Hawaiian vocabulary apps differ in where the words come from. Some give you a course with pictures and audio, some hold the cards you write yourself, and some save words from lessons. Three apps get a closer look below and four more get a short note. Hawaiian spells some words with the ʻokina (ʻ) and the kahakō (the line over a vowel), so check how an app shows them. For courses and tutors, see Best Apps to Learn Hawaiian. For reading and listening, see our Hawaiian comprehensible input comparison.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Hawaiian. You learn from Hawaiian you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Hawaiian lessons. If a sentence is hard to follow, ask Poppy to explain it.
With Regenerative Review™, you review saved words in new contexts without flashcards.
- Poppy's Hawaiian grammar notes cover 143 topics in English.
- Hawaiian words you save from a lesson come back in new lessons, in new sentences.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- You can't import a Hawaiian word list or a book as lessons. However, you can paste a passage in the chat, and Poppy will explain it.
- Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
Drops
Drops has a Hawaiian course you can use from English.
- Hawaiian words come with illustrations and pronunciation audio.
- A Word Collection, Favorites, a Dojo and a quiz let you go back over the words.
Mobile
uTalk
uTalk's Hawaiian course gives each word an English meaning from the first topic.
- Hawaiian words and phrases are grouped by topic, with native-speaker audio, and you can record yourself and compare.
- The course explains the vowels and the glottal stop.
MobileWeb
Other Apps We Looked At (4)
- KīpaepaeAn iPhone and iPad app with Hawaiian vocabulary, illustrations, sentences, phrases and read-along books. You can choose a male or female voice, and it has quizzes and personal stats. The download is free, and the listing does not say what stays free after that.
- Hawai'ian VocabA Hawaiian dictionary for iPhone with example sentences.
- AnkiMake cards with a Hawaiian word, its meaning and your own sentence, and type the ʻokina and kahakō yourself. Anki does not come with a Hawaiian deck. The desktop app and AnkiWeb are free, and AnkiMobile for iPhone is paid once.
- QuizletType your own Hawaiian terms and meanings into a set, or open a set someone else shared. Basic flashcards are free, and Plus adds more study modes. You type the ʻokina and kahakō yourself.
| App | Usable in | Learning help in | Words come from | Saved and reviewed | Free |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Yes | Partly | Lessons Poppy writes | Words return in new lessons | Lessons written for others |
| Drops | Yes | Yes | Illustrated course words | Word Collection, Dojo, quiz | Five minutes every ten hours |
| uTalk | Yes | Yes | Topics | Recall games, repeat hard items | Starter words |
| Kīpaepae | Yes | — | Course words and books | Quizzes, personal stats | Free download |
| Hawai'ian Vocab | — | — | Dictionary | — | — |
| Anki | Yes | Partly | Cards you make | Scheduled review | Desktop and AnkiWeb |
| Quizlet | Yes | Partly | Sets you make | Flashcards | Basic cards |
A dash (—) means you should check it in the app.
Which Hawaiian vocabulary app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Hawaiian, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. If you like pictures with your words, Drops shows each Hawaiian word with an illustration.
Do Hawaiian apps show the ʻokina and kahakō?
Hawaiian spells some words with the ʻokina and the kahakō. Check a few words in each app before you commit. If you make your own cards in Anki or Quizlet, you type both marks yourself.
Can I add my own Hawaiian words?
Anki and Quizlet let you write your own cards. Drops and uTalk give you their own word sets. Bubblegum saves words from the lessons Poppy writes, and Hawaiian to listen to is in our comparison of Hawaiian reading and listening apps.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.
