0400 Series Index

Lessons in Hawaiian Pronunciation and Intonation

This set of lessons will teach you the basics of pronunciation. You will learn enough to be able to start learning vocabulary words and grammar structures. Start with the lower numbers and work your way up.

You should start with the videos, which are each labeled with a V identifier after the four-number topic code (e.g., 0401V Pronunciation #1: The Alphabet)

0401V Pronunciation #1: The Alphabet
Learn about Hawaiian vowels and consonants and how they look and sound. You will be introduced to the basics of pronunciation in Hawaiian as well as the standard Hawaiian alphabet of 13 letters. You will also learn how to say the names of the letters in Hawaiian.
0401P Pronunciation Practice: Vowels
Practice distinguishing similar sounds and difficult diphthong vowel glides in Hawaiian language by listening to and repeating the audio examples provided.
0402V Pronunciation #2: Macrons
Learn about how macrons (kahakō) are used over Hawaiian vowels to change their sound.
0402P Pronunciation Practice: Kahakō
Practice distinguishing similar pairs of words, some with macrons and some without, in Hawaiian language by listening to and repeating the audio examples provided.
0403V Pronunciation #3: The Glottal Stop
Learn about glottal stops (ʻokina) in Hawaiian, how they affect the sound of words, and how glottal stops are actually consonants in Hawaiian!
0403P Pronunciation Practice: ʻOkina
Find out what a glottal stop is and how it is used in Hawaiian language as an ʻokina. Learn the rules of its use, learn how to write it, and practice pronunciation while listening to examples.
0403R How To Write The ʻOkina
Learn how the ʻokina (glottal stop) is represented in Hawaiian, how to write it, and a little about its written history. Compare the ʻokina character to other characters which look very similar.
0404P Hakalama Practice Audio
Learn and practice the Hakalama set of Hawaiian sounds by listening to the audio files provided.