"My name is Kaʻiulani."

Translation: ʻO Kaʻiulani koʻu inoa.

[YazzKwiinX]

How do you pronounce this sentence?

[AlanAbonyi]

Itʻs hard to represent Hawaiian sounds without using the international phonetic alphabet. Hereʻs a rough equivalent.

• a = father
• i = eat
• o = nope
• u = rude

The okina (looks like an apostrophe) is a quick break in your voice, like when saying "uh-oh". When an okina is placed in front of a vowel, you start pronouncing it abruptly (like the -oh in uh-oh).
ʻO Kaʻiulani koʻu inoa = -oh Kah-iyulanee koh-u eenoah

[Jessi784299]

thanks! i've been having a hard time pronouncing the okina when it's at the beginning of words, and that is helpful ! :)

[Blinkett]

I don't know what Hawaiian teachers wrote this. But i have never said O' before my name

[kelii....]

The writers are Kamehameha schools teachers, Ekela Kaniaupio-Crozier who also did the Kulaiwi video series from the 1990s, and others. I would think there are no teachers of Hawaiian language who teach a person to say his or her name in Hawaiian as Ka‘iulani ko'u inoa instead of ‘O Kaiulani ko‘u inoa.

[NJtheSTQ]

so helpful! You get a Lingot !! :-)

[Paul837881]

Can you explain what the "O" means or how it helps? Not trying to challenge, just understand.

[kelii....]

In this case the word ‘O is used in a verbless sentence to start the sentence before a definite noun (the, this, my, etc.) or a proper noun. It has no meaning in English, but it is needed.

[DABurnside]

I tried "'O ko'u inoa 'o Ka'iulani" because that is the sentence order DL gave me (My name is ...). I thought 'O has to precede the subject noun with or without a possessive (ko'u). Can someone say if my sentence actually wrong, or simply not the preferred format? Mahalo.

[kelii....]

It is grammatically correct, but if you have a proper name or pronoun, that usually goes first in an 'O... sentence.

[DABurnside]

Mahalo Lee572284

[M3ry4Nn]

Wouldnt it be easier just to say o kaiulani au or kaiulani au?

[kelii....]

You would not say Kaiulani au. If anything you could say ‘O Ka‘iulani au which means I am Ka‘iulani. Nevertheless, usage of the words ko‘u inoa (my name) increases vocabulary and helps delineate the o-class vs a-class possessives.