Hawaiian is a way of talking.
It comes from the islands. Long ago, people told stories to share. Now, many kids learn it in school. It is a special part of home. Do you like to learn new words?
Hawaiian is a way of talking.
It comes from the Hawaiian Islands. Long ago, people told stories to share. They used hula dances to tell these tales.
Later, people began to write the language down. They made books and newspapers. Many people learned to read it.
Then, new laws changed things. Schools began to use only English. Children were punished for speaking Hawaiian at school.
This made the language hard to use. But people did not give up. They started new schools to teach it again.
Today, many students learn it.
It is a very special part of the islands.
Hawaiian is a special way of speaking. It comes from the Hawaiian Islands. It belongs to a large group of languages called Austronesian.
Long ago, people did not write it down. They shared their history through stories and hula dances. This kept their past alive.
In the 1800s, people began to write the language. They made a dictionary and a Bible. Many people learned to read and write. In 1853, a leader said most adults could read.
Things changed when new laws were passed. In 1896, a law said schools must use only English. Children were even punished for speaking Hawaiian at school. This made the number of speakers drop. For a long time, the language was in danger.
But people worked hard to save it. In 1984, they started Pūnana Leo. These are preschools where kids learn only in Hawaiian. Many of those students are now adults who speak it well.
Even today, the language is still in danger, but many people work to keep it strong.
Hawaiian, or ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, is a beautiful language from the Hawaiian Islands. It belongs to the Austronesian language family. This means it is a relative of other Polynesian languages. These include Samoan, Tahitian, and Māori.
For a long time, the language was only spoken out loud. People used stories and hula dances to share their history. Hula helped keep the nation's legendary past alive in their minds. These stories were very important to the people of the islands.
Writing the language changed everything in the 1800s. Missionaries arrived from New England in 1820. They wanted to translate the Bible into Hawaiian. To do this, they created a standard way to spell words. This made it easy for many people to learn to read.
By 1834, the first Hawaiian-language newspapers were being published. In 1840, the government even made school for all children a law. By 1853, a report said 75% of adults could read the language. Literacy was very common during this time.
However, the language faced a very hard time later. In 1896, a new law called Act 57 was passed. This law said English must be the main language in schools. It did not make Hawaiian illegal, but it changed how schools worked.
Children were even punished for speaking Hawaiian at school or on the playground. This caused the number of native speakers to drop quickly. For many years, the language was pushed aside by English. It was a very difficult period for the Hawaiian people.
There has been a wonderful comeback since 1949. People began to show more interest in promoting the language. In 1984, they started special preschools called Pūnana Leo. These are immersion schools where children learn entirely in Hawaiian.
Many students from these early classes have since graduated from college. They are now fluent speakers who help keep the language alive. Even though UNESCO calls the language critically endangered, there is much hope.
Today, Hawaiian is an official language of the state of Hawaiʻi. It lives alongside English in schools and government. You might also hear a different way of speaking called Hawaiian Pidgin. This is a creole language that is very common in the islands.
Learning Hawaiian connects people to the history of the islands. It links the past stories of hula to the modern world. The language remains a proud part of the culture.
ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, or the Hawaiian language, is a Polynesian language within the Austronesian language family. It is the historic native tongue of the Hawaiian people. Today, it serves as an official language of the U.S. state of Hawaiʻi alongside English. The language is currently classified as critically endangered by UNESCO. This status reflects a long history of struggle and a modern movement for revitalization.
For most of its history, Hawaiian was an oral language. People used spoken words to pass down religion, traditions, and history. One vital way they shared their world was through hula. Hula is a form of storytelling through dance. It helped keep the nation's legendary past alive in the communal imagination. During the Makahiki festival, a harvest celebration for the god Lono, stories and dances were central to the peace and joy of the season.
Writing changed the language in the early 19th century. In 1820, Protestant missionaries arrived from New England. They wanted to translate the Bible into Hawaiian. To do this, they created a standard orthography, which is a system of spelling. This system was very straightforward. Because it was easy to master, literacy spread rapidly. By 1834, the first Hawaiian-language newspapers were being published.
By 1840, the Hawaiian Legislature mandated compulsory education for all children under 14. This was twelve years before any similar law was passed in the United States. By 1853, a government report stated that 75% of the adult population could read.
However, the language faced a period of severe decline. In 1896, the Republic of Hawaii passed Act 57. This law established English as the sole medium of instruction in public and private schools. While it did not make the language illegal, it removed it from the classroom. Children were often disciplined with corporal punishment for speaking Hawaiian at school or on the playground. This period of suppression lasted many years. Hawaiian was not allowed as a medium of instruction in public schools again until 1987.
The number of native speakers dropped significantly between the 1830s and the 1950s. English eventually displaced Hawaiian on six of the seven inhabited islands. By 2001, native speakers made up less than 0.1% of the statewide population. Despite this, a movement to save the language began around 1949. This movement focused on promotion and education to reverse the decline.
A major part of this revival was the creation of immersion schools. In 1984, public Hawaiian-language immersion preschools called Pūnana Leo were established. These schools teach children entirely in Hawaiian. Many of the first students from these preschools have since graduated from college. They are now fluent speakers who help carry the language forward. This effort has helped create a new generation of learners.
Hawaiian is closely related to other Polynesian languages. It shares links with Samoan, Marquesan, Tahitian, Māori, Rapa Nui, and Tongan. Studies show different levels of mutual intelligibility, or how much speakers can understand each other. For example, Hawaiian has a 41.2% intelligibility rate with Marquesan. It has a much lower rate of 6.4% with Tongan. These connections show the deep history of voyaging across the Pacific.
In modern Hawaiʻi, you may also encounter Hawaiian Pidgin. This is a creole language, which is a stable language developed from mixing different languages. It is more commonly spoken in the islands than the native Hawaiian language itself. While the native tongue faces challenges, its presence in government and schools remains a vital part of the islands' identity.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (3)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.