The Hawaiian language has 13 letters including five vowels and eight consonants. The vowels (a, e, i, o, u) are pronounced much as in Spanish, and the important thing to remember is that they are “clean” vowels – they don’t glide into another vowel sound as is common in American English pronunciation.
a = ah
e = ay (be careful not to slide into an ee sound)
i = ee
o = oh
u = oo (as in moon)
Consonants (h, k, l, m, n, p, w, `) are generally pronounced much as in English, but you may wish to refine your pronunciation later if you decide to learn to speak Hawaiian. Take note, however, of the final two consonants: w and the ` okina ( `).
Visitors and residents alike are often confused about how to pronounce the Hawaiian “w.” Generally it is pronounced like the English “w,” but a soft “v” sound is commonly used in certain words such as the island name “Kaho`olawe” (Kaho`olaVe).
The final Hawaiian consonant, the ` okina ( `), indicates a glottal stop which means your breath stops briefly as between the two parts of the English term “oh-oh.”
One final element of Hawaiian spelling which is commonly seen in Hawaiian words today is the kahako– which is a macron over a vowel and indicates only that the vowel sound is held longer; it does not change the quality of the sound, only the duration.
Finally, the accent in Hawaiian words is generally on the next to-the-last syllable. If the final vowel has a kahako– over it, that will be the accented syllable.
A Hui Hou,
Shawn