What does Kīnaʻu mean?
Kīnaʻu is a Hawaiian girl name that means a high chiefess and kuhina nui (regent) of Hawaiʻi. The name comes from chiefly name. It is pronounced kee-NAH-oo, with 2 syllables. The stressed syllable is written in capitals.
Kīnaʻu belongs with other Hawaiian names about royalty.
How to pronounce Kīnaʻu
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 Kīnaʻu is a short pause, like the break in “uh-oh”. A vowel with a line over it (kahakō) is held slightly longer. See the full Hawaiian pronunciation guide.
Is Kīnaʻu a boy or girl name?
Kīnaʻu is used mainly as a girl's name. Like most Hawaiian names it has no grammatical gender, so it can be given to any child, but modern usage leans feminine.