Telling Time

TELLING TIME

Educational Resources In Support Of Hawaiian Language Revitalization

Telling Time

In pre-contact times, the Hawaiian calendar had 12, 30-day months stretching from full-moon to full-moon. Each month was divided into 3, 10-day periods called Anahulu. The new year began in what, today, would be late November when the constellation Pleiades (Makaliʻi) rose on the horizon at sunset. Some words related to time include:

Pō - a 24-hour period (often translated "day" and also referring to the nighttime)

Lā - the word for "day"

Wā - Any period of time, often used to refer to things like childhood (wā ʻopio)

Manawa - Time, Season

Au - Age, Era, Epoch. An extended, vast period of time

Makahiki - Year

Mahina - Month

Anahulu - 10-day period, 3 per month


Each day of the 30-day month was named based on the name of the moon phase. There werenʻt "24 hours in a day" but, rather, the day was divided into periods based on the rising and setting of the sun. The words for these periods are shown here:

Time On A Clock

Questions

ʻO ka hola ʻehia kēia? - What time is it?

E hele ana kāua i ka pāka i ka hola ʻehia? - We are going to go to the park at what time?

Aia ka pāʻina ka hola ʻehia? - The dinner party is at what time?


Time On The Hour

[at:] i ka hola <number 1-12>

AM/PM is specified by adding the day division reference: kakahiaka, awakea, ʻauinalā, ahiahi, pō

The hour is an O-Class possession of the day division as in:

ʻAi mākou i ka ʻaina ahiahi i ka holo ʻeono o ke ahiahi - Weʻll eat dinner at 6:00pm

("ka holo ʻeono o ke ahiahi" --> the hour six of the evening)

[It is:] ‘O ka hola ‘umikūmālua kēia – It is now twelve oʻclock



[It is:] ʻO ka hola ʻumi kēia o ke kakahiaka – Itʻs ten oʻclock in the morning


On the Half-Hour:

[at:] i ka hapalua hola <number 1-12>

ʻO ka hapalua hola ʻelua kēia – Itʻs half-past two

ʻO ka hapalua hola ʻeono kēia o ke ahiahi – Itʻs 6:30 in the evening

At Quarter Past the Hour:

 [at:] i ka hapahā hola <the hour that just passed 1-12>

[It is:] ʻO ka hapahā i hala ka hola ʻelua – 2:15

At Quarter Until the Hour:

[at:] i ka hapahā i koe kani ka hola <the hour that comes next 1-12>

[It is:] ʻO ka hapahā i koe kani ka hola ʻumi – 9:45

Minutes 0-29 (excluding Quarter Past):

[at:] i ka <minutes past> minuke i hala ka hola <current hour>

[It is:] ʻO ka iwakālua minuke i hala ka hola ʻehā – 4:20

Minutes 30 – 59 (excluding Quarter ʻTill)

[at:] i ka <minutes BEFORE NEXT hour> minuke i koe kani ka hola <NEXT hour>

[It is:] ʻO ka ʻumi minuke i koe kani ka hola ʻelima – 4:50


Note that specifying time in the 2nd half hour with reference to the number of minutes BEFORE the NEXT hour is the traditional method, people today may be heard to simply say, "ʻO ka kana lima minuke i hala ka hola ʻehā", saying "fifty minutes after" rather than "ten minutes before".

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