Hawaiian Keyboard on Android Tablets

← All devices: the Hawaiian keyboard

On Android, the Hawaiian keyboard comes with Gboard, Google’s free keyboard app. Many tablets already use Gboard. Samsung Galaxy tablets use the Samsung Keyboard instead, so on those you install Gboard first.

Step 1: Make sure you have Gboard

  • Tap in any place you can type. If the keyboard has a small G logo or a row of icons along the top, you probably already have Gboard. You can skip to Step 2.
  • Otherwise, open the Play Store, search for Gboard (by Google LLC) and install it. It is free.
  • Open the Gboard app once and follow its steps to Enable in Settings and Select input method.
  • Samsung Galaxy: you can also go to Settings › General management › Keyboard list and default and set the Default keyboard to Gboard.

Step 2: Add Hawaiian to Gboard (once)

  1. Open Gboard’s settings. The quickest way is to tap the ⚙ gear in the row above the keyboard (or open the Gboard app).
  2. Tap Languages, then Add keyboard.
  3. Search for Hawaiian and tap it.
  4. Choose the QWERTY layout and tap Done.

Step 3: Switch to Hawaiian when you type

Tap the 🌐 globe key on the keyboard to switch between your languages. On some versions you touch and hold the space bar instead. The space bar shows the language name when Hawaiian is on.

Step 4: Type the ʻokina and kahakō

To typeOn the Hawaiian Gboard keyboard
ʻ (ʻokina)tap the ʻokina key, or touch and hold the apostrophe key and choose ʻ
ā ē ī ō ūtouch and hold the vowel, then slide to the one with the flat line on top
Ā Ē Ī Ō Ūtap Shift first, then touch and hold the vowel

Step 5: Test it

Once your keyboard is switched on, type the line in the box below. Each Hawaiian letter lights up green when your device produces the real character. If something is wrong, the box tells you exactly what you typed and how to fix it. What you type never leaves your device.

Hoʻāʻo: test your Hawaiian keyboard

Type this line exactly as you see it. Each letter below lights up when your device types it correctly.

ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi: ʻāina, ʻēheu, ʻīlio, ʻōpae, ʻūlili

  • ʻʻokina
  • ā
  • ē
  • ī
  • ō
  • ū
  • Ōcapital

    Show the character codes I typed

      What you type stays on your device. To improve these guides, the site keeps an anonymous count of how the test goes on each kind of device: no names, no cookies, no IP addresses.

      This test needs JavaScript turned on in your browser.

      Fixing common problems

      • I can’t find Hawaiian in the list. You may be looking at the Samsung Keyboard’s languages. Hawaiian is in Gboard (Step 1).
      • Words change into English. In Gboard’s settings, tap Text correction and turn off Auto-correction.
      • Using a Bluetooth keyboard with your tablet? We are still testing physical keyboards on Android. For now, use the on-screen keyboard for the ʻokina and kahakō.

      Other devices

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