What does Kanaiʻa mean in Hawaiian?
Kanaiʻa is a Hawaiian unisex name that means the dolphin. The name comes from ka (the) + naiʻa (dolphin). It is pronounced kah-NYE-ah, with 3 syllables. The stressed syllable is written in capitals.
A modern combination of common Hawaiian name elements rather than a traditional name.
Kanaiʻa belongs with other Hawaiian names about ocean.
How to pronounce Kanaiʻa
Say every vowel. A as in “father”, e as in “bet”, i as “ee”, o as in “go”, u as “oo”. The ʻokina (ʻ) in Kanaiʻa is a short pause, like the break in “uh-oh”. See the full Hawaiian pronunciation guide.
Is Kanaiʻa a boy or girl name?
Kanaiʻa is a unisex Hawaiian name. In Hawaiian tradition most names were given without regard to gender, and Kanaiʻa is still used for both boys and girls.