Niihau dialect

Niʻihau Dialect
Olelo Matuahine
Native toHawaiʻi
RegionNiʻihau, Kauaʻi
EthnicityHawaiians
Native speakers
(500 cited 1995)[1]
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3
The dialect is native to Niʻihau (dark red) and a significant Niʻihau diaspora lives on Kauaʻi (light red).

Niʻihau dialect (Standard Hawaiian: ʻŌlelo Niʻihau, Niʻihau: Olelo Matuahine, lit.'mother tongue') is a dialect of the Hawaiian language spoken on the island of Niʻihau, more specifically in its only settlement Puʻuwai, and on the island of Kauaʻi, specifically near Kekaha, where descendants of families from Niʻihau now live. Today, the Niʻihau dialect is taught in Ke Kula Niihau O Kekaha.

  1. ^ Hawaiian at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon