Makahiki ʻEkolu – Nā Hunekuhi
August 11th, 2014 by 
kaaarona
Nā Hunekuhi
The hunekuhi are little words that you use in Hawaiian to relate to movement, position, and the direction something is facing. You use a hunekuhi to tell that someone is moving away from you, to tell that something is facing you, and to tell that something seems far away. The hunekuhi do not translate as individual words into English. Instead they just give a feeling. For example aʻe does not really translate to “up.” The way you say “up” in Hawaiian is i luna. Aʻe just gives a feeling of upward. All four of the hunekuhi and the feelings that they convey are given below.
mai towards me, towards us, to me, to us, facing me, facing us
aku a direction in a straight forceful line not towards me, facing away from me, facing away from us, far
aʻe in several directions with short jerky movements, not towards me, in an upward direction, facing away from me
iho in a downwards direction, down into myself (used with thinking, drinking, eating), very close
(Nā Kai ʻEwalu, Māhele ʻElua: Mokuna 11-20, Kauanoe Kamanā & William H Wilson, Copyright 1977)
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