Convenience Store

1. Aia i hea ka hale kūʻai kokoke loa?

   A-ia i hea ka ha-le kū-ʻai ko-ko-ke lo-a

   Where is the nearest store?

   Usage

   Convenience shopping in Hawaiʻi means 7-Eleven (around 60 stores on Oʻahu), ABC Stores and gas-station shops. "Hale kūʻai" (selling house) covers shops in general — there is no dedicated Hawaiian word for a convenience store, so "hale kūʻai liʻiliʻi" (small shop) is sometimes used. The transaction itself will be in English or Pidgin.

   Grammar Note

   "Aia i hea + noun" is the set pattern for asking where something is. "Loa" follows an adjective to intensify it, so "kokoke loa" means "nearest".

2. Makemake ʻoe i ka ʻeke?

   Ma-ke-ma-ke ʻoe i ka ʻe-ke

   Would you like a bag?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Every county in Hawaiʻi bans single-use plastic checkout bags, and paper or reusable bags carry a fee of at least 15 cents each. If you brought your own, answer "ʻAʻole, mahalo" (no thanks).

   Grammar Note

   Hawaiian is verb-initial (VSO): makemake (want) + ʻoe (you) + i ka ʻeke (the bag). The particle "i" marks the direct object.

3. E hoʻomehana i kēia, ke ʻoluʻolu.

   E ho-ʻo-me-ha-na i kē-ia, ke ʻo-lu-ʻo-lu

   Please heat this up.

   Usage

   Most convenience stores in Hawaiʻi have a customer-use microwave next to the hot-food counter, so you usually heat things yourself. Hawaiian has no traditional word for a microwave oven, so the natural move is to say "heat this" without naming the appliance.

   Grammar Note

   Sentence-initial "E" forms an imperative. The causative prefix "hoʻo-" turns "mehana" (warm) into "hoʻomehana" (to warm something). Adding "ke ʻoluʻolu" at the end makes it a polite request.

4. Aia i hea ka wai huʻihuʻi?

   A-ia i hea ka wai hu-ʻi-hu-ʻi

   Where is the cold water?

   Usage

   Tap water is drinkable in Hawaiʻi, but most people still grab a bottle before the beach or a hike. "Wai" is fresh water, as opposed to "kai" (sea water). Bottled water at ABC Stores in Waikīkī carries tourist pricing — a supermarket is cheaper.

   Grammar Note

   Hawaiian adjectives follow the noun: "wai huʻihuʻi" (water + cold). "Huʻihuʻi" is the reduplicated form of "huʻi", the repetition marking an ongoing state.

5. He hau kāu?

   He hau kā-u?

   Do you have ice?

   Usage

   Bagged ice is sold from a dedicated freezer chest outside the store or gas station — essential if you are taking a cooler to the beach. "Hau" originally covers snow, frost and ice, including the snow that falls on Hawaiʻi's summits.

   Grammar Note

   "He + noun + possessive" is the Hawaiian way of asking whether someone has something. "Kāu" is the a-class possessive used for things acquired by choice, as opposed to "kou" for inherent relationships.

6. Hiki iaʻu ke uku me ke kāleka?

   Hi-ki ia-ʻu ke u-ku me ke kā-le-ka

   Can I pay by card?

   Usage

   Hawaiʻi is card-first and nearly every store takes contactless payment. Note that North Shore shrimp trucks and local stands are often cash only, and that the 4.712% general excise tax (Oʻahu) is not in the shelf price — it is added at the register.

   Grammar Note

   "Hiki iaʻu ke + verb" expresses ability: "hiki" carries the possibility and "iaʻu" (to me) names the actor. "Kāleka" is a loanword from English "card".

7. Kālā wale nō ma ʻaneʻi.

   Kā-lā wa-le nō ma ʻa-ne-ʻi

   Cash only here.

   Usage

   Said by staff. Small local shops and farmers-market stalls in Hawaiʻi are still often cash only. "Kālā" originally meant silver (the silver dollar) and now simply means money.

   Grammar Note

   "Wale nō" follows a word to restrict it to "only that". It attaches to nouns and verbs alike, as in "Nānā wale nō au" (I am just looking).

8. Makemake ʻoe i ka palapala hoʻokaʻa?

   Ma-ke-ma-ke ʻoe i ka pa-la-pa-la ho-ʻo-ka-ʻa

   Would you like the receipt?

   Usage

   Said by staff. In an actual store you will also hear the English word "receipt".

   Grammar Note

   Hawaiian builds compounds by juxtaposing nouns. "Palapala" covers written documents in general and is narrowed by what follows: "palapala hoʻohiki" (contract), "palapala hoʻokolokolo" (legal complaint). "Palapala kūʻai" is a deed or bill of sale — a conveyance, not an acknowledgement of payment.

9. Hoʻokahi wale nō kēia, ke ʻoluʻolu.

   Ho-ʻo-ka-hi wa-le nō kē-ia, ke ʻo-lu-ʻo-lu

   Just one of these, please.

   Usage

   Use this while pointing at the item. Hawaiian numerals are hoʻokahi (1), ʻelua (2), ʻekolu (3), ʻehā (4), ʻelima (5); the "ʻe-" prefixed forms are the ones used when counting things.

   Grammar Note

   "Hoʻokahi" is "hoʻo-" (causative) + "kahi" (one), literally "to make one". Numerals precede the noun they count.

10. Aia i hea ka lua?

    A-ia i hea ka lu-a

    Where is the restroom?

    Usage

    Many convenience stores in Hawaiʻi have no public restroom — in Waikīkī "employees only" is the norm. Public facilities at parks and beach showers are a safer bet. "Lua" literally means "pit" and came to mean toilet.

    Grammar Note

    "Lua" is a homonym meaning both "pit / toilet" and "two"; context disambiguates. A more genteel term is "lumi hoʻopau pilikia" — the room where you end your troubles.

11. ʻEhia ka huina?

    ʻE-hia ka hu-i-na

    How much is the total?

    Usage

    Use this to confirm the total at the register. Hawaiʻi's general excise tax is not included in shelf prices, so the amount you are told is a few percent higher: about 4.712% on Oʻahu, around 4.166% on Hawaiʻi Island and Maui.

    Grammar Note

    "ʻEhia" is the interrogative for quantity and carries the same "ʻe-" prefix as the counting numerals ʻelua, ʻekolu. "Huina" derives from "hui" (to join) and means a sum.

12. Ua pau kēlā.

    U-a pau kē-lā

    That one is sold out.

    Usage

    Said by staff. Shops on the neighbour islands and in country towns depend on barge and air freight, so shelves thin out the day before a delivery. When a hurricane is forecast, water and Spam vanish first.

    Grammar Note

    "Ua" is the perfective tense marker and heads the sentence. Demonstratives come in three degrees of distance: kēia (this), kēnā (that near you), kēlā (that over there).

13. Ke ʻimi nei au i ka meaʻai wela.

    Ke ʻi-mi nei au i ka me-a-ʻai we-la

    I am looking for hot food.

    Usage

    7-Eleven in Hawaiʻi is known for hot items you will not find on the mainland: manapua (steamed pork buns), Spam musubi and fried chicken. Spam musubi runs about two dollars and is a standard breakfast.

    Grammar Note

    "Ke + verb + nei" is a circumfix construction marking the present progressive, bracketing the verb on both sides. "Meaʻai" is a compound of "mea" (thing) and "ʻai" (to eat).

14. Hiki iaʻu ke hoʻopiha uila i kaʻu kelepona ma ʻaneʻi?

    Hi-ki ia-ʻu ke ho-ʻo-pi-ha u-i-la i ka-ʻu ke-le-po-na ma ʻa-ne-ʻi

    Can I charge my phone here?

    Usage

    Convenience stores in Hawaiʻi almost never offer customer power outlets, so expect a no — airports, malls and Starbucks are better bets. Note that "hoʻopiha uila" (to fill with electricity) is a descriptive way to say "charge", not a traditional term; "uila" originally meant lightning.

    Grammar Note

    "Kelepona" is borrowed from English "telephone"; modern Hawaiian also coins "kelepona paʻalima" (palm-held phone) for a mobile. "Hoʻopiha" is the causative of "piha" (to be full).

15. Aia i hea ka mīkini kālā?

    A-ia i hea ka mī-ki-ni kā-lā

    Where is the ATM?

    Usage

    In-store ATMs in Hawaiʻi are usually independent machines charging three to four dollars per withdrawal on top of your own bank's foreign-use fee — a bank branch ATM is cheaper. "Mīkini kālā" (money machine) is a descriptive term; signage says ATM in English.

    Grammar Note

    "Mīkini" is borrowed from English "machine". In Hawaiian the second noun modifies the first, so "mīkini kālā" is literally "machine of money" — the reverse of the English modifier order.

16. Mahalo nui loa, a hui hou.

    Ma-ha-lo nu-i lo-a, a hu-i hou

    Thank you very much, see you again.

    Usage

    The standard sign-off as you leave the counter. Locals appreciate a simple "mahalo" from visitors, and adding "a hui hou" makes it warmer. The "Mahalo" you see on trash cans means "thank you for throwing it away".

    Grammar Note

    Stacking "nui" (great) and "loa" (very) makes "mahalo nui loa" the strongest form of thanks. "A hui hou" parses as "a" (until) + "hui" (to gather) + "hou" (again) — until we gather again.

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