What does kai mean in Hawaiian?
Kai is the sea, the salt water that surrounds every island, as opposed to wai, which is fresh water. It also names the direction toward the sea (makai) and the tide. Kai stands alone as a popular unisex name and combines freely: Kailani is sea and sky, Kaimana is diamond (from the English word), Kainoa is the free sea, and Kaikoa is the brave sea.
Say it KYE. Every vowel is pronounced, and the capitalized syllable takes the stress. The pronunciation guide covers the rules.
On this site kai is part of 12 names: 6 begin with it, 4 end with it, and 2 carry it elsewhere. Most are boy names, and all of them sit in the group of Hawaiian names meaning ocean.