Only 13 Letters? Why Hawaiian Keeps It Simple and Sweet
One of the coolest things about Hawaiian is its alphabet—it only has 13 letters! That makes it one of the simplest and most musical alphabets in the world. It’s a perfect starting point for young language learners.
The 13 Hawaiian Letters
The Hawaiian alphabet includes:
- 5 vowels: A, E, I, O, U
- 7 consonants: H, K, L, M, N, P, W
- ʻOkina: a special symbol that acts like a soft pause or glottal stop
With fewer letters to memorize, kids can quickly start forming words and hearing patterns in pronunciation.
Why Simplicity Is Great for Kids
Each letter in Hawaiian has a clear sound and is always pronounced. No silent letters, no tricky exceptions! That means children can spell words the way they sound, making reading and speaking easier and more fun.
Words like lani (sky), nalu (wave), and pua (flower) are short, beautiful, and easy to say.
Fun Alphabet Learning Ideas
Letter Hop!
Write Hawaiian letters on the ground with chalk or paper. Call out a letter, and kids jump to it!
Hawaiian Letter Match
Create pairs of uppercase and lowercase Hawaiian letters. Mix them up and let kids match them while saying the sounds aloud.
Dinolingo’s Hawaiian course is perfect for kids ages 2–14. It teaches each letter through animated videos, interactive games, and printable worksheets. With native pronunciation and fun songs, kids can start using real Hawaiian words from day one.
The platform is available on iOS, Android, and web—and it offers both online activities and offline resources like flashcards and posters.
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