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Ah, Hawaii⌠every time I hear the name, I picture its warm, sunny beaches, lush landscapes, and picturesque sunsets that just make summer vacations worth it!
If youâre just as in love with the country, then perhaps, you might come to love Hawaiian as well! Itâs one of the oldest living languages in the world, and while itâs currently being revived from its endangered state, youâll be sure to find a lot of heart, insight, and cultural significance embedded in its long history.
Fortunately, there have been strong efforts in digitizing the learning space so that languages like these can continue to grow and spread! So, should you want to take up Hawaiian, try these Hawaiian learning apps.
Top picks
- Build your vocabulary on uTalk
- Play your way through Hawaiian on Duolingo
- Learn Hawaiian through conversations on Mango Languages
1. uTalk
For practical but fun Hawaiian lessons, consider uTalk. This app teaches Hawaiian through game-based lessons that cover the essentials and more!
uTalk features over 2,500 words and phrases across 60+ real-life topics, so you know you’ll be learning stuff you can actually use. What’s more, the app highlights audio clips recorded by native speakers so you can listen to the authentic accent and practice speaking.
It does help that the app has memory games, vocabulary exercises, and good visuals, which all make for fun learning.
Why learn Hawaiian with uTalk:
- Features practical, real-life vocabulary
- Game-based exercises for fun and intuitive learning
- Audio clips for listening and speaking practice
Pricing: Full access starts from $11.99/month. Check out uTalk’s latest promo here to get discounts.
Devices: iOS and Android
2. Mango Languages
Mango Languages is a unique app that doesnât just take on the basics. Rather, it highlights speech patterns to help you observe, understand, and ultimately, master conversational Hawaiian.
Using color-coded blocks, itâll test your critical thinking by applying new vocabulary and grammar concepts to your lessons. On top of that, it makes use of several memory exercises, grammar and culture notes, listening and reading activities, and a daily personalized review session to keep your mind sharp!
To sum it up, itâs a pretty functional platform thatâs best suited for beginners and intermediates.
Why learn Hawaiian with Mango Languages:
- Interactive interface with reading, writing, and speaking courses
- Daily personalized review sessions
- Emphasizes speech patterns in grammar lessons
Pricing: The Hawaiian course is priced at $7.99/month. Try it free!
Devices: iOS and Android
3. Duolingo
Nobodyâs a stranger to Duolingo. Known for its game-like tutorials, competitive leaderboard, andâmost importantlyâits alerts from Duo the Owl, the app has earned a reputation in the realm of language studies.
Duolingo has created a fun and interactive Hawaiian course for anyone to start with! Through repetition-based learning, youâll get a fair grasp of their vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation, and make these skills last in the long run.
Although itâs a bit shorter compared to other Duolingo courses, itâs still a decent place to pick up the basic words and phrases.
Why learn Hawaiian with Duolingo:
- Light and playful lessons
- Covers vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation
- Recommended for absolute beginners
- Develops long-term language retention
Pricing: Duolingo Basic is free (with ads and limited Hearts). For more content, upgrade to Duolingo Plus at $6.99/month.
Devices: iOS and Android
4. Drops
Hawaiian vocabulary is fortunately easy to memorizeâand, with lessons taught right, youâll be a pro in no time!
Drops is a fantastic platform that concentrates on that. Using eye-catching graphics and gamified content, it creates visual associations to important words and expressions, so that youâll have an easier time recalling them.
All in all, this Hawaiian language learning app provides a quick and easy method of building your word bank. Plus, most of its courses are accompanied by high-quality audio (recorded by native speakers), so youâll get to practice your pronunciation along the way!
Why learn Hawaiian with Drops:
- 2000+ Hawaiian words and phrases
- Intuitive and eye-catching visual aid
- Shows word associations through fun activities
Pricing: Drops is free for daily, five-minute lessons. Get the Pro version for unlimited playtime!
Devices: iOS and Android
5. Brainscape
Brainscape is an online platform that uses adaptive flashcards to help you learn faster and remember longer.
With this app, you can study Hawaiian flashcards created by experts or other learners, or make your own flashcards with the words and phrases you want to learn. You can also track your progress and see how much you improve over time.
Brainscape has flashcards for various topics and levels of Hawaiian, such as greetings, numbers, colors, family, food, weather, and more. You can also find flashcards for specific courses or books, such as Hawaiian 101, Duolingo Hawaiian, or Hawaiian Instructions.
Why learn Hawaiian with Brainscape:
- Customizable flashcards
- Uses spaced repetition to build recall
- Covers different proficiency levels
Pricing: Creating and sharing great text flashcards is free but access to all content and additional features cost $19.99/month.
Devices: web only
FAQs about learning Hawaiian
Where is Hawaiian spoken?
Hawaiian is, of course, native to Hawaii; However, as of late, there are only about 1,000 native Hawaiian speakers and approximately 24,000 speakers in the world.
Statistically, only 0.1% of Hawaiian residents speak the language, for most people have transitioned to using English.
Is it hard to learn Hawaiian?
Hawaiian comes from the Austronesian language family and belongs to its Polynesian branch. That being said, learning this is generally easier for those who already know other Polynesian languages.
However, if youâre an English speaker, Hawaiian is not that complicated to study either. Itâs got a simple alphabet system, a fairly-sized vocabulary, understandable grammar rules, and easy pronunciationâso, in essence, itâs not too difficult!
With the right time, resources, and dedication on your part, youâll practically be fine.
Why should you learn Hawaiian?
Historically, Hawaiian was expected to go extinct in the 20th century.
Fortunately, nowadays, a good number of language immersion schools, universities, and even apps like these provide full-length lessons that anyone can quickly access.
That being said, learning Hawaiian wonât just benefit your travels, but itâll also support these efforts of reviving this beautiful language.
What is the best app to learn Hawaiian?
Iâd say uTalk is the best app to learn Hawaiian vocabulary since it has stimulating exercises and quality audio to guide your every step. You can likewise consult Duolingo for beginner lessons, as it generally received good reviews, for as brief as it is.
There sadly arenât a lot of Hawaiian language apps, but you may use two to three of the ones above to get as many lessons as you can manage.
Is Hawaiian on Babbel?
Unfortunately, Hawaiian isnât on Babbel. Though, if youâre looking for an app with game-like lessons and interactive features, Duolingo and uTalk are close alternatives.
Is Hawaiian on Rosetta Stone?
Hawaiian isnât on Rosetta Stone either.
On the other hand, Mango Languages has similarly detailed and structured courses and is also equipped with a lot of features for intensive, self-paced learning. While it isnât as immersive as Rosetta Stoneâs teaching style, nevertheless, itâs quite useful to have around!
What is the best way to learn Hawaiian?
The best way to learn Hawaiian is to combine different resourcesâsuch as books, websites, video and audio, and the likeâto target different skills. The goal is to be competent in reading, writing, and speaking altogether.
There arenât abundant resources on the matter (compared to other languages), but here are some that we gathered:
- Cudoo: For a comprehensive and beginner-friendly Hawaiian course, check out Cudoo’s interactive lessons. You will learn to meet and greet using Hawaiian, count from 0 to 20, ask basic questions, order food at restaurants, and get by in Hawaii to make new friends with locals easily. You’ll even earn a certificate!
- Olelo Online: Online Hawaiian lessons (both live and self-paced). Comes with hefty coursework, books, audio and video files, and a virtual classroom.
- Ka Leo âĹiwi: A YouTube playlist for learning beginnerâs vocabulary and grammar. Has 13 long videos that are great for review.
- Speak Hawaiian Now: A YouTube channel that teaches basic words and expressions. Friendly and informative!
Hawaii isn’t a country. It one of the 50 states in the USA.
Hawai’i is a sovereign nation that was annexed by the US – KÄnaka Maoli and indigenous peoples all across Te Moana Nui a Kiwa know that Hawai’i belongs to itself.