| 64 | ʻAi a manō, ʻaʻohe nānā i kumu pali. | When the shark eats, he never troubles to look toward the foot of the cliff. |
| | [Said of a person who eats voraciously with no thought of those who provided the food, shows no appreciation for what has been done for him, nor has a care for the morrow.] |
| 165 | ʻAʻohe kolopā nānā e une. | No crowbar can pry him loose. |
| | [Said of a very obstinate person.] |
| 192 | ʻAʻohe nānā; he holoholona ia he mea ʻuhane ʻole; o ke kanaka nō ka nānā, he mea ʻuhane. | Never mind; it is an animal, a soulless creature; take heed of man, for he is a creature with a soul. |
| 193 | ʻAʻohe nānā i ko lalo ʻai i ke pāpaʻa; e nānā i ko luna o ahulu. | Never mind if the food underneath burns; see that the food at the top is not half-cooked. |
| | [Never mind the commoners; pay attention to the chiefs.] |
| 197 | ʻAʻohe o kahi nānā o luna o ka pali; iho mai a lalo nei; ʻike i ke au nui ke au iki, he alo a he alo. | The top of the cliff isnt the place to look at us; come down here and learn of the big and little current, face to face. |
| | [Learn the details. Also, an invitation to discuss something. Said by Pele to Pāʻoa when he came to seek the lava-encased remains of his friend Lohiʻau.] |
| 233 | ʻĀpiki Puna i Leleʻapiki, ke nānā lā i Nānāwale. | Puna is concerned at Leleʻapiki and looks about at Nānāwale. |
| | [The people are but followers and obedient to their rulers. The people of Puna were not anxious to go to war when a battle was declared between Kiwalaʻō and Kamehameha; it was the will of their chief. Lele-ʻapiki (Tricky-leap) and Nānā-wale (Just-looking) are places in Puna.] |
| 317 | E kanu mea ʻai o nānā keiki i ka haʻi. | Plant edible food plants lest your children look with longing at someone else’s. |
| 356 | E nānā ana i ka ʻopua o ka ʻāina. | Observing the horizon clouds of the land. |
| | [Seeking to discover future events by observing the cloud omens.] |
| 357 | E nānā mai a uhi kapa ʻeleʻele ia Maui, a kau ka puaʻa i ka nuku, kiʻi mai i ka ʻāina a lawe aku. | Watch until the black tapa cloth covers Maui and the sacrificial hog is offered, then come and take the land. |
| | [Said by Kahekili, ruler of Maui, to a messenger sent by Kamehameha I with a question whether to have war or peace. Kahekili sent back this answer — “Wait until I am dead and all the rites performed, then invade and take the island of Maui.”] |
| 358 | E nānā wāhine aʻe nō, ʻaʻole ʻoe e loaʻa. | Women can be observed, [but] you cannot be matched. |
| | [One may look at other women but none can be compared to you.] |
| 685 | He keiki e nānā ana, he keiki e nānā ʻole ana. | One child may care, and another may not. |
| | [Said to one who raises a family — some may take care of the senior members of the family and some may not.] |
| 1174 | I ka ʻai, i ka nānā; i ka ʻai, i ka hālō; i ka ʻai, i ke kiʻei. | Eat, look about; eat, peer; eat, peep. |
| | [Said of the eating of a thief — the eyes dart here and there to see if anyone is coming.] |
| 1186 | I ka nānā nō a ʻike. | By observing, one learns. |
| 1273 | Ka ʻai nānā i luna. | The food that requires looking up to. |
| | [Said of breadfruit, which grows on the tree, in contrast with taro, sweet potato, and yam, which grow underground.] |
| 1375 | Ka iʻa nānā i ka lani ke ola. | The fish that looks to the sky for life. |
| | [Any vegetable, a food depending on sunshine and rain for subsistence.] |
| 1531 | Ka pali nānā uhu kaʻi o Makapuʻu. | The uhu-observing cliff of Makapuʻu. |
| | [The sea surrounding Makapuʻu Point, Oʻahu, is the favorite haunt of the uhu (parrotfish).] |
| 1770 | Ke nānā lā i Nānāwale. | Just looks at Nānāwale. |
| | [Said of one who has nothing or no one to look to for help. A play on nānā-wale (merely look), a Puna place name.] |
| 2052 | Mai hoʻomāuna i ka ʻai o huli mai auaneʻi o Hāloa e nānā. | Do not be wasteful of food lest Hāloa turn around and stare [at you]. |
| | [Do not be wasteful, especially of poi, because it would anger Hāloa, the taro god, who would someday let the waster go hungry.] |
| 2079 | Mai nānā i ka lāʻau maloʻo, ʻaʻohe mea loaʻa o laila. | Do not pay attention to a dry tree for there is nothing to be gained from it. |
| | [Nothing is learned from an ignoramus.] |
| 2080 | Mai nānā i ka ʻulu o waho, ʻaʻohe ia nāu; e nānā nō i ka ʻulu i ke alo, nāu ia. | Never mind looking for the breadfruit away out, that is not for you; look at the breadfruit in front of you, that is yours. |
| | [Be satisfied with what you have.] |
| 2173 | Moe loa ka wahine, nānā wale ke kāne. | When a wife oversleeps, the husband just looks about. |
| | [A lazy wife is no help to her husband.] |
| 2174 | Moe loa ke kāne, nānā wale ka wahine. | When the husband sleeps too much, the wife just looks about. |
| | [A lazy husband does not help his wife.] |
| 2226 | Na ka ʻīlio ka nānā pono. | Only dogs stare. |
| | [Said to a person who stares.] |
| 2267 | Nānā ka maka; hana ka lima. | Observe with the eyes; work with the hands. |
| | [Just watching isn’t enough. Pitch in and help!] |
| 2268 | Nānā ka maka; hoʻolohe ka pepeiao; paʻa ka waha. | Observe with the eyes; listen with the ears; shut the mouth. |
| | [Thus one learns.] |
| 2269 | Nānā keʻe ka iʻa i ka maunu ʻekaʻeka. | The fish look askance at dirty bait. |
| 2270 | Nānā nō a ka lāʻau kū hoʻokahi. | Look for the plant that stands alone. |
| | [Often said by those seeking strong medicinal herbs. A plant that stood by itself was considered better for medicine than one that grew close to others of its kind.] |
| 2271 | Nānā nō a ka ʻulu i pakī kēpau. | Look for the gummy breadfruit. |
| | [Advice to a young girl — Look for a man who has substance, like gummy breadfruit, which is a sign of maturity.] |
| 2328 | Noho nō ke kanaka a ka lā mālie, kau ka ipu hōkeo a ka lawaiʻa, nānā ana i ka ʻōpua. | A person waits for a clear day, sets up the gourd that holds the fishermans paraphernalia, and observes the clouds. |
| | [To a fisherman, a clear day, his tools, and the signs and omens seen in the clouds are important.] |
| 2381 | ʻOiai e nānā mai ana nō nā maka. | While the eyes still look around. |
| | [While a person is living, treat him kindly and learn what you can from him.] |
| 2718 | Puhalu ka ihu, nānā i ke kāʻao. | When the scent reaches the nose, one sees the overripe hala fruit [fallen to ihe ground]. |
| | [One only notices the many good things a person does when it is too late to show appreciation.] |