

Monday = Po'akahi (Po-a-kahi) first day, Sunday sunset to Monday sunset
Tuesday = Po'alua (Po-a-lua) second day, Monday to Tuesday sunset
Wednesday = Po'akolu (Po-a-kolu) etc.
Thursday = Po'aha (Po-a-ha)
Friday = Po'alima (Po-a-lima)
Saturday = Po'aono (Po-a-ono)
Sunday = Lapule (La-pule) la=daytime, pule=prayer


Months of the Year:
(are phonetic translations from English)

Ianuali = January
Pepeluali
= February
Malaki
= March
‘Apelila
= April
Mei
= May
Iune
= June
Iulai
= July
Aukake
= August
Kepakemapa
= September
‘Okakopa
= October
Nowemapa
= November
Kekemapa
= December


Day of the Year:

In order to say today's date in Hawaiian if the English were
Day 24 of February, 2007 you would say:
La
'iwaka-kuma-ha O Pepeluali, 'Elua Kaukani me ehiku

Similarly the date in English:

Saturday, March 31 would literaly be translated as
Po'a-ono, Malaki ‘kana-kolu-kuma-kahi
The weekday of the sixth night (Saturday), March thirty with one (31)


Vocabulary
Times of day
la
= day
po = night (overnight)
keia la = today
po-nei = night past (last night)

wanua'u = dawn (sea urchin, time when urchins opens)
kakahiaka = morning
'awakea = midday

'auinala = afternoon
ahi'ahi = evening
aumoe = midnight


Hawaiian Online Dictionary http://www.wehewehe.org/


x
An Introduction to spoken Hawaiian

x
Lesson #3: Pronouns and Particles


www.islandbreath.org

Pau