Ngā Tohutohu
Ka Pilina ʻŌlelo
“Nā”
When pluralizing basic phrases in Hawaiian that begin with the pili mua ka or ke, the pili mua used is nā, which also means “the” but indicates a plural. (Note that there in English, words are pluralized by changing the word itself (i.e., mother and mothers, child and children). Unlike ke and ka, this pili mua (nā) does not change depending on the haʻi inoa laulā.
For example: ke kāne nā kāne
the man the men
ka haumāna nā haumāna
the student the students
“Mau”
The word mau is also used to pluralize words in Hawaiian. While nā is a pili mua, mau is not. Instead, mau is used in conjunction with other pili mua (kēia, kēnā, kēlā, koʻu, kou, kona) to indicate a plural.
For example: kēia kāne kēia mau kāne
this man these men
kēlā haumāna kēlā mau haumāna
that student those students
koʻu kūkū koʻu mau kūkū
my grandparent my grandparents
Plural Forms of Hua ʻŌlelo
Some words change pronunciation, and therefore spelling, when pluralized. This change involves the lengthening of a vowel sound and the addition of a kahakō in writing. The change only affects pronunciation and spelling and so the use of nā or mau is still required. Some of these words in their plural form are: kānaka, kūpuna, mākua, wāhine, kaikuāhine, and kaikamāhine.
Singular Plural
ke kupuna nā kūpuna
the grandparent the grandparents
kēia kupuna kēia mau kūpuna
this grandparent these grandparents
koʻu kupuna koʻu mau kūpuna
my grandparent my grandparents
Let’s look at some examples of these plural phrases in sentences:
Manaʻo Haʻi Kumu Haʻi
No Kalihi Uka mai kēia mau keiki. No Kalihi Uka mai kēia mau keiki.
These children are from Kalihi.
ʻO wai kēia mau keiki? ʻO wai kēia mau keiki?
Who are these children?
No hea mai kona mau kūpuna? No hea mai kona mau kūpuna?
Where are her grandparents from?
ʻO nā kānaka pōkole kona mau kūpuna. ʻO nā kānaka pōkole kona mau kūpuna.
Her grandparents are the short people.
