Saturday, December 03, 2005

Aloha, ohana, lei

That's the extent of my Hawaiian.

aloha = hello/goodbye

ohana = extended family

lei = a garland of flowers one wears

All three are much shorter and easier to remember than

humuhumunukunukuapuaa
noun
Either of two triggerfishes, Rhinecanthus aculeatus or R. rectangulus, native to the outer reefs of Hawaii, the latter having a broad black band on the side and a black triangle at the beginning of the tail.
"humuhumunukunukuapuaa." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Answers.com 03 Dec. 2005. http://www.answers.com/topic/humuhumunukunukuapuaa

Hear someone say it by going here and clicking the speaker, which looks like .

I love listening to the Hawaiian language. It's very

dulcet
adjective
1. Pleasing to the ear; melodious.
2. Having a soothing, agreeable quality.
3. Archaic. Sweet to the taste.
[Alteration (influenced by Latin dulcis) of Middle English doucet, from Old French, diminutive of douce, from Latin dulcis.]
"dulcet." The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Answers.com 03 Dec. 2005. http://www.answers.com/topic/dulcet