Here at Drops, we love words of all kinds, shapes, and sizes. Amping up your vocabulary is one of the best ways you can build a strong foundation in your new language, and in just five minutes a day, you can make incredible progress.
Did you know there are only around 300 native speakers of Hawaiian today? Recently, we announced the release of our new Hawaiian language course, and we can’t wait to help that number grow. Here are just a few of our favorite Hawaiian words and their meanings.
Aloha is more than a simple greeting in Hawaiian. It is used to express compassion, love, and affection, and it has a deep cultural significance in Hawaii. Its sentiment is said to be so profound that Hawaiians believe it has no true English equivalent. Learn how to say "hello" in other languages.
Giving or getting directions in Hawaii? Using this word will certainly score you points with the locals. Mauka means “towards the mountain” and refers to when you travel inland.
Makai is another word associated with directions and it means the opposite of mauka. It indicates that you need to go “towards the sea,” so you can invite your new friends to join you for a lūʻau makai.
“Ohana means family.” A Hawaiian word made famous by Disney’s Lilo & Stitch, but this word goes much deeper than just family. It extends from blood-relatives to “adopted” or “chosen” family and carries with it an implication of respect and cooperation.
This Hawaiian word is a catchall and pretty much means “whatchamacallit”. That thing over there? Da kine. That dish you ate last night that was super tasty? Da kine. This word is incredibly versatile and can be put to use whenever you’re at a loss for the right word or when you feel like being a little vague.
Hang ten! The shaka is a hand gesture that is made by forming one’s hand into a fist, then extending the thumb and pinkie. It expresses gratitude, understanding, and solidarity and you’ll see it often used in Hawaii, especially on the road. Drivers often use it when others are courteous to share their thanks.
As you start to get the hang of the Hawaiian language, the locals may cheer you on with this expression. It’s used to say, “you’ve got it!” or “there you have it!” Whether you’re getting up to join a hula, catch your first wave while surfing, or sing an excellent round of karaoke, it can be used in almost any context to root someone on.
In Hawaiian, stick-with-it-ness is expressed as ho’omau. It expresses one’s ability to persist, to keep going, and to never give up. It’s a great word to share your commitment to the Hawaiian language!
Did you just wrap up an amazing Hawaiian study session? Kūlia i ka nu’u is the word you’ll need to express the buzz you’re feeling at the end of a great study session. It means “to do your best” and implies a value in both achievement and excellence.
Another great Hawaiian word for language learners is ‘ike loa. It implies a value in learning and knowledge, growth, and expansion.
Again, another word whose meaning may seem deceptively simple. Mahalo is translated into English as “thank you”, but it packs a much bigger punch. Tied into this expression of thanks, is a deeper sense of gratitude, admiration, praise, esteem, and respect.
We invite you to come learn these words and more with us at Drops! A hui hou kakou (“until we meet again”). Mahalo!
What about you? Are you learning Hawaiian? You can check out our favorite Hawaiian language resources here.
What are some of your favorite words in the language? We’d love to hear what they are in the comments below!
"Love my fun language learning and practice with daily Drops sessions, and monthly Challenges to participate in, and quiz mode to test contextual learning - brilliant! So much thought, consideration and inclusivity has gone into the design and function of this app, I can't praise it highly enough."
"Great little learning app! I've learned at least 5-10 new words in Spanish in my first 5 minutes. Easy to pick up and thorough."
"Great language learning app! It helps you get daily words done in a short amount of time. I would highly recommend using drops to learn whatever language you want to learn."
"What an amazing app! I’ve tried several apps for language learning and I cannot recommend Drops enough. I don’t know how a short Drops session can teach me as much as 1 hour+ of focused use of other apps, it’s like magic."
"Amazing language learning tool. Excellent app for increasing vocabulary in your foreign language of choice. Useful for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners. The repetition of the words makes them much easier to remember, and without the hassle of making your own flash cards. I have used Drops for two years now and have seen great results."
"Very engaging way of learning Yoruba in a stimulating way. Will be using to learn myself and to teach my child!"
"Less than a week in but using this alone with the popular one babbel working on German. When using just one app I got bored, babbel is not as fun. So using both at once actually let's my adhd do its thing but I still focused since I can switch easily between both apps and work in different areas. Also I like the quick little sessions makes me feel like I actually did something."
"So engaging. I speak Spanish well, but often forget words in conversation that I know I should know. This game is fun and quickly brings back vocabulary I may have put in the back of my brain after not using it for awhile. Case in point: I spent 11 years in construction, then went back to teaching in English and/or Spanish depending on the teacher/student"
"Amazing app"
"I have been desperate to find an app that really helps me learn Japanese and this is the best by far"
"I like that you can switch between different subjects and topics constantly and it’s really easy to learn a lot of vocabulary very quickly! This works perfect for me because I can learn a lot of words but then practice sentence structure with my grandmother whose from Croatia"
"Fantastic app great opportunity to learn languages on your spare time. Drops makes it easy to learn and retain words to formulate sentences."
"Best of the best. Awesome app in every sense"
"This app us the best and how I am doing Learning Ukraine is Helping me alot tnx"
"Definitely recommend! I'm using this to learn mandarin 10/10"
"Fun and interactive. Great for repetition!"
"Very engaging way of learning Yoruba in a stimulating way. Will be using to learn myself and to teach my child!"
"Amazing language learning tool. Excellent app for increasing vocabulary in your foreign language of choice. Useful for beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners. The repetition of the words makes them much easier to remember, and without the hassle of making your own flash cards. I have used Drops for two years now and have seen great results."
"Great little learning app! I've learned at least 5-10 new words in Spanish in my first 5 minutes. Easy to pick up and thorough."
"I have been desperate to find an app that really helps me learn Japanese and this is the best by far"
"I like that you can switch between different subjects and topics constantly and it’s really easy to learn a lot of vocabulary very quickly! This works perfect for me because I can learn a lot of words but then practice sentence structure with my grandmother whose from Croatia"
"Fantastic app great opportunity to learn languages on your spare time. Drops makes it easy to learn and retain words to formulate sentences."
"What an amazing app! I’ve tried several apps for language learning and I cannot recommend Drops enough. I don’t know how a short Drops session can teach me as much as 1 hour+ of focused use of other apps, it’s like magic."
"Love my fun language learning and practice with daily Drops sessions, and monthly Challenges to participate in, and quiz mode to test contextual learning - brilliant! So much thought, consideration and inclusivity has gone into the design and function of this app, I can't praise it highly enough."
"Definitely recommend! I'm using this to learn mandarin 10/10"
"This app us the best and how I am doing Learning Ukraine is Helping me alot tnx"
