Merry Christmas in Hawaiian
Mele Kalikimaka
Say it like this: MEH-leh kah-lee-kee-MAH-kah
Big letters show the part to say louder.
Quick answer
- In Hawaiian, Merry Christmas is Mele Kalikimaka, said like MEH-leh kah-lee-kee-MAH-kah.
- Happy New Year is Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou.
- People say it in Hawaiʻi (United States).
What Mele Kalikimaka means
A Hawaiian version of the English words 'Merry Christmas'. Hawaiian has only a few sounds and no r, s or ch, so 'Merry' became 'Mele' and 'Christmas' became 'Kalikimaka'.
Hawaiian is written with the Latin alphabet plus the ʻokina, a mark for a short pause like the one in "uh-oh", and the kahakō, a line over a vowel that makes it longer.
Other ways to say it in Hawaiian
Happy New Year
Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou
Say it like this: how-OH-lee mah-kah-HEE-kee HOH
Happy New Year (hauʻoli = happy, makahiki = year, hou = new)
To write in a Christmas card
Mele Kalikimaka a me Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou
Say it like this: MEH-leh kah-lee-kee-MAH-kah ah meh how-OH-lee mah-kah-HEE-kee HOH
Where people speak Hawaiian
Hawaiʻi (United States)
Hawaiian (ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi) belongs to the Austronesian (Polynesian) language family.
Hear it from Rally on Christmas Eve
On Christmas Eve, Rally the corgi rides the Christmas Train around the world. He reaches Honolulu at about 12:50 AM local time, and kids learn to say Mele Kalikimaka as he lands.
Watch Rally arrive in Honolulu →Christmas traditions where people speak Hawaiian
- Christmas on the beach: With warm weather and the beach nearby, many Hawaiian families celebrate Christmas with surfing or swimming. Musicians play guitars and ukuleles, and hula dancers entertain people on the sand.[5]
- Santa by outrigger canoe: In Hawaii, people wear Santa hats at the beach, and Santa is often pictured arriving by outrigger canoe instead of a sleigh. People from many cultures in the islands add their own Christmas customs too.[5]
- Honolulu City Lights: The yearly Honolulu City Lights ceremony features a 50-foot Norfolk pine Christmas tree decorated with bright lights and elaborate decorations, along with live entertainment in the city.[5]
🎄 Quick game: Merry Christmas in Hawaiian
Three quick questions for kids. Tap an answer to play.
Say Merry Christmas in more languages
- Māori (Te Reo Māori)Meri Kirihimete
- SamoanManuia le Kerisimasi
- TonganKilisimasi fiefia
- Tok PisinMeri Krismas
- FijianMe nomuni na marau ni siga ni sucu
- Urduکرسمس مبارک
- GuaraniFeliz Navidad
- MacedonianСреќен Божиќ
Questions parents ask
How do you say Merry Christmas in Hawaiian?
The Hawaiian way to say Merry Christmas is "Mele Kalikimaka" (MEH-leh kah-lee-kee-MAH-kah). It is used across Hawaiʻi and is also known worldwide from the 1949 Christmas song of the same name. A longer card wish is "Mele Kalikimaka a me Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou".[1][3]
How do you pronounce Mele Kalikimaka?
Say "MEH-leh kah-lee-kee-MAH-kah". Hawaiian vowels are pure: a is ah, e is eh, i is ee, o is oh and u is oo. Every vowel is said, so there are no silent letters. The stress falls on the second to last syllable of each word: ME-le and kali-ki-MA-ka.[1]
What does Mele Kalikimaka mean?
It is the Hawaiian form of the English words Merry Christmas. Because Hawaiian has a different set of sounds and no r, s or ch, the English words were reshaped: Merry became Mele and Christmas became Kalikimaka. The phrase is a loan from English, not a new Hawaiian idea.[3][4]
How do you write Mele Kalikimaka?
Write it as Mele Kalikimaka, with a capital M and a capital K on cards. The words have no ʻokina or kahakō marks. Hawaiian has just 13 letters, including the ʻokina, so English sounds like r, s and ch are changed to l, k and others.[4][3]
How do you say Happy New Year in Hawaiian?
Say "Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou" (how-OH-lee mah-kah-HEE-kee HOH). Hauʻoli means happy, makahiki means year and hou means new. The ʻokina in Hauʻoli is a short pause between the vowels. A card often reads "Mele Kalikimaka a me Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou", where a me means and.[2]
Is there a formal way to say Merry Christmas in Hawaiian?
Mele Kalikimaka is warm and polite for everyone. Hawaiian has no separate formal version for Christmas, and the same short greeting is used with friends, children, teachers and elders. It is also the title of a well-known song, so it is easy to recognize.[1]
When do people say Mele Kalikimaka?
People say it in December, especially on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, December 25. It is also the title of a well-known song, so it is heard on the radio and in shops from late November. After Christmas, people switch to Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou.[3]
Is Christmas Eve or Christmas Day the main celebration in Hawaii?
Christmas Day, December 25, is the main celebration, with gifts and a big meal, followed by beach time in the warm weather. King Kamehameha IV made Christmas an official holiday in 1862. Christmas Eve is a time for lights, events and church services.[5]
What is a popular Christmas tradition in Hawaii?
Spending Christmas at the beach is popular. People surf or swim, and musicians play guitars and ukuleles while dancers perform the hula. Santa is often pictured arriving by outrigger canoe instead of a sleigh. In Honolulu, the City Lights ceremony lights up a 50-foot Norfolk pine.[5]
A bedtime story after seeing SantaRally Takes the Train is a five-minute rhyming picture book about a corgi’s first train ride, hand-painted in real watercolor by Leslie Dunn. $16.99 on Amazon, ages 0 to 8.
Buy on AmazonSources
We check every greeting against dictionaries, language institutes and cultural sources.
- merry Christmas (translations), Wiktionary
- happy New Year (translations), Wiktionary
- Mele Kalikimaka, Wikipedia
- Hawaiian language, Wikipedia
- Christmas in Hawaii, Wikipedia
