a e i o u

The Five Vowels

Level 1

Hawaiian has five vowels. Each one keeps nearly the same sound in every word.

How It Works

Hawaiian spelling is close to one letter for one sound, so you can say a new word by reading each letter in turn. The Reference Grammar gives these comparisons for the short vowels:

LetterSounds like
athe a in “above”
ethe e in “bet”
ithe y in “city”
othe o in “sole”, without a trailing glide
uthe oo in “moon”, without a trailing glide

A vowel with a kahakō is the long version of the same sound. Every vowel in a word is said, so the last e in hale is not silent, and mahalo has three clear syllables: ma-ha-lo. Every syllable ends in a vowel, and a word ends in a vowel too.

Examples (5)

  1. aloha

    hello, goodbye, love

    Three steady vowels: a, o, a. Say each one: ah-LOH-hah.

  2. mahalo

    thank you

    The o at the end is said, with no English glide after it.

  3. hale

    house

    The final e sounds like the e in “bet”. It is not silent.

  4. kumu

    teacher

    Both u sounds are like the oo in “moon”.

  5. pili

    close, near

    Each i sounds like the y in “city”.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

a e i o uLevel 1The Five Vowels