Climate Glossary

Sky lani

In ‘Ōlelo Hawai’i, pāuli means dark skies. Kānaka Maoli believed pāuli would forecast high surf. Darkness to the west suggests a migratory low and cold front heading for the islands, which indeed generates higher surf for north and west shores.

A dark and completely overcast sky without wind, po’ipu, signified that Kulanihako’i, the source of thunder, lightening and other severe weather, was present. La, sun, mahina, moon, and hoku, star, are the astronomical bodies in the sky.

Rain Ua

Ua is the generic term for rainfall among many other terms for precipitation. For example, ‘awa refers to a cold mountain fog or mist, Ua ho’okina is a continuous rain, ua lanipili is a torrential rain, and kualau is rain over the ocean. There are also terms for rain in specific locations such as kuahine, mist in Mānoa, and ua lani ha’aha’a, rainfall in Hana.

Kānaka Maoli judged the duration of rainfall by the accompanying weather: long rain, ualoa, fell with very little wind, but if thunder, lightening, or even a rainbow were present, the rains would be uapoko, short.

A red sunset, aka’ula, would foretell the cessation of rainfall, and uahea refers to a cold rain with the possibility of hau, ice and snow at high elevations.

Rainbow Ānuenue

Hawai’i’s trade winds, mountainous terrain, and exceptionally clean air make for the perfect conditions for rainbows. Spotting a rainbow is associated with good fortune.

Wind Makani

Though makani is the general term for wind, there are other words for different kinds of wind. Variable winds are makani polua, fair winds are ‘olu’olu and strong north winds are Ho’olua. Trade winds have many names such as Moa’e, A’e, A’e Loa, Moa’e Lehua and Mao’e Pehu.

Some local wind names include: ‘Alahonua (Hilo), Apa’apa’a (Kohala), Alahou (Moloka’i), Kaua’ula (Lahaina), and ‘Ahiu (Kahana).

Water Wai/Kai

Wai means fresh water and often refers to a stream. Ala refers to a path or road, thus alawai means water path or canal. Puna means a fresh water spring. 

Kai is the term for seawater and also the near sea. Moana refers to the far sea, beyond the horizon, kai holoa refers to a lagoon, and a wave or surf is nalu.

Land ‘Aina

‘Aina refers to the land or earth. Hawaiians divided the land into districts called ahupua’a, which formed a thin wedge of land running from the ocean to the interior mountains.

In this way, each district controlled a wide range of resources from the uka, mountains, where bird feathers and canoe trees were collected, through the lowland, kula, fields, where agriculture was concentrated, to the kai where marine resources were gathered. Ahupua’a were grouped into larger districts called moku, which also refers to individual islands.

Landforms

Hawaiian words for landforms include:

lua, pit or crater, lua pele, volcano or crater, mauna, mountain, kahakai, beach, lae, cape or promontory, pu’u, hill or peak, pali, cliff, awawa, valley, pohaku, rock or stone, pahoehoe, smooth lava, and a’a, rough lava.

Directions

The visible sea is kai and makai means toward the sea. Mountains are mauna and mauka means toward the mountains.

The cardinal directions are recognized as:  ‘akau, hema, hikina, komohana for North, South, East, West resepctively.

Place Names

Many place and street names in Hawai’i include references to natural features, and generally include two or more Hawaiian words.

For example, the dormant volcano on Hawai’i island, Mauna Kea, gets its name from Mauna meaning mountain and Kea meaning white. This refers to its frequent winter snow cap.

The town of Pukalani, hole in the sky, on the leeward slopes of Hakeakala sits where a large wind eddy creates a frequent clear opening in the clouds, and Wai’ale’ale on Kauai, one of the world’s wettest spots, means overflowing water.

The most common adjectives are ka, the, loa, long, nui, large, iki, small, and ‘ula, red. Some common prefixes, hana and hono refer to bays.

Cloud Ao

The basic word for cloud is ao, but there are many cloud descriptions. These other terms got their names from their physical characteristics.

For example, the scattered, cotton-puff trade wind cumulus clouds are called aopua’a. Pua’a means pig, and thus a row of cumulus clouds reminded Hawaiians of a mother pig with a train of piglets following her. A bank of these puffy clouds is called ‘opua. Another formation is aopehupehu, with pehu meaning to swell up.

Clouds are also named after colors, with ‘ele’ele referring to a black cloud and ke’oke’o to a white cloud.

A sheltering cloud is called ho’omalumalu and a threatening cloud, ho’oweliweli. Please refer to the Hawaiian Cloud Chart below for other cloud name translations.