Accordingly, many of the names, descriptions and terms used in Hawai'i are based on the Hawaiian language. This site endeavors to be accurate in its use of the Hawaiian language. Therefore, a short explanation of the Hawaiian language is in order to clarify spelling, grammar and pronunciation of Hawaiian words. This primer was prepared by Joylynn Oliveira a former Marine Science student at the University of Hawai'i at Hilo. There are thirteen alphabets in the Hawaiian language.
Every letter has only one sound.
The 'okina or glottal stop is only found between two vowels. A break in speech is created between the sounds of the two vowels. The 'okina is written as a backwards apostrophe. The kahak or macron is not found in ka p ' p but is often used in the Hawaiian language. The kahak is always found above a vowel.