There are many land animal names in Hawaiian. Do you want to learn how to say “cat” in Hawaiian? Or maybe you want to learn how to say “dog” in Hawaiian? This article covers common land animal names and features some fun facts. I’ve been doing a lot of research for some upcoming books, as well as learning Hawaiian to be able to read and write it fluently. Some of these words have come up and I thought it’d be fun to share them with you!
If you’re wanting to learn some common animal names, this is your list! I hope you enjoy it, as well as some history behind each animal!
Dog
‘Īlio is the Hawaiian word for “dog.” It is pronounced ee-lee-oh. Did Hawaiians have dogs? In my research, I’ve discovered something called a “poi dog.”
The poi dog looks much like the white Target dog (White English Bull Terrier). The dog didn’t have much of a bridge in its nose because the Hawaiians would only feed it poi. Thus the dog’s snout adjusted to eat poi, instead of other things.
I’m not sure when these dogs were introduced, but it was much later in Hawaiian history. It’s hard to find research on poi dogs, and I only learned about them through some books I read, but maybe we’ll discover more about these dogs as we dive deeper into our Hawaiian history! (If you know anything about poi dogs, let us know in the comments. Mahalo!)
Cat – Pōpoki
Here’s one more of the most common land animal names in Hawaiian. The word for cat in Hawaiian is “popoki.” It is pronounced poh-poh-kee. There aren’t many “stray” animals in Hawaii besides cats. When I lived with my grandma in Laie on the North Shore of O’ahu, I remember many nights of hearing the cats screaming and clawing at each other. I hated these “cat fights” and wished to take care of the cats.
One time, there was a little gray kitten that was a stray. My cousins and I fed it, which kept it coming back to us. My uncle didn’t like that, so one night he threw the kitten over the fence and we never saw it again. 🙁
There are some cat shelters in Hawaii to help take care of the “stray cat” problem, as well as find homes for cats. There’s one on Lanai where you can visit the cat sanctuary and play with them!
Learn more about the cat sanctuary here: Everything You Need to Know About Lanai
Chicken
The Hawaiian word for “chicken” is moa, pronounced moh-ah. If you’ve ever lived in the more rural parts of the islands, you’ll hear roosters doodling their heads off every morning.
The stray chickens and roosters used to be a problem in various parts of the islands, including the North Shore of O’ahu. However, the residents got together to take care of them. Whenever I’ve gone back to the North Shore, I hardly ever hear those roosters anymore.
When you visited Hawaii, did you hear the roosters in the morning?
Horse
This is one of my favorite land animal names in Hawaiian. The Hawaiian word for “horse” is lio, pronounced lee-oh. Horses have a wonderful history in Hawaii. Being from the Big Island, I was delighted to learn about the Paniolo culture found in Waimea, Hawaii. Paniolo is the Hawaiian cowboy, and the culture is still prominent in Waimea today!
Another neat story about the history of horses in Hawaii is that when Queen Liliuokalani rallied the support of her people, she rode on a horse to do so. After arriving on the various islands, she rode her horse to places and spoke to the people. I believe her connecting one-on-one with her people is a reason she was so loved. She fought against the annexation and tried to keep her people aware.
Many of Hawaii’s monarchy learned to ride horses and in the queen’s book, she talked about parades and festivals, where she and others rode their horses through the streets and waved to the citizens of Hawaii. You can get a glimpse of what this must have looked like by attending the Merrie Monarch parade! It features beautifully dressed men and women on horses that represent the islands and monarchs.
Read more about the Merrie Monarch here: Why We Love the Merrie Monarch
Cow
The Hawaiian word for “cow” is pipi, pronounced pee-pee. Technically, the word for “cow” is pipi wahine, which is a female cattle. However, using just the word “pipi” is common and acceptable.
Cows have long had a history in Hawaii. When they were introduced, they were allowed to roam freely, which caused problems for the natural habitations and environments. This is a huge reason that the Hawaiians hired ranchers from the mainland to come down and teach them how to herd and take care of the cows. And from that connection, the paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) culture was born.
There are cows all over Hawaii now, but are maintained by ranchers. Just be careful if you’re going on hikes where there are loose cows around. My husband and I went on a hike in Maui where the cows were not being watched by a rancher and one of the cows butted us with its head! It was quite scary so just be careful!
What other animals do you want to learn about?
I have enjoyed writing about these animals but would love to know if there are Hawaiian words you’d like to learn. The Hawaiian language is changing and evolving as more people learn it. It’s always fun to learn new words that were recently created (for everyday objects like a phone, computer, etc) but also old words that are still used. Let me know in the comments if there’s something you’d love to learn about the Hawaiian language. I love hearing from you. Mahalo!
If you liked this article, you might enjoy these ones too!
–10 Hawaiian Marine Animal Words
–Hawaiian Introductory Phrases
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I wrote mostly about domestic animals in this article, but I also love supporting and being aware of wildlife.
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