Consonants
|
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IPA |
Examples |
nearest English equivalent
|
---|
h
|
Honolulu
|
hat
| j
|
Mauna Kea [ˈkɛjə][1] |
yes
| k
|
Kamehameha[2] |
sky
| l
|
Honolulu, Lānaʻi
|
lean
| m
|
Maui
|
moon
| n
|
Lānaʻi[3] |
note
| p
|
Pele
|
spy
| t
|
Waikīkī, wikiwiki[2] |
sty
| v
|
wikiwiki[4] |
vision
| w
|
Loa [ˈlowə], Kīlauea [ˈkiːlɔuˈwɛjə][4] |
we
| ʔ
|
Hawaiʻi, Oʻahu
|
oh-oh! (a catch in the throat)
| Stress
|
---|
IPA |
Example |
Note
|
---|
ˈ
|
Honolulu [honoˈlulu]
|
Mark placed before stressed syllable.[5] |
|
Vowels
|
---|
IPA |
Examples |
nearest English equivalent
|
---|
aː
|
Lānaʻi
|
father
| ɐ
|
Oʻahu, Molokaʻi[6] |
nut
| ə
|
Hawaiʻi, Mauna Loa[6] |
sofa
| eː
|
Kēōkea
|
hey without the y sound
| ɛ
|
Pele[7] |
bed
| e
|
Kahoʻolawe[7] |
Spanish e
| iː
|
Waikīkī
|
peel
| i
|
wikiwiki
|
Spanish i
| oː
|
ʻōʻū
|
low without the w sound
| o
|
Honolulu
|
Spanish o
| uː
|
ʻōʻū
|
moon
| u
|
Honolulu
|
Spanish u
| Diphthongs
|
---|
Diphthongs are iu [ju], ou [ou], oi [oi], eu [eu], ei [ei], au [ɔu], ai [ɛi], ao [], ae []. These are pronounced like sequences of vowels, but without a [w] or [j] in the middle. iu is pronounced somewhat like yu, so kiu ≈ "cue". In rapid speech, au as in Mauna and ai as in Waikīkī tend to be pronounced like ou and ei.
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