Hawaiian Language

Many people may think that the official language of the United States is English,
but in fact, there is no official language established at the national level.

However, there are cases where states have established official languages by law,
and basically, that is English.
And depending on the state, languages other than English may also be chosen
as official languages alongside English.

Yes, here in the state of Hawaii,
in addition to English, the Hawaiian language is designated as a state official language.

However, because there was a period in history when the Hawaiian language was prohibited,
there are people working to preserve it,
but in reality, it is not a situation where English and Hawaiian conversations are
mixed in daily life; general conversation is in English.

Still, Hawaiian words are commonly used in everyday conversation,
gently passing on Hawaiian culture.

Commonly used Hawaiian words

The most famous Hawaiian word is,
without a doubt, 'Aloha'.

It is not only used as a greeting like 'hello',
but can also convey various meanings depending on the situation, such as gratitude or affection.
It is a word that expresses Hawaiian culture itself,
to the extent that it is described as the Aloha Spirit.

Besides that,
thank you: 'Mahalo',
welcome: 'E komo mai',
clever/smart: 'Akamai',
and other words,
since you might hear people say 'Mahalo' instead of 'Thank you' in conversation,
those who have visited Hawaii should be familiar with them.

Also, from the Hawaiian culture, which values family and community
and has a high awareness of living in harmony with nature,
you might hear words like these:
family: 'Ohana',
ocean: 'Makai',
mountain: 'Mauka',
miracle/life force: 'Mana',
a state of being healthy and in harmony: 'Pono',
the healing culture of the Hawaiians is conveyed even through these commonly used words.

Conversely, it's difficult

Actually, because Hawaiian pronunciation is close to how one would read Roman letters,
it is easy for us Japanese people to read it as is, so it feels familiar.

However, conversely, for English speakers who do not know Hawaiian,
it seems confusing because everything is read as Roman letters.

On the highway from Honolulu Airport to Waikiki,
there is a sign that says 'Like Like Hwy'.
This is actually read as 'Likelike Highway',
but it seems English speakers usually read it as 'Like Like Highway'.

Bonus

By the way, actually, Japan also has no law establishing an official language.
I wonder if it's because using Japanese is just too natural.