Post Office

1. Aia i hea ka hale leka?

   A-ia i he-a ka ha-le le-ka?

   Where is the post office?

   Usage

   Asking for the location of the post office

   Grammar Note

   "letter" is leka (from English) — there is no t in the Hawaiian alphabet

2. Makemake au e hoʻouna i kēia leka

   Ma-ke-ma-ke au e ho-ʻo-u-na i kē-ia le-ka

   I want to send this letter

   Usage

   Expressing the desire to mail a letter

   Grammar Note

   "Makemake au e + verb" expresses "I want to + action" in Hawaiian

3. He aha ke kumukūʻai o ka hoʻouna ʻana?

   He a-ha ke ku-mu-kū-ʻai o ka ho-ʻo-u-na ʻa-na?

   What is the shipping cost?

   Usage

   Asking about the cost of mailing

   Grammar Note

   Adding "ʻana" to a verb nominalizes it — "the act of sending"

4. Makemake au i nā poʻoleka ʻekolu

   Ma-ke-ma-ke au i nā po-ʻo-le-ka ʻe-ko-lu

   I would like three stamps

   Usage

   Purchasing stamps at the post office

   Grammar Note

   A postage stamp is poʻoleka (lit. "letter head")

5. Pehea ka lōʻihi o ka loaʻa ʻana mai o kēia pūʻolo?

   Pe-he-a ka lō-ʻi-hi o ka lo-a-ʻa ʻa-na mai o kē-ia pū-ʻo-lo?

   How long does this package take to arrive?

   Usage

   Asking about delivery time for a package

   Grammar Note

   "Pūʻolo" means "wrapped thing" — the Hawaiian word for package or parcel

6. E hoʻouna ma ka mokulele i Iāpana

   E ho-ʻo-u-na ma ka mo-ku-le-le i I-ā-pa-na

   Please send it to Japan by airmail

   Usage

   Requesting airmail international shipping

   Grammar Note

   "Mokulele" means "airplane" (moku = ship, lele = to fly); "ma ka mokulele" means "by air/airmail". Before a place name like Iāpana, plain "i" is enough

7. He aha ka helu wahi o kēia hale?

   He a-ha ka he-lu wa-hi o kē-ia ha-le?

   What is the address number of this house?

   Usage

   Asking for the address or house number

   Grammar Note

   "Helu" (number) + "wahi" (place) combines to mean address/house number

8. Ua hiki mai ka leka uila

   U-a hi-ki mai ka le-ka u-i-la

   The email has arrived

   Usage

   Announcing the arrival of an email

   Grammar Note

   "Leka uila" literally means "electric letter" (uila = lightning/electricity) and is the ordinary Hawaiian word for email

9. E kau i kou inoa ma kēia pūʻolo

   E kau i kou i-no-a ma kē-ia pū-ʻo-lo

   Please write your name on this package

   Usage

   Asking someone to put their name on a package

   Grammar Note

   "Kau i kou inoa" (place your name) is the Hawaiian expression for signing or labeling

10. Paʻi aku i ka poʻoleka ma luna o ka leka

    Pa-ʻi a-ku i ka po-ʻo-le-ka ma lu-na o ka le-ka

    Please stick the stamp on the letter

    Usage

    Instructing someone to affix a stamp to a letter

    Grammar Note

    "Ma luna o" means "on top of / above" in Hawaiian

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