Hawaiian cosmo words are beautiful and meaningful. Growing up on the Big Island of Hawaii, I absolutely loved quiet nights in Mountain View. My siblings and I would lie on the road and stare up at the sky. Of course, this was before lots of people moved to the Big Island. There were always so many stars. And when the moon came out, it looked so magical against the colorful milky way.ย
In this article, I will share 5 Hawaiian cosmo words to inspire you to take more time out and admire the sky. There is so much to be grateful for, and when we admire Godโs creations, we can feel a sense of place and peace.ย I hope by learning a little more about these Hawaiian cosmo words, you will be inspired to go out and experience nature for yourself!
Sun
Sun in Hawaiian is lฤ, pronounced โlah.โ Hawaiians refer to each day as lฤ, and this includes days of the week. For example, Sunday is โlฤpule,โ which means โday of prayer.โ Popular names include the word lฤ, such as Haleakala on Maui. Haleakala means โhouse of the sun.โ Not very many people have the word lฤ in their name as far as I know, but it is a pretty and symbolic word.ย
Moon
Moon in Hawaiian is mahina, pronounced โmah – hi – nah.โ Because the moon has several cycles, the Hawaiians added a word at the end of mahina to signify each moon cycle. There are also words to describe the halo effect around the moon, as well as the goddess of the moon (Hina). Check out Wehewehe and look up โmoonโ to find more variations on the word.ย
Stars
Star in Hawaiian is hลkลซ, pronounced โhoe – koo.โ Ancient Hawaiians used the stars to navigate their waโa, canoes, across vast oceans. A fun constellation that references Hawaiian mythology is Mauiโs hook, more widely known as Scorpius. Hลkลซ is a popular name and includes Kahoku, which means โthe star.โ Most use the word with descriptive words at the end, such as Hokulani (heavenly star) or Hokunani (beautiful star).ย
Cloud
Ao is the simple word for cloud in Hawaiian. Pronounced โau,โ ao usually has another word at the end of it used to described the type of cloud. For example, ao loa (long, high status) or ao สปลnohi (rainbow colors). Use Wehewehe Online Hawaiian dictionary to find out more descriptions that Hawaiians used for clouds.ย
Heaven/Sky
Lani means heaven, sky, heavenly, or even spiritual. Pronounced โlah – nee,โ lani is frequently used in names as a descriptor, like Hokulani, Leilani, Kailani, Ailani, Kalani, and more! However, itโs no surprise that people would use the word โlaniโ in their names. It symbolizes so much: heaven, heavenly, something sacred.ย
Let’s hear from you!
What is your favorite Hawaiian cosmo word? Is there one you love that isn’t listed here? Let me know in the comments!ย
Want to learn more about the Hawaiian culture? Check out my Free page for a free 5 Hawaiian Days to Wellness course or “Bringing Aloha Home” ebook!
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Now you *know* I LOVE this new series, but especially this first one since my nickname is koโu lฤlฤ! Mahalo for starting this โ๏ธโ๏ธ
Awwwwwwww are you serious? That is THE SWEETEST nickname ever! ๐ญ๐๐โ๏ธโ๏ธโ๏ธ Another lovely thing about your nickname is that when people say “ku’u” instead of “ko’u” it’s a less formal way of saying “my” and also a form of endearment and closeness. ๐ Thank you for inspiring this series!!! I hope the pronunciations help too! ๐
Now I didnโt know that either. So many interesting nuances!
The pronunciations are great, thank you so much ๐
Yes, so many nuances!!! ๐๐๐ And thank YOU so much for the suggestion!! โบ๏ธ๐
Can i have a nickname? im feisty like waves and my name is mila wich comes from milagros wich is a word in hawaii. im not hawaiian but i feel deeply connected. its strange and kinda weird and scary. my cousin tho is hawaiian royalty
I live in Mountain View/Eden Roc, and I love laying on my road looking at stars, when they’re visible through the clouds… Cars don’t use my road much.
Sometimes I fall asleep in the road and a neighbor drives around me. It’s been awhile since I saw any stars, with all the rain, but I’m happy my water catchments are full. Hilo changed so much I had to move mauka, but I love living in the country.
How come we’re taught that Hawaiian only has short vowels, when we have words like Hilo, Hoku, and Io?
My real question is, is it possible that Io was ever pronounced with short vowels, and sounded like Yah?
Aloha Aloysious!
Mahalo for your comment. It made me smile because I also used to live in Mountain View. My siblings and I would lie on the road and look at the stars in the night. Unfortunately, the road we lived on did get busy and cars would carelessly speed on by, so we stopped doing it. But I am grateful for the memories and happy that you have that wonderful opportunity. I am so glad you like living in the country. It’s lovely out there, and I can’t remember a time our water catchments ever dried out up there! What a blessing. ๐
Anyway, I think each Hawaiian vowel is always pronounced, no matter what. I’m trying to think of an instance where they make a different sound but I am pulling a blank. If I do think of something, I will let you know!
Again, mahalo for your thoughtful comment. Hope you continue to enjoy looking at the stars. Aloha!
Sincerely,
Leialoha
Yes, I study ancient texts and legends from around the world, and specifically keep an eye out for Polynesian heritage. I never thought about it like that, but you got it right on!
I began searching for what The Bible calls, “The scripture that preached the gospel unto Abraham, 430 years before Moses;” and now I’m studying Hebrew, Sanskrit, Greek, Hawaiian, and constellations for “The Everlasting Gospel.”
I found Jesus fulfilling prophecies in every religion, including in Hawai’i.
Along the way, I discovered books by Godfrey Higgins that teach us how our our languages are similar enough that Druids in Ireland could send letters to Greece with offerings for Delphi, and many words are the same in Hebrew, Sanskrit, Arabic, Greek, Latin, Celtic and Persian.
He claims, all those alphabets originally had 16 letters, and to decipher them as one language, we need to subtract letters from our consciousness.
I believe that Hawaiians left the old world before the other letters were added to the various languages, and Hawaiian could be a key to understanding ancient languages.
This is God’s name in Hebrew, ืืืื.
From right to left the letters can be translated as, YHWH or YHVH; because W and V are the same in Hebrew and Hawaiian, pronounced different ways with the same letter.
From left to right ืืืื is HWHY, Hawai’i. Hava in Hebrew can be translated as, Palace, or Being.
The Y on the end means Palace of Yah or Being Yah.
The best sources for learning about Polynesian migrations I know of are Plummtree Productions videos and the Polynesian Pathways website with DNA information, by Peter Marsh. Cousins Across the Sea is specifically about Chief Paleiolani’s legend about the Hawaiian migration from Alaska, complete with Hawaiian aunties and genealogies from Molokai.
Oh yeah! Since the last time I wrote you about the stars EA, Enlil, and Anu in Sumeria becoming Yah, Elohim, and Ani in Hebrew, and Ahu, Aku, Atua, and Akua in Polynesia, I learned Anu is another name for Vishnu in India.
Aloha nui,
Aloysious
Aloha again Aloysious!
I love hearing all the stories and things you’ve learned through your research and studies. How neat! Isn’t Jesus Christ amazing? I have always found it fascinating that nearly every culture and civilization has some kind of white god, including Hawaii. There are superstitions that Jesus Christ visited people of ancient Hawaii on Mauna Kea, which is why some locations on the mountain are considered sacred.
I love your insight on the Hawaiian language and the connections you’re finding from other languages.
I’m a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and one of the scriptures we study is the Book of Mormon. It talks about a few different civilizations that migrated from ancient Jerusalem, as well as from the Tower of Babel, and the people’s experiences of inheriting the Americas. The book discusses the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the jewel of it is really when Jesus Christ visits the people of ancient America. Sounds like you’ve studied texts from various religions and I wondered if you’ve tried this one? While it might give you some insights or clues about the ancient people of America, as well as the possibility of the Hawaiians migrating from an ancient American civilization, I’m sure it will also provide insight on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You can get a free copy of the book here.
It’s been such a pleasure hearing your insights and knowledge on world cultures and languages. I hope you will find what you’re looking for, and please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any questions!
With aloha,
Leialoha
ALOHA BE SAFE MAUI KOKUA RIP LAHAINA