Borrowed Words in Hawaiian Spelling
English words come into Hawaiian with Hawaiian sounds and spelling.
How It Works
| English | Hawaiian |
|---|---|
| telephone | kelepona |
| computer | kamepiula |
| coffee | kope |
The English Wikipedia article on Hawaiian phonology says English stops are mapped to k when they are not made with the lips or the throat, and a writer on loanwords notes that the early spellings were not fully regular. So these changes are habits, not a strict list. Check a word before you use it, because newer words differ between writers.
Loan words take articles and markers like any other noun: ke kelepona, ke kamepiula. Hawaiian Wikipedia uses kelepona, kope and kamepiula in everyday text.
Examples (4)
- Ke hana nei au ma ke kamepiula.
I am working on the computer.
Kamepiula is computer in Hawaiian spelling.
- Aia kaʻu kelepona ma ke pākaukau.
My phone is on the table.
Kelepona is telephone.
- Makemake au i ke kope.
I want coffee.
Kope is coffee.
- Ua lawe ʻo Kala i kāna kamepiula i ke kula.
Kala took his computer to school.
A loan word takes ka or ke and a possessive like any noun.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Borrowed words are reshaped to fit the Hawaiian letters.
Related Patterns
Practice Borrowed Words in Hawaiian Spelling in Bubblegum
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