Today’s Blog

All About Nameberry
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TBH i’m more than a little offended at this. I’m Hawaiian. A lot of the “lani” names aren’t even related to our language! [name_f]Khalani[/name_f], [name_f]Kaylani[/name_f], [name_f]Kehlani[/name_f], & [name_f]Meilani[/name_f] don’t even condemn to Hawaiian phonetics! ([name_f]Meilani[/name_f] is pushing it; [name_f]Melani[/name_f] would make more sense. And [name_f]Khalani[/name_f] can be spelled [name_u]Kalani[/name_u] & be perfectly valid — Same with Kaylani, as Kelani. [name_f]Leilani[/name_f] is a popular classic if you spell it this way, & just change the first letter of Kaylani, but the rest don’t even have Hawaiian sounds and/or letters.) Honestly, It’s already posted & there’s probably nothing anyone fan do about it at this point, but please check your facts before saying a name is a member of a certain culture.

And additional note: On the Kalani name page for boys, if actually just means “the heavens” or “the sky”. Ka (plural the) + lani (cheif/heavens/sky depending on the context, in this case both sky & heavens are valid). Kalani.

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I would PM someone with this & not post it as public if I knew who to talk to.

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Hi [name_u]Sky[/name_u]. We can always fix something that’s wrong or offensive. Is there a reliable source on Hawaiian language names and meanings that you’d recommend?

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Here’s a guide to phonetics:

Okina represents a glottal stop
E is an “ay” sound
A is an “aw”
I is pronounced like a long E
O is “oh”
U is “oo”
K, L, H, M, N,& P are pronounced like in [name_f]English[/name_f]
W is kind of in-between a W & a V — It’a hard to explain to someone who doesn’t speak the language
All syllables have to end in a vowel — Therefore there are no double letters in the traditional Hawaiian language.

But as far as I know (& I’ve LOOKED), there are no Hawaiian dictionaries off the internet are reliable at all. It’a a complicated language & most people try to dumb it down — You might be able to find a PDF or an eBook for a Hawaiian dictionary.

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You should write something for us about Hawaiian names!

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What do you mean?

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@pam? I’m not sure what you mean, but I’d be honored. :slight_smile:

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Maybe you could write a blog for us about Hawaiian names, given that you speak the language and are familiar with the lexicon, pronunciation etc. We would be honored too! It’s very difficult as you know to get accurate information on names except from a native speaker.

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Okay, @pam, a few things you should know:

  1. I’m a middle school student
  2. I speak it conversationally but not fluently
  3. I can only do it over email or other written form, not over phone/video chat
  4. I really doubt my parents would care (they’re pretty laid-back) but I’ll ask them anyways.
  5. I would be absolutely honored & it sounds like a GREAT time!
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Thanks for being so forthright. How old are you?

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Hehe, that’s about the only thing my mother & father don’t want me saying over the internet. :slight_smile: I PM’d you, could you please look at that?

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