ʻino
/ˈʔi.no/
The Hawaiian word for storm is ʻino.
ʻino refers to a disturbed state of the atmosphere that causes destructive or unpleasant weather. The term for thunder is helekū.
Meaning: disturbed state of the atmosphere causing destructive or unpleasant weather (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables, and the stress is on the first syllable. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʔi.no/.
Did you know?
- The word ʻino is a general term for 'bad' or 'evil', meaning that a storm is literally described as 'bad weather'.
- The word ʻino is a cognate with the Māori word kino, showing a shared linguistic ancestor across the Pacific.
- The glottal stop at the start of ʻino, written as the ʻokina, is a full consonant that must be pronounced to avoid changing the word's meaning.
Examples in context
- Ke ʻike nei mākou i ka ʻinoʻino e holo mai ana.We see a storm approaching.
Example conversation
Two men are talking about the weather forecast.
- KaiHe ʻino ke kīpuka ana?Is there a storm brewing?
- LeilaniʻAe, e hele mai ana ia.Yes, it is coming.
- KaiHe ʻino koʻikoʻi kēia?Is this a severe storm?
- LeilaniʻAe, e mālama pono mākou.Yes, we must take good care.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “storm” translations and entries ʻino, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ʻino, CC BY-SA 4.0.
