Futless(FUHT-less) Adj. Pidgin for bored, frustrated, confused, unsure of what to do next. Literally without fart.
Example
English: Jay is so bored, he’s sitting in on the couch, flicking the blinds, and staring at telephone lines.
Pidgin: Ho, Jay futless, yeah?
Note: ‘Ōlelo is a Hawaiian word meaning language, speech, word, etc. To see the current list of Hawaiian and Pidgin words, definitions, and usage please click on
It’s no false crack; Hawaiian author Chris McKinney’s latest novel Boi No Good takes an unflinching look at a Hawaii that locals live in every day and tourists never see. It’s gritty, real, and not for the faint of heart.
McKinney’s characters are people I feel I know and grew up with, from the welfare ice queens to the keep Hawaiian lands in Hawaiian hands revolutionists, to the wanna be good but no can boyz to the Kahala private school we can make a difference politicians, he’s nailed them all.
I’m always amazed at the difference between the real Hawaii and Hollywood’s version. McKinney is an insider’s insider. He knows that beneath the tourist hula shows, pink manapua boxes, and Reyns Aloha shirts a rage simmers, Pele’s lava looking for a steam vent, an anger that wants to make a mark, a difference, to change the status quo. In some island circles these feelings are shoveled in and swallowed daily at the breakfast table right along with the shoyu rice, ketchup covered scrambled eggs, and fried spam. Eventually, the bitterness starts to choke, and it can be do or die, especially in the it’s all about who you know climate of Hawaii. There is an underground attitude in the islands that violence is the universal language, a no push me or I going snap cock of the walk. And snap Boi does.
What I liked about this book is that there are no easy answers and most characters have redeeming qualities mixed with spectacular faults and myopic vision.
Boi No Good is raw, true, engaging, and sure to make you think. It’s the kind of story that stays with you long after you read the final page. But I gotta warn you, it’s graphic and in my opinion, for adults only.
Boi No Good is McKinney’s fourth book. All of his titles, Tatoo, Mililani Mauka, Bolohead Row, and Boi No Good can be found on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and local Hawaiian bookstores.
Local Style(Lo-CAl) Adj. Someone originally from Hawai’i. Also used to describe anything typical of the way people do things in Hawai’i. People from Hawai’i automatically know that no matter where you are in the world, when someone from Hawai’i says someone’s local, they’re not talking about where they live, but where their heart is.
Example
English: Nili-boy now lives in France, but he used to live in Waimanalo.
Pidgin: Nili-boy? Stay local, brah.
Note: ‘Ōlelo is a Hawaiian word meaning language, speech, word, etc. To see the current list of Hawaiian and Pidgin words, definitions, and usage please click on
Hau’oli Makahiki Hou(how-oh-lee mah-kah-he-key ho) Hawaiian phrase. In Hawaii people say Hau‘oli Makahiki Hou when they wish someone a Happy New Year. It’s a direct translation from the English: hau‘oli means “happy” or “glad,” hou means “new” or “fresh,” and makahiki is easily translated into “year, age; annual.” Like most English adoptions into Hawaiian it works in a Spanglish sort of way.
But anciently makahiki referred to a season that began around mid-October and lasted four lunar months. During this time there was feasting, religious observances and ceremonies, games, sports, dancing, a respite from work, and a kapu on war. It was a time of peace and prosperity in honor of the god Lono.
May you and your ‘ohana enjoy the aloha of the makahaki season all year long.
Hau‘oli Makahiki Hou!
Example
English: Happy New Year!
Pidgin: Hau‘oli Makahiki Hou!
Note: ‘Ōlelo is a Hawaiian word meaning language, speech, word, etc. To see the current list of Hawaiian and Pidgin words, definitions, and usage please click on
uji(OO jee) Adj. Used as an expression of disgust at something really pilau from sweat socks to the kid who eats the paste during arts and crafts. Said when something makes your skin crawl.
Example
English: That garbage is smelly!
Pidgin: Uji!
Note: ‘Ōlelo is a Hawaiian word meaning language, speech, word, etc. To see the current list of Hawaiian and Pidgin words, definitions, and usage please click on