ʻElua St.

February in Hawaiʻi is Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, or Hawaiian Language Month.
This week on Aloha Authentic, Kamaka Pili breaks down how to do some simple counting in Hawaiian.
In the ahupuaʻa of Kalapakī, which lies in the moku of Puna here on the island of Kauaʻi, stands a roadway which helps us how to count ma ka ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.
We are speaking of ʻElua St.
The word lua has multiple translations, including a hole or pit, a toilet, a companion, or it even refers to the Hawaiian martial arts.
But lua, or ʻelua in specific, speaks to the number two, or twice.
Understanding that Hawaiian vowels are pronounced as short vowels, here is how to count from 1-10 ma ka ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, or in the Hawaiian language.
‘Ekahi (1), ‘elua, (2), ‘ekolu (3), ‘ehā (4), ‘elima (5), ‘eono (6), ‘ehiku (7), ‘ewalu (8), ‘eiwa (9), ʻumi (10).
The ʻe used in numbers 1-9 is a marker used when counting numbers but is not necessary.
So, you could also count from 1-10 just by saying:
kahi (1), lua (2), kolu (3), hā (4), lima (5), ono (6), walu (8), iwa (9), ʻumi (10).
Did you know? Now you do!