Word of the Day · Archive
The Hawaiian word for October 22, 2026
Archive · October 22, 2026
ALAKAʻI
say it: ah-lah-KAH-ee
To lead, guide, or direct; a leader or guide: alakaʻi hula, a hula leader.
What it means
Alakaʻi is both a verb and a noun. As a verb it means to lead, guide, or direct. As a noun it names the one who does that: a leader, guide, conductor, head, or director. The Pukui-Elbert entry lists it just that plainly.
The word shows up wherever people gather around a shared task. An alakaʻi hīmeni or alakaʻi mele is a song leader, an alakaʻi hula is a hula leader, and an alakaʻi pāna is a band leader. It even stretches to modern life: alakaʻi hoʻopaipai is a cheerleader.
Say it with the stress on the third syllable, and let the ʻokina give the last vowel its own beat: ah-lah-KAH-ee.
How to use it
Every phrase below is documented in the Pukui-Elbert or Māmaka Kaiao entry for alakaʻi on Wehewehe Wikiwiki.
Alakaʻi hula
“Hula leader” — the one who guides a hula group.
Alakaʻi hīmeni, alakaʻi mele
“Song leader” — the one who leads the singing.
Kumu alakaʻi
“Leading teacher” — an exemplary teacher, a pattern or model.
Puke alakaʻi
“Guide book” — a teacher’s guide or manual (Māmaka Kaiao).
Why this word matters
Yesterday the word was mālamalama, light and understanding. Today, a Thursday (Pōʻahā), we turn to the person who carries that light ahead of the rest: the alakaʻi.
To lead is to guide, and to guide is to walk the path first.
The compounds tell the story. A leader in Hawaiian life is not only a boss or a head. The alakaʻi hula and the alakaʻi hīmeni lead a group in something done together, and the group follows because the leader knows the way. The kumu alakaʻi, the teacher who is also a model, shows that leading and teaching are close kin.
The word is also written on the land. Alakaʻi is the name of a swamp and trail in the Waimea district of Kauaʻi, which Place Names of Hawaiʻi glosses as “to lead.” Anyone who has followed a trail guide through unfamiliar country knows why the name fits.
At Digital Piko, we think of a word like this as an invitation. Today, notice who guides you, and where you might be asked to lead someone else a little farther down the path.
Sources
Alakaʻi — to lead, guide, or direct; leader, guide, conductor, head, or director; alakaʻi hula, alakaʻi hīmeni, alakaʻi mele, alakaʻi pāna, alakaʻi hoʻopaipai, and kumu alakaʻi — are from the Pukui-Elbert dictionary (1986) entry on Wehewehe Wikiwiki (wehe.hilo.hawaii.edu). Puke alakaʻi is from Māmaka Kaiao (2003+), and the Kauaʻi swamp and trail from Place Names of Hawaiʻi (1974), both on the same site. Pōʻahā, Thursday, is standard Hawaiian usage.