| 42 | Aia i ka ʻōpua ke ola: he ola nui, he ola laulā, he ola hohonu, he ola kiʻekiʻe. | Life is in the clouds: great life, broad life, deep life, elevated Iife. |
| | [The reader of omens knows by their shape and color whether clouds promise rain and prosperity, or warn of disaster.] |
| 54 | Aia ka puʻu nui i ke alo. | A big hill stands right before him. |
| | [He has a problem.] |
| 121 | A nui mai ke kai o Waialua, moe pupuʻu o Kalena i Haleʻauʻau. | When the sea is rough at Waialua, Kalena curls up to sleep in Haleʻauʻau. |
| | [Applied to a person who prefers to sleep instead of doing chores. A play on lena (lazy), in Kalena, who was a fisherman, and hale (house) in Haleʻauʻau.] |
| 136 | ʻAʻohe e pulu, he waʻa nui. | One will not be wet on a large canoe. |
| | [One is safe in the protection of an important person.] |
| 142 | ʻAʻohe hana nui ke alu ʻia. | No task is too big when done together by all. |
| 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.] |
| 223 | ʻAʻole e kū ka ikaika i kēia pākela nui; ke pōʻai mai nei ka ʻohu ma uka, ma kai, ma ʻō a ma ʻaneʻi. | One cannot show his strength against such odds; the rain clouds are circling from the upland, the lowland, and from all sides. |
| | [Said by Maheleana, a warrior of Kualiʻi, when he saw his small company surrounded by the enemy.] |
| 226 | ʻAʻole hiki i ka iʻa liʻiliʻi ke ale i ka iʻa nui. | A small fish cannot swallow a big one. |
| | [A commoner cannot do anything to a chief.] |
| 249 | E aho ka make i ke kaua, he nui nā moepuʻu. | Better to die in battle where one will have companions in death. |
| | [Uttered by Kaʻeokulani, a chief of Maui.] |
| 271 | E hahai ana nō ke kolekole i kahi nui a ka wahie, a e hahai ana no ke ʻino i kahi nui o ka paʻakai. | Underdone meat follows along even where wood is plentiful, and decomposition follows along even where much salt is found. |
| | [Even where good is found, evil creeps in.] |
| 309 | E ʻike ana ʻoe i ke liʻi nui o Oʻahu, o Kakuhihewa. | You will meet with the great chief of Oʻahu, Kakuhihewa. |
| | [You shall find out how wrong you are. A play on kuhihewa (erroneous).] |
| 325 | E kuhikuhi pono i nā au iki a me nā au nui o ka ʻike. | Instruct well in the little and the large currents of knowledge. |
| | [In teaching, do it well; the small details are as important as the large ones.] |
| 363 | E nui ke aho, e kuʻu keiki, a moe i ke kai, no ke kai lā hoʻi ka ʻāina. | Take a deep breath, my son, and lay yourself in the sea, for then the land shall belong to the sea. |
| | [Uttered by the priest Kaʻopulupulu at Waiʻanae. Weary with the cruelty and injustice of Kahāhana, chief of Oʻahu, Kaʻopulupulu walked with his son to Waiʻanae, where he told his son to throw himself into the sea. The boy obeyed, and there died. Kaʻopulupulu was later slain and taken to Waikīkī where he was laid on the sacrificial altar at Helumoa.] |
| 386 | ʻEwa nui a Laʻakona. | Great ʻEwa of Laʻakona. |
| | [Laʻakona was a chief of ʻEwa, which was prosperous in his day.] |
| 467 | Hānau ke aliʻi i loko o Holoholokū, he aliʻi nui; hānau ke kanaka i loko o Holoholokū, he aliʻi nō; hānau ke aliʻi ma waho aʻe o Holoholokū, ʻaʻohe aliʻi, he kanaka ia. | The child of a chief born in Holoholokū is a high chief; the child of a commoner born in Holoholokū is a chief; the child of a chief born outside of the borders of Holoholokū is a commoner. |
| | [Holoholokū, sacred birthplace of the chiefs, is in Wailua, Kauaʻi.] |
| 498 | Hāwaʻe kai nui. | Hāwaʻe full of liquid. |
| | [An ignoramus. Hāwaʻe is a short-spined sea urchin that is full of liquid and has no meat. Also expressed as Hāwaʻe ʻiʻo ʻole (meatless hāwaʻe).] |
| 502 | Hawaiʻi nui a Keawe. | Hawaiʻi, great island of Keawe. |
| | [Keawe (Keawe-i-kekahi-aliʻi-o-ka-moku) was a ruler of Hawaiʻi.] |
| 527 | He ʻalalā, he manu leo nui. | It is the crow, a loud-voiced bird. |
| | [Said of a person who talks too loud.] |
| 573 | He heʻe nui, ke ʻula ala. | It is a large octopus because it shows a red color. |
| | [A man went to farm one day and met another squatting carelessly as he worked. He made this remark, often used later to refer to a man who exposes himself.] |
| 673 | He kāpili manu no ka uka o ʻŌlaʻa he pipili mamau i ka ua nui. | A birdcatching gum of the upland of ʻŌlaʻa that sticks and holds fast in the pouring rain. |
| | [Said of one who holds the interest and love of a sweetheart at all times.] |
| 754 | Hele nō ka pilau a ke ālia, i kahi nui o ka paʻakai. | Decomposition can also he found where there is so much salt that the earth is encrusted. |
| | [Scandal is found even in the best of families.] |
| 762 | He liʻiliʻi ka ʻuku lele, naue naʻe kino nui. | A flea may be small but it can make a big body squirm. |
| | [Never belittle anyone because of his small body; he may be able to do big things.] |
| 783 | He maʻi nui ka hilahila. | Humiliation is a great disease. |
| | [Shame and humiliation can make one sick at heart.] |
| 820 | He moʻa no ka ʻai i ka pūlehu ʻia; he ahi nui aha ia e hoʻā ai? | Food can be cooked in the embers; why should a big fire be lighted? |
| | [A small love affair will do; why assume the responsibilities of a permanent mating? Said by those who prefer to love and leave.] |
| 872 | He ʻōʻū naʻau nui. | Big-gutted ʻōʻū bird. |
| | [Said of a lazy person who shirks hard work and seeks something easy to do.] |
| 881 | He pali nui ka make e hoʻokaʻawale ana. | Death is a sheer cliff that separates. |
| | [Death divides the living from the dead.] |
| 904 | He pohō na ka pohō, ʻo ke akamai no ke hana a nui. | Sinking is to be expected where it is naturally found, but one should use as much skill as possible [to avoid it]. |
| | [Losses come easily; it requires skill and wisdom to avoid them.] |
| 934 | He pula, ʻo ka ʻānai ka mea nui. | A speck of dust in the eye causes a lot of rubbing because of irritation. |
| | [Let one member of a family do wrong and, like the resultant irritation, he is a shame to all.] |
| 957 | He ʻūlili holoholo kahakai, pā i ke kai nui, hina. | A sandpiper running about on the beach, when struck by a big wave, falls. |
| | [A disparaging remark applied to a weakling who cannot fight.] |
| 977 | He waiwai nui ka lōkahi. | Unity is a precious possession. |
| 978 | He waiwai nui ke aloha; o kaʻu nō ia e pulama nei. | Love is a great treasure which I cherish. |
| | [A common expression in chants and songs.] |
| 1070 | Hoʻokahi mea manaʻo nui a ka ʻōhua o ka hale: ʻo kahi mea mai ka lima mai o ke aliʻi. | There is one thing all members of the household look to: whatever they are given by the hands of the chief. |
| | [All members of the chief’s household are dependent on him.] |
| 1086 | Hoʻokolo aku i ka nui manu. | Go inquire of the other birds. |
| | [Go and consult others. From the following story: One day a man went up to a mountain spring for water. On the way down he paused to rest, then fell asleep. An ʻelepaio lighted and, seeing the man’s gourd bottle, pecked a hole in the gourd. The sound of the pecking woke the man, who saw the water running out. In anger he threw a stone at the ʻelepaio and injured its leg. It flew away and met an ʻio. “O! ʻIo, I was stoned by a man,” ʻElepaio cried. “What did you do?” asked ʻIo. “Pecked the man’s bottle.” “Then the fault is yours,” answered ʻIo. ʻElepaio flew on and met Pueo. The same words were exchanged between them. So it was with ʻIʻiwi, ʻŌʻō, and all the others. ʻElepaio’s disgust grew greater with ʻAmakihi, who laughed at him in derision. Receiving no sympathy, ʻElepaio sat and thought and finally admitted to himself that he, indeed, was to blame.] |
| 1099 | Hoʻolua nui. | Big Hoʻolua wind. |
| | [Said of a person who talks boisterously.] |
| 1137 | Huli ka lau o ka ʻamaʻu i uka, nui ka wai o kahawai. | When the leaves of the ʻamaʻu turn toward the upland, it is a sign of a flood. |
| | [When the wind blows the leaves of the ʻamau fern so that they bend toward the mountains it is also blowing clouds inland, which will produce rain.] |
| 1172 | I ʻike ʻia nō ke aliʻi, i ka nui o nā makaʻāinana. | A chief is known by his many followers. |
| 1207 | ʻIke ʻia e ka nui manu. | Known by the many birds. |
| | [Recognized by many people.] |
| 1209 | ʻIke i ke au nui me ke au iki. | Knows the big currents and the little currents. |
| | [Is very well versed.] |
| 1299 | Ka hao a ka wai nui, pihaʻā o kai. | When a great flood washes down, the shore is littered with stones and debris from the upland. |
| | [When one is careless in speech, trouble results.] |
| 1304 | Ka hauwalaʻau a ka nui manu. | The loud chattering of many birds. |
| | [Gossip that is spread abroad by a lot of busybodies.] |
| 1316 | Ka honua nui a Kāne i hoʻīnana a ʻahu kīnohinohi. | The great earth animated and adorned by Kāne. |
| | [Kāne was the god of fresh water and life.] |
| 1323 | Ka iʻa a ka wai nui i lawe mai ai. | The fish borne along by the flood. |
| | [The ʻoʻopu, which was often carried to the lowlands in freshets.] |
| 1346 | Ka iʻa i nui ai o Kamehameha. | The fish on which Kamehameha was raised. |
| | [Taro greens. The Kamehameha mentioned here is the son of Kekaulike, ruler of Maui, not Kamehameha I, the conqueror. Once, when it was necessary for his personal attendants to be gone for the day, the chief, who was then a small child, was left in the care of his attendants’ two young sons. Taro greens had been prepared and cooked for the royal child, because they were tender and easy to swallow. Kekaulike arrived unexpectedly and was displeased to see only taro greens instead of fish being given to his son. When the boys, who did not recognize him, explained that this was a very precious child and that the taro greens were fed him because they had no bones that would lodge in his throat, Kekaulike was pleased. Thus the little chief, who was reared at Pakaikai, Moloka’i, became known as Kamehameha-nui-ʻai-lūʻau (Great Kamehameha, Eater-of-taro-greens).] |
| 1360 | Ka iʻa lau nui o ka ʻāina. | Big-leaved fish of the land. |
| | [Lūʻau, or taro greens.] |
| 1365 | Ka iʻa leo nui o ka pali. | Loud-voiced fish of the cliffs. |
| | [Goats, which were pursued by shouting hunters.] |
| 1366 | Ka iʻa leo nui o Keʻehi. | Loud-voicedfish of Keʻehi. |
| | [Mullet, which were often found in large schools at Keʻehi Lagoon. Fishermen talked and shouted as they drove the fish into their nets.] |
| 1369 | Ka iʻa mana nui. | The fish of many divided parts. |
| | [The octopus, with its eight tentacles.] |
| 1381 | Ka iʻa uahi nui o ka ʻāina; o ka iʻa ma luna, o ka ʻai ma lalo. | The many smoky fish of the land; with the fish ahove and the vegetable food beneath. |
| | [This refers not to any particular fish or meat but to anything that is cooked in an imu. When lighted, the imu is smoky until the stones redden and the wood is reduced to coals.] |
| 1385 | Ka iʻa wale nui o ke Koʻolau. | The slimy fish of the windward side [of Oʻahu]. |
| | [An octopus. Before it is ready to eat, it must be pounded and rubbed with salt to remove the slime and make it tender.] |
| 1407 | Kaino he koa no ka lā nui, he koa kā no ka lā iki. | [I thought] you were warriors worthy of a great day, but instead you are warriors of a short day. |
| | [Said of those who flee in cowardice.] |
| 1408 | Kaino paha he pali nui o Kīpū e ʻōlelo ia nei, eia kā he pali iki nō. | By the way it is talked about, one would think that Kīpū is a large cliff, but instead it is only a small one. |
| | [By the way people talked the task sounded difficult, but it was easy after all. Kīpū is on Kauaʻi.] |
| 1412 | Ka ʻio nui maka lana au moku. | The great ʻio with eyes that see everywhere on the land. |
| | [A ruling chief.] |
| 1436 | Ka lawaiʻa nui i ʻeaʻea nā kuʻemaka, i ʻehuʻehu nā lihilihi. | The great fisherman whose brows are salt-encrusted and whose lashes are reddened [by the sun]. |
| | [Said in admiration of an experienced fisherman who has spent many a day at his trade.] |
| 1467 | Ka makani kūkulu peʻa nui, he ʻEka. | The ʻEka, the wind that sets up the big sails. |
| | [When the ʻEka wind blew in Kona, Hawaiʻi, the fishermen sailed out to the fishing grounds.] |
| 1504 | Ka nui e ʻauamo ai i ke keiki i ke kua. | The size that enables one to carry a smaller child on the back. |
| | [Said of a child about ten years old who has grown big enough to carry a younger sibling on his back. In ancient days the age of a child was not reckoned by years but by physical ability to perform a certain task.] |
| 1505 | Ka nui e moʻa ai ka pūlehu. | The size when one is old enough to broil food. |
| | [Old enough to have a mate.] |
| 1506 | Ka nui e paʻa ai i ka hue wai. | The size that enables one to carry a water bottle. |
| | [Said of a child about two years old. In Kaʻū, where fresh water was scarce and had to be obtained from upland springs, every person who went helped to carry home water. When a child was about two, he was given a small gourd bottle for carrying water.] |
| 1507 | Ka nui e paʻa ai i nā niu ʻelua. | The size that enables one to carry two coconuts. |
| | [Said of a child of about five.] |
| 1509 | Kanu ke kalo i Welo, ʻaʻole e ulu nui ʻia e ka ʻohā. | Plant taro in Welo and the offshoots will not be many. |
| | [The corm of taro planted in the month of Welo grows very large but the offishoots are few.] |
| 1543 | Ka pō nui hoʻolakolako, ke ao nui hoʻohemahema. | The great night that provides, the great day that neglects. |
| | [The gods supply, but man does not always accept with appreciation. Guidance is given in dreams that man often misunderstands and neglects.] |
| 1600 | Ka ua poʻo nui o ke kuahiwi. | The big-headed rain of the mountain. |
| | [The ʻAwa rain, which falls in fine, icy cold drops that make one’s head appear white.] |
| 1632 | Kaʻū nui kua makani. | Great Kaʻū of the windblown back. |
| | [The wind always blows in Kaʻū.] |
| 1633 | Kaʻū nui maka lepo. | Great Kaʻū of dirty faces. |
| | [An expression of ridicule. Kaʻū, Hawaiʻi, is a dry, wind-swept district where clouds of dust rise into the air.] |
| 1681 | Ke ā nui, ke ā iki. | Big jaw, little jaw. |
| | [Much bragging and wheedling, as of a man seeking the favor of a woman.] |
| 1708 | Keiki ʻopeʻope nui o Kaluakoʻi. | The lad of Kaluakoʻi with the big hundle. |
| | [A person heavily laden with bundles. Kuapakaʻa, a boy of Kaluakoʻi, made ready to go with Keawe-nui-a-ʻUmi, chief of Hawaiʻi, to Kaʻula in search of Pakaʻa. The lad knew all the time that Pakaʻa was on Molokaʻi, for Pakaʻa was his father. Before going he asked permission to bring his bundles on board. To everyone’s surprise they consisted of a large log filled with necessities, and a large rock which was later used as an anchor.] |
| 1727 | Ke kai leo nui o Mokoliʻi. | The loud-voiced sea of Mokoliʻi. |
| | [The sea of Mokoliʻi (now known as Chinaman’s Hat) is said to roar. This small island is said to have once been a reptile that Hiʻiaka stuck into the sea, head down and tail up.] |
| 1728 | Ke kai leo nui o Paikaka. | The loud-voiced sea of Paikaka. |
| | [Paikaka is in Hilo.] |
| 1861 | Kū a māloʻeloʻe, lālau nā lima i ka hoe nui me ka hoe iki. | Stand up straight; reach for the big and little paddle. |
| | [Said to young people — be prepared to weather whatever comes your way.] |
| 1862 | Kuāua nui hoʻi kēlā e hele mai nei. | That is a big shower coming this way. |
| | [A company of people is seen approaching.] |
| 1885 | Kū kaʻapā ia Hawaiʻi, he moku nui. | [It is well for] Hawaiʻi to show activity; it is the largest of the islands. |
| | [Hawaiʻi should lead forth for she is the largest.] |
| 1960 | Lawe liʻiliʻi ka make a ka Hawaiʻi, lawe nui ka make a ka haole. | Death by Hawaiians takes a few at a time; death by foreigners takes many. |
| | [The diseases that were known in the islands before the advent of foreigners caused fewer deaths than those that were introduced.] |
| 1963 | Leʻa ka ʻai a ka ʻiole, ua nui ka ʻili. | The rats joyously eat their fill, there are many skins [remaining]. |
| | [There were two Hilo brothers who lived at Kukuau and Puʻueo. The latter was very prosperous but neglectful of his needy brother. One day the Kukuau man decided to visit his wealthy brother and found many friends eating. After watching them for a while he made this remark. It was overheard by someone who reported it to their host. When he came to see who it was he found that it was his own brother. Sadly he realized then how he had neglected his own kin while outsiders enjoyed his weakh. This saying is sometimes used for one who does for outsiders but neglects his own.] |
| 2004 | Lilo akula ka nui a koe ka unahi. | Most [of the fish] are taken and only the scales are left. |
| | [Said after someone has taken the lion’s share for himself.] |
| 2033 | Luʻuluʻu Hanakahi i ka ua nui. | Weighted down is Hanakahi hy the heavy rain. |
| | [Hanakahi, Hilo, was named for a chief of ancient times. This expression was much used in dirges to express heaviness of the heart, as tears pour like rain.] |
| 2034 | Luʻuluʻu Hanalei i ka ua nui; kaumaha i ka noe o Alakaʻi. | Heavily weighted is Hanalei in the pouring rain; laden down by the mist of Alakaʻi. |
| | [An expression used in dirges and chants of woe to express the burden of sadness, the heaviness of grief, and tears pouring freely like rain. Rains and fogs of other localities may also be used.] |
| 2125 | Malia paha he iki unu, paʻa ka pōhaku nui ʻaʻole e kaʻa. | Perhaps it is the small stone that can keep the big rock from rolling down. |
| 2148 | Mauna Loa kīkala nui. | Big-sterned Mauna Loa. |
| | [The Mauna Loa was a ship that plied between the islands. This expression is applied in derision to a woman who is large in the rear. Also expressed, Mauna Loa kīkala ʻūpehupehu: Swollen-sterned Mauna Loa.] |
| 2194 | Molokaʻi nui a Hina. | Great Molokaʻi, land of Hina. |
| | [The goddess Hina is said to be the mother of Molokaʻi.] |
| 2239 | Na ke kanaka mahiʻai ka imu ō nui. | The well-filled imu belongs to the man who tills the soil. |
| 2264 | Nā manu leo nui o Panaʻewa. | Loud-voiced birds of Panaʻewa. |
| | [Loud talkers. Panaʻewa, Hilo, was famous for its lehua forests that sheltered the honey-sucking birds. Here people went to gather lehua and maile.] |
| 2346 | Nui ka ʻai ma ke kuahiwi, puʻu nō ka ʻai, ʻiʻo no ka iʻa. | There is much food in the mountain; puʻu is food and ʻiʻo is meat. |
| | [This was said by the Reverend David Lyman, a missionary, in 1857 when his pupils went with him to the mountain and complained of having no food for the journey — there was an abundance of hāpuʻu and hōʻiʻo ferns in the mountains.] |
| 2347 | Nui ka hanu o Limahuli i nā lehua o Luluʻupali. | Heavily-sighed Limahuli falls over the lehua blossoms of Luluupali. |
| | [Said of a person in love who sighs over a sweetheart.] |
| 2348 | Nui kalakalai, manumanu ka loaʻa. | Too much whittling leaves only a little wood. |
| 2349 | Nui pū maiʻa ʻolohaka o loko. | Large banana stalk, all pith inside. |
| | [Said of a person with a large physique but with no strength to match it.] |
| 2391 | ʻO ʻIkuwā ke kāne, ʻo Paʻiakuli ka wahine, hānau ke keiki, he leo nui. | ʻIkuwā is the husband, Paʻia-kuli (Deafening-noise) is the wife; a child born to them is loud of voice. |
| | [Said of a child born in the month of ʻIkuwā.] |
| 2440 | ʻO Kauaʻi nui moku lehua, ʻāina nui makekau. | Great Kauaʻi, isle of warriors and land of men ever on the defense. |
| 2458 | ʻO kēia ʻuʻuku e nui ana. | This smallness will be big later. |
| | [Said of a small child who will grow into adulthood, a small place that may develop into a large one, and so forth.] |
| 2506 | ʻO Mahoehope ke kāne, ʻo Lanihua ka wahine, hānau ke keiki he kōkua nui a waiū nunui. | Mahoehope is the husband, Lanihua (Productive-heavenly-one) is the wife; a child born to them is either thick-shouldered or large-busted. |
| | [Said of a child born in the month of Mahoehope. If a boy, he would be strong-shouldered and able to do much work; if a girl, she would be large of breast.] |
| 2549 | ʻO Welehu ka malama, lehu nui ke poʻo i ka uahi o ka hoʻoilo. | Welehu is the month; sooty is the head in the smoke of winter. |
| | [Said of Welehu, the most rainy of all the wet months, when the fireplace is kept going to give warmth to the house.] |
| 2596 | Pā mai, pā mai ka makani o Hilo; waiho aku i ka ipu iki, hō mai i ka ipu nui. | Blow, blow, O winds of Hilo, put away the small containers and give us the large one. |
| | [Laʻamaomao, the god of wind, was said to have a wind container called Ipu-a-Laʻamaomao. When one desires more wind to make the surf roll high, or a kite sail aloft, he makes this appeal.] |
| 2632 | Pī ʻia ko wahi pilau iki, ʻaʻole ʻoe i ʻike i ko pilau nui. | Refuse to give your little stink a place and youʻll never know when a greater stink will come to you. |
| | [A curse uttered by a sorcerer to a woman who refuses his advances. In refusing a sexual union with him she may meet a greater “stink”- — death and decomposition.] |
| 2857 | Uha nui. | Big gut. |
| | [Said of a person who lacks strength or stamina. His only bigness is a gut filled with food.] |
| 2882 | ʻUpepe maʻi nui. | Flat nose [but] big genitals. |
| | [The humorous retort of a man who is called flat-nosed.] |
| 2915 | Wai ʻōpū nui. | Big stomach water. |
| | [A humorous term applied to the water of a brackish pool. A stranger, unaccustomed to brackish water, often drank too much of it in attempting to quench his thirst.] |