Wehewehe Wikiwiki Hawaiian language dictionaries

interjection, of surprise.

1. Same as aʻiaʻi #1.

2. Particle replacing i often in songs; usually written a i.

• Examples:
  • Malihini ka ʻikena aʻi nā Kona, seeing the Kona districts for the first time.
• References:
  • Cf. aʻe, aʻo.

nonproductive transitive suffix.

• References:
  • See huaʻi, luaʻi, lumaʻi, Gram. 6.6.4.
  • Cf. Kauaʻi, kaulaʻi.
  • PPN -ʻaki.

nvt., Food or food plant, especially vegetable food as distinguished from iʻa, meat or fleshy food; often ʻai refers specifically to poi; harvest (Oihk. 19.9); to eat, destroy or consume as by fire; to erode; to taste, bite, take a hook, grasp, hold on to; edible. Figuratively, to rule, reign, or enjoy the privileges and exercise the responsibilities of rule, and one who does so, as ʻai ahupuaʻa: to rule an ahupuaʻa, the ruler of one; ʻaiʻāina: to own, control, and enjoy land; the owner of land; ʻai aliʻi, ʻai lani, and ʻai liʻi, to enjoy the comforts and honors and exercise the responsibilities of being a chief; ʻai ʻili: to control an ʻili land division, one who does control the ʻili; ʻai moku: to rule a district or island [moku], one who rules one.

• Examples:
  • Hiki ke ʻai ʻia, edible.
  • ʻAi ʻaha, to tie with sennit.
  • ʻAʻohe kapu o kaʻu pā hula, he ʻai kū, he ʻai hele, there are no taboos in my hula troupe, eat standing, eat on the run.
  • ʻAʻoheʻai ʻo ka maʻi, the disease makes no advance.
  • Kāna ʻai, his food.
  • Kona ʻai, his eating.
• Related:
  • Various ways of eating may qualify ʻai, as ʻai, hele, ʻai lau, and ʻai noa, to eat freely and without observance of taboos (see also ʻai kū); ʻai kapu, to eat under taboo; ʻai kau, to feed by dropping poi directly from the fingers into the mouth, especially to feed a favorite child this way; ʻai maka, to eat raw; ʻai pau, to eat all.
  • Mōhai ʻai (Oihk. 2.14), cereal offering.
  • Pāʻū ʻai kaua (For. 4:53), sarong worn in battle.
  • hōʻai Caus/sim.; To feed, give food to, board.
• References:
  • Cf. ʻaialo, ʻai kanaka, ʻai nui, ʻai ʻokoʻa, ʻai paʻa, ʻai pala maunu, ʻai pilau, ʻai ʻuhaʻuha, ʻai waiū.
  • PPN kai.

2. n., Score, points in a game, stake, wager.

• Examples:
  • ʻEhia ʻai e eo ai? How many points to win?
• References:
  • PPN kai.

3. n., Dancing style or type.

• References:
  • Cf. ʻai ʻami, ʻai haʻa.

4. n., Stroke or hold in lua fighting; spear thrust.

• Examples:
  • Ka ʻai a ke kumu i koe iā ʻoukou (For. 5:409), the teacher's stroke that you do not have [have not been taught].
  • Kaʻai a ka uʻi, the stroke of the youth.

5. n., Stone used in the kimo game other than the stone that is tossed and caught, which is the pōhaku kimo.

Neck, neck of a shirt or dress, neck of the iheihe fish net.

• Related:
  • Lei ʻāʻī, necktie.
• References:
  • Cf. ʻāʻīkū, ʻāʻīlepe, ʻāī oeoe, ʻāʻī ʻoloʻolo, ʻāʻī pahāha, ʻāʻī palaʻe, ʻāʻīpau, ʻāʻī puʻu, ʻāʻī uaua.
  • PNP ka(a)kii.

1. nvt., Coition; to have sexual relations, cohabit (frequently pronounced ei).

• Related:
  • hōʻai Caus/sim.; To breed, as a horse.
• References:
  • Probably PPN haʻi .

2. Same as wai interrogative pronoun.

• References:
  • PPN hai .

3. Linking or anaphoric particle frequently pronounced ei.

• References:
  • Gram. 7.3.
  • PPN ai .

4. Short for aia, there.

• Examples:
  • Ai i loko o ka hale, there in the house.
• References:
  • Cf. ai loa, ai luna.