Emergency

1. Kōkua iaʻu!

   Kō-ku-a ia-ʻu

   Help me!

   Usage

   Shout loudly to call for help in an emergency

   Grammar Note

   kōkua embodies the Hawaiian spirit of mutual aid; used as a verb here

2. E kelepona i ka mākaʻi!

   E ke-le-po-na i ka mā-ka-ʻi

   Call the police!

   Usage

   Used to urgently request that someone call the police

   Grammar Note

   kelepona is borrowed from English; mākaʻi means police or guard

3. E alakaʻi iaʻu i ka hale lapaʻau.

   E a-la-ka-ʻi ia-ʻu i ka ha-le la-pa-ʻau

   Please take me to the hospital.

   Usage

   Request to be taken to the hospital

   Grammar Note

   hale lapaʻau is a compound meaning "house of healing"

4. Ua nalowale au.

   Ua na-lo-wa-le au

   I am lost.

   Usage

   Express that you are lost and need help finding your way

   Grammar Note

   ua is the perfective aspect marker; nalowale means to vanish or get lost

5. E kelepona i ke kaʻa lawe maʻi!

   E ke-le-po-na i ke ka-ʻa la-we ma-ʻi

   Call an ambulance!

   Usage

   Urgently request an ambulance in a medical emergency

   Grammar Note

   kaʻa begins with k so the article is ke (KEAO rule). In practice "911" or "ambulance" is widely understood in Hawaiʻi

6. He pilikia koʻu kino.

   He pi-li-ki-a ko-ʻu ki-no

   I feel unwell / My body has a problem.

   Usage

   Express that you are not feeling well or have a physical problem

   Grammar Note

   kino means body; combined with pilikia it expresses a physical complaint

7. Nalowale koʻu ʻeke.

   Na-lo-wa-le ko-ʻu ʻe-ke

   I have lost my wallet.

   Usage

   Report that your wallet has been lost or stolen

   Grammar Note

   nalowale means to disappear or become lost

8. E kelepona i ka ʻoihana kinai ahi!

   E ke-le-po-na i ka ʻoi-ha-na ki-nai a-hi

   Call the fire department!

   Usage

   Urgently request someone to call the fire department

   Grammar Note

   ahi alone just means "fire". In practice dial 911 in Hawaii

9. Ua ʻaihue ʻia koʻu mea waiwai.

   Ua ʻai-hu-e ʻia ko-ʻu me-a wai-wai

   My valuables have been stolen.

   Usage

   Report theft of valuables to the police

   Grammar Note

   ʻaihue means to steal; ʻia marks the passive voice in Hawaiian

10. Makemake au i kahi mea kōkua.

    Ma-ke-ma-ke au i ka-hi me-a kō-ku-a

    I need someone to help me.

    Usage

    Calmly indicate that you need assistance from someone

    Grammar Note

    mea kōkua means "person who helps"; makemake softens the request

11. E hoʻōki!

    Stop it

    Usage

    Show it firmly without speaking — for touts and scams

12. Mai hoʻopā mai!

    Do not touch me

    Usage

    When you do not want to be touched; deliberately blunt

13. Ahi

    Fire

    Usage

    Point at this word to report a fire; ʻahi with an ʻokina is a different word meaning tuna

14. ʻAihue

    Thief

    Usage

    Point at this word to report a theft

15. Pākaha

    Robbery

    Usage

    Point at this word when something was taken by force

16. ʻAihue kanaka

    Kidnapping

    Usage

    Point at this word to report that someone has been taken away

17. Pepehi kanaka

    Murder

    Usage

    Point at this word to report that someone has been killed

18. Haunaele

    Riot

    Usage

    Point at this word to report that a crowd has turned violent

19. Pōkā pahū

    Bomb

    Usage

    Point at this word to warn about an explosive device; literally "bursting bullet"

20. Ahi! E mahuka!

    A-hi E ma-hu-ka

    Fire! Run!

    Usage

    Shout this to warn of a fire and tell people to get out

21. ʻAihue! E hopu iā ia!

    ʻAi-hu-e E ho-pu i-ā ia

    Thief! Catch him!

    Usage

    Shout this while pointing at a thief to get bystanders to stop him

    Grammar Note

    "ia" is a third-person pronoun with no gender.

22. Aia i hea ka hale mākaʻi?

    A-ia i hea ka ha-le mā-ka-ʻi

    Where is the police station?

    Usage

    Used to ask where the police station is

23. Makemake au i palapala hōʻike ʻaihue mai ka mākaʻi.

    Ma-ke-ma-ke au i pa-la-pa-la hō-ʻi-ke ʻai-hu-e mai ka mā-ka-ʻi

    I need a theft report

    Usage

    Used to ask the police for a written theft report, e.g. for an insurance claim

24. Aia he poʻe ʻōlelo Kepanī ma ʻaneʻi?

    A-ia he po-ʻe ʻō-le-lo Ke-pa-nī ma ʻa-ne-ʻi

    Is there anyone who speaks Japanese?

    Usage

    Used at a counter or hospital to look for someone who speaks Japanese

25. Ua pau ka ʻike o kēia kanaka.

    Ua pau ka ʻi-ke o kē-ia ka-na-ka

    This person is unconscious

    Usage

    Used while pointing at a collapsed person to call for help

26. Ke piholo nei kekahi kanaka!

    Ke pi-ho-lo nei ke-ka-hi ka-na-ka

    Someone is drowning

    Usage

    Shout this while pointing at someone in the water

27. Ua kuʻi ʻia au.

    Ua ku-ʻi ʻia au

    I was beaten

    Usage

    Used to report being assaulted

28. Ua hou ʻia au me ka pahi.

    Ua hou ʻia au me ka pa-hi

    I was stabbed

    Usage

    Used to report having been stabbed with a blade

    Grammar Note

    Note: the same spelling also means "new" and "again", so "me ka pahi" (with a knife) is added so the card cannot be misread on its own.

29. Ua wāwahi ʻia koʻu lumi.

    Ua wā-wa-hi ʻia ko-ʻu lu-mi

    My room was broken into

    Usage

    Used to report that someone broke into your room while you were away

30. ʻO kēlā kanaka ka mea hana hewa.

    ʻO kē-lā ka-na-ka ka me-a ha-na he-wa

    That person is the culprit

    Usage

    Used while pointing out the offender to the police

31. Ua hoʻopunipuni ʻia au.

    Ua ho-ʻo-pu-ni-pu-ni ʻia au

    I was deceived

    Usage

    Used to report having been cheated or scammed

32. Ua ʻaihue ʻia koʻu ʻeke kālā.

    Ua ʻai-hu-e ʻia ko-ʻu ʻe-ke kā-lā

    My wallet was stolen

    Usage

    Used to report a stolen wallet to the police

33. Ua poina iaʻu kaʻu ukana.

    Ua poi-na ia-ʻu ka-ʻu u-ka-na

    I left my bag behind

    Usage

    Used to say you left your bag somewhere

34. Ua kuʻi ʻia au e ke kaʻa.

    Ua ku-ʻi ʻia au e ke ka-ʻa

    I was hit by a car

    Usage

    Used to report having been hit by a car

35. He pōʻino!

    He pō-ʻi-no

    Watch out!

    Usage

    Shout this to warn someone of immediate danger

    Grammar Note

    Note: the literal sense is "it is dangerous", not the imperative "Watch out!".

36. E wikiwiki mai ʻoluʻolu.

    E wi-ki-wi-ki mai ʻo-lu-ʻo-lu

    Please hurry

    Usage

    Used to ask someone to hurry

37. E hele koke mai ʻoluʻolu.

    E he-le ko-ke mai ʻo-lu-ʻo-lu

    Please come right away

    Usage

    Used to ask someone to come immediately

38. He pōulia kēia.

    He pō-u-li-a kē-ia

    It's an emergency

    Usage

    Used to say that the situation is an emergency

39. He ulia kaʻa kēia.

    He u-li-a ka-ʻa kē-ia

    There has been a traffic accident

    Usage

    Tell an emergency line or the people around you that a road accident has happened

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