Hawaii Statewide

 About Hawaii 

Also see: Hawaii Statewide Business Directory
and the islands of Oahu • Maui • Kauai • Hawaii

The Hawaiian Islands, located in the central Pacific Ocean, are the most remote chain of islands in the world. Honolulu is 2,398 miles southwest of San Francisco (the closest continental point), 3,818 miles southeast of Tokyo, and 5,067 miles north of Sydney. Oahu, the third largest island in the chain, contains about 75% of the state’s population and is considered the main island. Honolulu (the state capital and major city), and its beach resort area at Waikiki, are on Oahu. The other islands are referred to as the Neighbor Islands. The island of Hawaii, larger in land area than the other islands combined, is called the “Big Island” so as to avoid confusion with Hawaii, the State.

Hawaii’s unique and distinctive mix of peoples and cultures are the result of the co-existence and blending of people from all over the world who have settled in the Islands. Since no group represents an ethnic or religious majority, there is a fairly high degree of tolerance of various lifestyles (including gay and lesbian). The largest ethnic groups are Caucasians (22%), Hawaiian/part Hawaiian (21%), Japanese (18%) and Filipino (13%). Other ethnic groups include Chinese, Korean, Samoan, Tongan, Portuguese, Puerto Rican, Thai, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Hispanics and Blacks.

• State Nickname: The Aloha State
• State Population: 1,193,001
• State Flower: Yellow Hibiscus
• State Tree: Kukui (Candlenut)
• State Fish: Humuhumunukunukuapuaa
• State Marine Mammal: Humpback Whale
• State Bird: Nene (Hawaiian Goose)

 Hawaiian Words 

In Hawaii, English is commonly interspersed with words from the Hawaiian language. Some words you may come across, along with their phonetic pronunciation and English translation, are:

• aloha (ah-low-ha): love, hello, goodbye

• hale (ha-lay): house, home, lodge

• haole (how-lee): Caucasian

• kama‘aina (kah-mah-eye-nah): native or longtime resident

• kane (kah-nay): male, man, masculine

• kolohe (koh-low-hay): mischievous, naughty

• lanai (lah-nye): porch or outside balcony

• lua (loo-ah): bathroom

• luau (loo-ow): Hawaiian feast

• mahalo (mah-ha-low): thank you

• mahu (mah-hoo): a male or female homosexual; a transvestite

• makai (mah-kye): toward the ocean

• malihini (mah-lee-hee-nee): newcomer

• malo (mah-low): loincloth

• mauka (mow-kah): inland

• ‘okole (oh-koh-lay): buttocks

• ono (oh-no): delicious

• pali (pah-lee): cliff

• pupu (poo-poo): hors d’oeuvre

• wahine (wah-hee-nay): female, woman