Brian · English boy’s name

Brian in Hawaiian is Palaina

The form Hawaiian speakers have written since the 1800s, when B became P, R became L, a vowel was slipped between the consonants that ran together, and a vowel was added at the end.

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pah·LYE·nah

The gold syllable takes the stress.

What is Brian in Hawaiian?

Brian is Palaina in Hawaiian, said pah-LYE-nah.

How Brian became Palaina

Hawaiian is written with thirteen letters, so in Brian B became P, R became L, a vowel was slipped between the consonants that ran together, and a vowel was added at the end. Hawaiian does not run two consonants together, and every syllable ends on a vowel. A Hawaiian word cannot finish on a consonant, which is where the last vowel comes from.

How to say Palaina

Say it pah-LYE-nah, leaning on LYE, sounding every vowel: a as in “father”, i as “ee”. The pronunciation guide covers the whole system.

Sources the Pukui and Elbert Hawaiian Dictionary, Place Names of Hawaii, Nānā i ke Kumu, wehewehe.org, Wiktionary's Hawaiian given names and U.S. Social Security baby-name records. How this site is compiled · Send a correction

Questions people ask

What is Brian in Hawaiian?

Brian is Palaina in Hawaiian, pronounced pah-LYE-nah. It is the form used in Hawaiian-language records since the 1800s.

How do you pronounce Palaina?

pah-LYE-nah, with the stress on LYE.

Why does Palaina look so different from Brian?

Each sound Hawaiian lacks was swapped for the nearest one it has. In Brian, B became P, R became L, a vowel was slipped between the consonants that ran together, and a vowel was added at the end.

Is Palaina a real Hawaiian name?

Yes, as a borrowed name. Hawaiian families have used Palaina since the 1800s, but it is Brian respelled, not a name built from Hawaiian words.

All 164 English names in Hawaiian · Hawaiian boy's names