
Hawaiian immersion with language conscience.
The gist
Ka Alala is a Hawaiian language show built around sustained listening, storytelling, and careful attention to words. Recent episodes move from playful Minecraft conversation to pointed discussion of invented vocabulary, translation limits, and speech rooted in native use.
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About Ka Alala
Ka Alala places Hawaiian language at the center and asks the listener to stay with it. The show's recent run is varied, but the through-line is clear: language is practice, inheritance, and responsibility. Some episodes unfold largely through Hawaiian-speaking conversation, with names, family memory, humor, and repetition carrying the experience. Others begin in English so a learner can follow the argument before the episode shifts back into Hawaiian. That pattern matters. It lets the show handle detailed questions about vocabulary without turning the language into a classroom worksheet. Episodes such as MAI HOOHAUMIA I KA OLELO and PAANI ME HAUKI question the search for neat English-to-Hawaiian equivalents. Weather is treated not as proof of a missing Hawaiian word, but as a prompt to speak more specifically about wind, sea, sky, and clouds. Sports becomes a similar problem: an English umbrella term does not map cleanly onto traditional Hawaiian categories, so the discussion moves through racing, ball games, surfing, canoe racing, and weightlifting language instead. In KA HUA OLELO "ALOHA", a guest challenges a familiar explanation of aloha and connects the word to wider Polynesian language relationships. In DR. Keao NeSmith & HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE, the concern widens to authenticity, new coinages, native speakers, classroom habits, and critical thinking. The show can be warm, but it is not soft about language choices. It is comfortable saying that some popular forms do not reflect how native speakers speak among themselves. It also leaves room for ordinary talk, play, and imperfect understanding. PAANI MINECRAFT shows another side of the project: Hawaiian used around a contemporary game, not sealed off as heritage material. Across the digest, Ka Alala keeps returning to learning as an ongoing posture. The speaker in HOOMANAWANUI stresses patience, persistence, and remaining a student. That makes the show feel less like a lesson series and more like a living language space. It suits a listener prepared to hear Hawaiian at length, follow context, and accept that translation will not always rescue the meaning immediately.
Made for: Suits a listener who wants Hawaiian language exposure alongside serious reflection on word choice, translation, and authentic usage. It especially fits someone comfortable with episodes that may move between English explanation and extended Hawaiian speech.
What sets it apart: Ka Alala stands apart by treating Hawaiian as a living speech world rather than a list of English equivalents. Its recent episodes combine immersion, critique of invented terms, and attention to native-speaker usage without losing everyday playfulness.
In their own words
This podcast is completely in olelo Hawaii(Hawaiian language). It is for both learners and fluent speakers of the language. Sometimes I have guests and sometimes it’s just me. At any rate, there is something for everyone here. Ke ola nei ka olelo Hawaii!
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Episodes
- 1
PAANI MINECRAFT
A Hawaiian language podcast featuring storytelling and discussions for learners and fluent speakers.
Feb 3, 2025·29m - 2
DR. Keao NeSmith & HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE
Hidden gemKa Alala's conversation with Dr.
Jun 3, 2024·38m·2 clips - 3
KA LAAU KAHEA
Sep 4, 2023·34m - 4
KA HUA OLELO “ALOHA”
Hidden gemKa Alala's 'KA HUA OLELO ALOHA' centers on Dr.
Jun 28, 2023·43m·3 clips - 5
PAANI ME HAUKI
Jun 15, 2023·26m - 6
MAI HOOHAUMIA I KA OLELO
May 25, 2023·24m - 7
HOOMANAWANUI
Apr 6, 2023·22m - 8
HE HALE OLELO HAWAII
The speaker describes learning Hawaiian through family, school, and children teaching one another.
Feb 17, 2023·32m·2 clips - 9
KA INOA HAWAII
Feb 8, 2023·20m - 10
KA OLELO KANAKA
Returning to Hawaiian requires listening to elders, practicing speech, and bringing the language back into family life.
Jan 20, 2023·55m·2 clips - 11
KA MAKAHIKI HOU
Jan 10, 2023·22m - 12
KA HOOPONOPONO
Hoʻoponopono addresses family conflict by bringing hidden problems into the open instead of leaving them unresolved.
Dec 9, 2022·26m·1 clip - 13
HAWAII I KE AU KAHIKO
Nov 21, 2022·24m - 14
HE MAU MOOLELO NO KO’U OLA
Nov 10, 2022·22m - 15
AUHEA OE E KO’U HOA WALAAU
Oct 25, 2022·22m - 16
KA WAI A ME KA WAI-HOOLUU
Sep 26, 2022·24m - 17
KA MEA AI NUI A KA HAWAII
Sep 16, 2022·21m - 18
KA WA WALAAU
Sep 8, 2022·25m - 19
AI PONO
Aug 4, 2022·22m - 20
KA HOOULU LAHUI
Jul 9, 2022·22m - 21
KA OLELO KUPUNA
Jul 1, 2022·21m - 22
KA HUAKAI I KAUAI
Jun 22, 2022·23m - 23
E AO IA KE KEIKI I KA PONO A ME KA HEWA
Jun 7, 2022·23m - 24
KA HOPOHOPO
May 23, 2022·23m - 25
KA HANA INO
May 7, 2022·24m - 26
KA HOOMANA KALIKIANO ME KA HOOMANA KAHIKO
Apr 30, 2022·26m - 27
KA IMI ANA I KA HAUOLI
Apr 26, 2022·25m - 28
NO KE KAUMAHA
Apr 17, 2022·23m - 29
NO KA MOLOA
Apr 9, 2022·20m - 30
KE KUAI ANA I HALE
Apr 1, 2022·21m - 31
KA PALE IHU MA HAWAII NEI
Mar 19, 2022·14m - 32
#19 KAMUELA GESTRICH
Nov 1, 2021·1h 6m - 33
#18 KALAOKANANIKIEKIE OKAMURA
Oct 25, 2021·59m - 34
#17 KAPELA WONG
Oct 18, 2021·1h 7m - 35
#16 NA HUA OLELO HAOLE
Oct 11, 2021·17m - 36
#15 KAWAILEHUA HAMBERG
Oct 4, 2021·1h 1m - 37
#14 MIKI COOK
Sep 27, 2021·58m - 38
#13 LAIANA WONG
Sep 20, 2021·1h 6m - 39
#12 KALEO + KAWAILANA
Sep 13, 2021·53m - 40
#11 BEAU MAKANA SHISHIDO
Sep 6, 2021·1h 16m - 41
#10 TUTI KANAHELE
Aug 30, 2021·1h 18m - 42
#9 MAKANA GARMA
Aug 23, 2021·1h 16m - 43
#8 KEAO NESMITH
Aug 16, 2021·1h 8m - 44
#7 LIV HIILEIALOHA KIMOKEO TAYLOR
Aug 9, 2021·26m - 45
#6 PUA KAMA: HANAIAULU
A podcast entirely in Hawaiian aimed at both learners and fluent speakers, featuring solo episodes and guest interviews.
Aug 2, 2021·35m - 46
#5 EMILY STATES A ME KAULUMAIKA
A Hawaiian language podcast where the host and guests practice basic introductions and share where they are from.
Jul 27, 2021·45m - 47
#4 HE WAIWAI KO KA OLELO?
Jul 19, 2021·25m - 48
#3 NO KA OIHANA MAKAI
A podcast entirely in the Hawaiian language aimed at learners and fluent speakers, featuring discussions and cultural content.
Jul 13, 2021·25m - 49
#2 SPOKEN HAWAIIAN
Jul 5, 2021·12m - 50
#1 NO KA HOOMAKA ANA E AO MAI I KA OLELO HAWAII
Jun 26, 2021·21m