Customer Reviews

Dictionary of Hawaiian Language

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This dictionary is based on the 1865 dictionary by Lorrin Andrews. I don't like this dictionary, because it excludes the kahako' and makes limited, sporadic use of the ''okina. Exclusion of the kahako' and the ''okina was common for early Hawaiian publications, but they are important "elements" of the Hawaiian language. This dictionary is an important historical document, but many of the words are spelled incompletely because they may be missing a kahako' and/or ''okina. It also makes the annoying use of hypens in the Hawaiian words that are listed. Back in 1865, this may have been the best Hawaiian dictionary, but today I would avoid its use.

The idea of an illustrated dictionary is nice, but there are very few illustrations. I would expect to see many, many more illustrations, but more illustrations would in no way make up for the deficiencies in spelling for the missing kahako and 'okina.

I recommend the University of Hawaii Press Hawaiian dictionary by Pukui and Elbert [PE] Hawaiian Dictionary: Hawaiian-English, English-Hawaiian. The PE dictionary is considered THE Hawaiian dictionary. The PE dictionary also comes in a condensed, abridged paperback version called the New Pocket Hawaiian Dictionary, New Pocket Hawaiian Dictionary: With a Concise Grammar and Given Names in Hawaiian.