The Hawaiian Alphabet: 13 Letters, Unique History

The Hawaiian alphabet (ka pīʻāpā Hawaiʻi) has 13 letters:

• 5 vowels: A, E, I, O, U (each short or long).
• 8 consonants: H, K, L, M, N, P, W, ʻ (ʻokina).

Special Marks

• ʻOkina (ʻ) – Glottal stop (like "uh-oh"). A consonant; changes meaning (kou "your" vs koʻu "my").
• Kahakō (macron: ā, ē, ī, ō, ū) – Long vowel; also changes meaning (kane "man" vs kāne "husband").

Origin

Developed 1820s by American missionaries (Hiram Bingham et al.) using Latin script to represent Hawaiian phonology. First Hawaiian Bible (1839). Before that, oral tradition only.

Pronunciation Tips

Vowels pure (Spanish-like). W = [w] after O/U, [v] after I/E. ʻOkina = brief pause. Stress penultimate syllable usually.