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Ba T’ien Ma Day—“Father Sky Mother Earth”; Ba Tiān Ma Di in Mandarin

big family—everybody, tout le monde

bow—bun, sweet or savory

casita—little house

daw jeah; daw jay; dough zheh—“many thanks,” in various dialects

deem—to judge, to ransom (in English); to mark, to consider (in Chinese)

dui—agree, match, aligned, paired

enow—enough

A Book of Verses underneath the Bough,

A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread,—and Thou

Beside me singing in the Wilderness—

Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow!

—OMAR KHAYYAM

enso—circle, symbolizing the moment, the all, enlightenment, emptiness

este grupo, ese grupo—this group, that group

fawn—play

fawn (different ideogram from above)—cooked rice

feng shui—wind water

fu—human, bitter, tiger, pants, wolf’s bane, or father, depending on tone

fu ngoy—fermented tofu

gaw—elder brother

goak goong—bow, obeisance (literally: nourish, cherish grandfather)

goong—grandfather

hai—yes

haole—white person; formerly, any foreigner

hapa—person of mixed blood; fraction

ho—good, very; hao in Mandarin

ho chau—very mean, most unkind

ho chun—very related

ho kin—good seeing you; well met

hola; ho, la—hello; good

ho’ohaole—to act like a white person

ho sun—good morning, good body, strongly believe, or good letter, depending on tones and context

huang dai—king (literally: yellow emperor)

hui—club, organization, association, society, band, team, troupe, league, firm, union, company, alliance

hun—regret, yearn, longing, hungry for

inmigrante—immigrant

jawk—capture

jeah jeah; je je; jeh jeh—“thanks thanks,” in various dialects

je je nay; je je nee—“thank you,” in various dialects

jing ho—to make good, to fix

joong—tamale, but wrapped with ti or banana or bamboo leaves rather than corn husks

joy kin; joy keen—au revoir, auf Wiedersehen; “zaijian,” in village dialects

kuleana—responsibility, right, business, property, province, privilege, authority

kuleana hana—responsibilities on the job

kung—work, achievement; the time it takes in doing a piece of work

la; lah; law—a pleasant sound made at the end of a sentence

La Dona Guerrera—the Woman Warrior

la inmigración—immigration

lai—come

lan—orchid

las madres y las comadres—the mothers and godmothers

lei see—red packet of money (literally: come be), traditionally spelled lai see

lei see dai gut—gift of big luck, traditionally spelled lai see dai gut

li—tradition, rites, good manners:

Li is the acting out of veneration and love, not only for parents, for one’s sovereign, for one’s people, but also for “Heaven-and-earth.” … One learns by Li to take one’s place gratefully in the cosmos and in history.

—THOMAS MERTON

liang—pretty

lick—strength

loon—chaos

los derechos de criadas—the rights of maids

lu—road

mai—rice that is growing (rice that is cooked is “fawn”)

mai’a mālei—fish guardian from Makapu’u to Hanauma on O’ahu; “malei” for short

mele—song, anthem, chant, poem, poetry

mew; mow—“cat,” in various dialects

mew (different ideogram from above)—temple

mien—face

minamina—regret a loss

ming—bright

mm—no, not

mo—a sound at the end of a sentence signifying a question

moy—younger sister, plum

ngum cha—drink tea

Nosotros no cruzamos la frontera; la frontera nos cruza.—“We do not cross the border; the border crosses us.” (A slogan of the immigrants’ rights movement)

paniolo—cowboy (after España, Spain)

Pásame la botella.—“Pass me the bottle.”

pila ho’okani—instrumental music

po—grandmother

sammosa—forgetfulness; loss of awareness

sangha—the sacred community that lives in peace and harmony

Say Yup—language spoken in Four Districts, Guangzhou

seh doc—to bear; to afford; to be able to withstand

sing dawn fai lock—“Happy New Year” in Chinese (literally: holy birthday happiness joy)

sipapu—a small hole in the floor of the kiva symbolizing the portal through which the ancestors came

su doc—think virtue

suey yeah—midnight snack

sun—morning, body, believe, letter

tet nguyen dâ—“Happy New Year” in Vietnamese (literally: feast of the first morning)

thala—ultimate star

ting—pavilion, sacred vessel, stop,