Sightseeing

1. Aia i hea ʻo Diamond Head?

   A-ia i hea ʻo Dia-mond Head

   Where is Diamond Head?

   Usage

   Ask for directions to a famous tourist landmark

   Grammar Note

   ʻo is a predicate marker used before proper nouns in Hawaiian

2. ʻEhia ke kumu kūʻai o ke kikiki?

   ʻE-hia ke ku-mu kū-ʻai o ke ki-ki-ki

   How much is the entrance ticket?

   Usage

   Ask about the entrance fee at an attraction or museum

   Grammar Note

   "Ticket" is kikiki. There is no t in the Hawaiian alphabet, so tiketi / tikeke / tikiki are not possible spellings

3. Hiki iaʻu ke lawe kiʻi?

   Hi-ki ia-ʻu ke la-we ki-ʻi

   May I take a photo?

   Usage

   Ask permission to take photos at a tourist site

   Grammar Note

   hiki iaʻu expresses "is it possible for me" — a polite permission request

4. ʻEhia mile i ʻō aku?

   ʻE-hia mi-le i ʻō a-ku

   How far away is it?

   Usage

   Ask about the distance to a tourist attraction

   Grammar Note

   mile is borrowed from English; ʻō aku indicates a direction away

5. He wahi nani kēia.

   He wa-hi na-ni kē-ia

   This is a beautiful place.

   Usage

   Express admiration for the beauty of a tourist spot

   Grammar Note

   nani is the most common Hawaiian word for beautiful

6. Aia i hea ke kahua hōʻikeʻike?

   A-ia i hea ke ka-hua hō-ʻi-ke-ʻi-ke

   Where is the museum?

   Usage

   Ask for the location of a museum or exhibition center

   Grammar Note

   hōʻikeʻike is a reduplicated form of hōʻike meaning to show or display

7. He aha ka inoa o kēia?

   He a-ha ka i-no-a o kē-ia

   What is the name of this?

   Usage

   Ask the name of a landmark or exhibit while sightseeing

   Grammar Note

   "He aha" asks "what" about things; "ʻO wai" (who) is for people. "ka inoa o kēia" means "the name of this"

8. Aia i hea ke kīhāpai?

   A-ia i hea ke kī-hā-pai

   Where is the garden?

   Usage

   Ask for directions to a botanical garden or park

   Grammar Note

   kīhāpai means a garden, patch or plantation; a flower garden can be called kīhāpai pua

9. He aha ka wā komo?

   He a-ha ka wā ko-mo

   What are the opening hours?

   Usage

   Ask about the opening hours of a tourist attraction

   Grammar Note

   he aha asks "what"; wā means time or period

10. He wahi pono kēia no ka nānā.

    He wa-hi po-no kē-ia no ka nā-nā

    This is a worthwhile place to see.

    Usage

    Recommend a place worth visiting to fellow travelers

    Grammar Note

    pono carries deep cultural meaning; here it means worthy or righteous

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