Nathan · English boy’s name

Nathan in Hawaiian is Nakana

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

Translate another name

Say it

nah·KAH·nah

The gold syllable takes the stress.

What is Nathan in Hawaiian?

Nathan is Nakana in Hawaiian, said nah-KAH-nah.

How Nathan became Nakana

Hawaiian is written with thirteen letters, so in Nathan T became K, 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 Nakana

Say it nah-KAH-nah, leaning on KAH, sounding every vowel: a as in “father”. 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 Nathan in Hawaiian?

Nathan is Nakana in Hawaiian, pronounced nah-KAH-nah. It is the form used in Hawaiian-language records since the 1800s.

How do you pronounce Nakana?

nah-KAH-nah, with the stress on KAH.

Why does Nakana look so different from Nathan?

Each sound Hawaiian lacks was swapped for the nearest one it has. In Nathan, T became K, a vowel was slipped between the consonants that ran together, and a vowel was added at the end.

Is Nakana a real Hawaiian name?

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

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