Have you ever felt stuck learning Hawaiian? Me too…

Aloha no kakou! Here’s my thoughts for this week.

Have you ever played a video game and got to a point where you’re kind of stuck and not sure how to unlock the next level? Or maybe you’re more into puzzles - have you ever been unable to figure out what piece goes where? That can be extremely frustrating. Why do we even keep going?

A while ago, I looked up the word ‘smell’ in Hawaiian, and to my surprise, there were dozens of words. Some of the definitions were specific, but most of them were all pretty vague. For months, I was stuck trying to figure out which ones to use. It was so frustrating I even thought, I’m not going to use any of those words, or maybe just stick to the one or two I know. 

But there’s something about overcoming a challenge… Like the satisfaction of unlocking the next level in a game or finally figuring out where the puzzle piece goes. 

When learning Hawaiian, you will get stuck - a lot - and it can be daunting. This is another reason it is important to listen to native speakers regularly. Getting back to my search for usages of the different words for ‘smell’. I had that “aha” moment when I was sitting with a native speaker and she began to use several different words that I had seen in the dictionary. 

And just to help you out on this one, here are some examples:

• Pilo (pilopilo)— bad breath, marsh/swampy smell, flatulence, feces
• Hono (Hohono)—smelly kinds of meat (lamb, tilapia), body odor, urine (mimi hono), smoke
• Aala—sweet smelling, good smelling food, fragrant

I was relieved to realize it’s not impossible to figure out what word to use, and each time I overcome these kinds of challenges I can more effectively express myself in Hawaiian, and that makes me want to keep going.

Keep at it. You’ll overcome challenges that will give you momentum to get through the discouraging times. Don’t quit, there are plenty of people (myself included) that are here to help you. 

Aloha no,

Malu

ka-alala.mykajabi.com