pelehū
The Hawaiian word for the bird known as turkey is pelehū.
pelehū refers specifically to the bird in the genus Meleagris.
Meaning: bird in the genus Meleagris (noun)
Related words
Did you know?
- In Hawaiian, the word pelehū is a loanword from the English 'turkey', adapted to fit the phonetic rules of the language.
- The 'ū' in pelehū is a long vowel, and changing the length of that vowel would create a completely different, unrelated word.
- While native birds like the 'ʻukuʻukea' are deeply woven into the cultural fabric, the pelehū remains an ecological outsider in the Hawaiian lexicon.
Examples in context
- He pelehū kēia.This is a turkey.
- Ua ʻike ʻia ka pelehū.The turkey was seen.
- He nui nā pelehū.There are many turkeys.
Example conversation
Kai and Leilani are looking at animals on a farm.
- KaiHe aha kēia kanaka iho?What is this bird?
- LeilaniHe pelehū kēlā, e Kai.That is a turkey, Kai.
- KaiHe mea ʻakaʻaka ka pelehū!The turkey is a funny thing!
- LeilaniʻAe, he mea kīkī ʻo ia.Yes, it is a noisy thing.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “turkey” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
