Nicholas · English boy’s name

Nicholas in Hawaiian is Nikolao

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

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nee·koh·LOW

The gold syllable takes the stress.

What is Nicholas in Hawaiian?

Nicholas is Nikolao in Hawaiian, said nee-koh-LOW.

How Nicholas became Nikolao

Hawaiian is written with thirteen letters, so in Nicholas C became K, S 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 Nikolao

Say it nee-koh-LOW, leaning on LOW, sounding every vowel: i as “ee”, o as in “go”, 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 Nicholas in Hawaiian?

Nicholas is Nikolao in Hawaiian, pronounced nee-koh-LOW. It is the form used in Hawaiian-language records since the 1800s.

How do you pronounce Nikolao?

nee-koh-LOW, with the stress on LOW.

Why does Nikolao look so different from Nicholas?

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

Is Nikolao a real Hawaiian name?

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

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