Wehewehe Wikiwiki Hawaiian language dictionaries

1. prep. Of, acquired by. This a forms part of the possessives, as in ka'u, mine, and kāna, his. (Gram. 9.6.1.)ʻUmi-a-Līloa, ʻUmi, [son] of Līloa. Hale-a-ka-lā, house acquired [or used] by the sun [mountain name]. (PPN ʻa.)

2. (Cap.) nvs. Abbreviation of ʻākau, north, as in surveying reports.

And, when, until, to, etc.

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s. Name of a large sea bird often caught by natives; also called aaianuheakane, feathers white.

in Hawaiian, as in most other languages, is the first letter of the alphabet; “because, if pronounced open as a in father, it is the simplest and easiest of all sounds.” Encye. Amer. Its sound, in Hawaiian, is generally that of a in father, ask, pant, &c.; but it has, sometimes, when standing before the consonants k, l, m, n, and p, a short sound, somewhat resembling the short u, as in mutter, but not so short. Thus paka, malimali, lama, mana, napenape, are pronounced somewhat as we should pronounce pukka, mullymully, lumma, munna, nuppynuppy, &c.; reference being had only to the first vowel of each word. It has also in a few words a sound nearly resembling (but not so strong) that of au or aw in English; as iwaho, mawaho, pronounced somewhat as iwauho, mawauho. To foreigners who merely read the language, the common pronunciation of a as in father is near enough for all practical purposes; but to those who wish to speak it, the mouth of a Hawaiian is the best directory.

s. Name of the Hawaiian alphabet; also the first sheet on which it was printed.

s. Name of a small fish that bites at a hook; called also aakimakau.

is used for various parts of speech, and, of course, has various significations.

s. Name of the white spots that appear in poi when pounding.

s., Name of broken lava from the volcano; probably so called from being burnt. See A, v., Ke a o Kaniku a me Napuuapele.

s. The name of an instrument made of smooth bone, and used formerly for piercing or killing an unborn child. It was called the a oo, the piercing a; also a koholua. See KOHOLUA.

s. The jawbone; the cheek bone. Hal. 3:7. A lana, upper jaw; a lalo, lower jaw.

adj. Fiery; burning; he lua a, a fiery pit.

v. To burn, as a fire; ua a mai ke ahi, the fire burns; ua a mai ke ahi ma ka waha. the fire burned in their mouths.

2. To burn, as a lamp; to blaze, as a flame.

3. FIG. To burn, as jealousy. Hal. 79:5. As anger. Nah. 11:1.

4. Hoo or ho. To cause to burn, i. e., to kindle; to light, as a lamp; to kindle, as a fire. Also with ho doubled, as hohoa, to dry; na hua i hohoa ia, dried fruits. Oihk. 2:14. See the reduplicate form AA and Hoo. Gram. § 212.

int. Lo; behold. It is expressive of surprise, disappointment, astonishment or admiration. It is similar in meaning to aia hoi, eia hoi, aia ka.

prep. Of; to; in connection with motion, e hoi oe a ka hale, return to the house, (hiki i) understood. Laieik. 12. Unto; at; belonging. It designates the properties of relation, possession and place; and is often synonymous with o, but more generally distinct, giving another shade of meaning and implying a more close connection. Gram. § 69, 3.

conjunction, And; and then; and when. When it connects verbs, it usually stands by itself; as, holo ka waa, a komo iho, the canoe sailed and sank. When it connects nouns, it is usually joined with me; as, haawi mai oia i ka ai a me ke kapa, he furnished food and clothing. A with me signifies and, and also, besides, together with, &c. When emphatic, it is merely a disjunctive. Lunk. 6:39. NOTE.—In narration, it frequently stands at the beginning of sentences or paragraphs, and merely refers to what has been said, without any very close connection with it. In many cases, it is apparently euphonic, or seems to answer no purpose, except as a preparatory sound to something that may follow; as, akahi no oukou a hele i keia ala, never before have you passed this road. Gram. § 166.

adv. When; then; there; until. With verbs in a narrative tense, it signifies when, and when, &c.; as, a hiki mai ia, when he arrived. With nei it signifies a designation of place, as mai a nei aku, from here (this place) onward. Until, as noho oia malaila a make, he lived there until he died. NOTE.—A nei is often written as one word, and then it signifies here, present place. A when pronounced with a protracted sound, signifies a protracted period of time, or distance, or a long continued action; as, holo ae la ia a—a hiki i ka aina kahiki, he sailed a long time (or a long distance) until he reached a foreign country.

adv., When; then; there; until. With verbs in a narrative tense, it signifies when, and when, etc.: as, a hiki mai ia, when he arrived. With nei it signifies a designation of place: as, mai a nei aku, from here (this place) onward. Until: as, noho oia malaila a make; he lived there until he died. (A nei is often written as one word, and then it signifies here, or the present place.)

adv., A when pronounced with a protracted sound, signifies a protracted period of time, or distance, or a long continued action: as, holo ae la ia a a hiki i ka aina kahiki; he sailed a long time, or a long distance, until he reached a foreign country.

conjunction, And; then; and when. When it connects verbs, it usually stands by itself; as, holo ka waa, a komo iho, the canoe sailed and sank. When it connects nouns, it is usually joined with me; as, haawi mai oia i ka ai a me ke kapa, he furnished food and clothing. A with me signifies and, and also, besides, together with, etc. When emphatic, it is merely a disjunctive. In narration, it frequently stands at the beginning of sentences or paragraphs, and merely refers to what has been said, without any very close connection with it. In many cases it is apparently euphonic or seems to answer no purpose, except as a preparatory sound to something that may follow; as, akahi no oukou a hele i keia ala, before you have passed this road.

1. n., The jawbone; the cheek bone: a luna, upper jaw; a lalo, lower jaw.

2. n., An instrument made of smooth bone formerly used for abortion. It was called the a oo, the piercing a; also koholua.

3. n., An instrument used for bleeding.

4. n., White spots that appear in poi when it is pounded.

5. n., A large sea bird often caught by natives; also called aaianuheakane (feathers white). Worshiped as an aumakua or guardian.

6. n., A small fish that bites at a hook; called also aakimakau.

7. n., The Hawaiian alphabet; also the first sheet on which it was printed.

8. n., Broken lava (probably so called from being burnt. See A, v.) : Ke a o Kaniku a me Napuuapele.

preposition, Of; to; in connection with motion, e hoi oe a ka hale, return to the house, (hiki i is understood). Laieik. p. 12. Unto; at; belonging. It designates the properties of relation, possession and place; and is often synonymous with o, but generally distinct, giving another shade of meaning and implying a closer connection.

1. v., To burn, as a fire: ua a mai ke ahi, the fire burns; ua a mai ke ahi ma ka waha; the fire burned in their mouths.

2. v., To burn, as a lamp; to blaze, as a flame.

3. v., Fig. To burn, as with jealousy or anger.

interjection, Lo; behold. An expression of surprise, disappointment, astonishment or admiration. It is similar in meaning to aia hoi, eia hoi, aia ka.