This 13-part video series brings ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi to life through interactive, joy-filled lessons. Follow a group of friends as they learn and teach one another Hawaiian during real-world outings and field trips around Hawaiʻi.

From driving through Waikīkī and learning about streets named after aliʻi, to visiting Nā Mea Hawaiʻi, making lei, and paddling canoes, each episode grounds language in lived experience. Special musical guests—including Manu Boyd, Robert Cazimero, and Kama Hopkins—share mele and reflect on the importance of learning and sustaining ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

*Click the images for the links.

Produced by Kamehameha Schools and the state Education Department in the mid-1990s, Kulāiwi has been a staple for learning the Hawaiian language for decades. There are 24 video lessons, each about an hour long, and the first 12 come with downloadable workbooks.

‘Ekela Kanī‘aupi‘o Crozier, a Hawaiian studies resource teacher, is an entertaining, friendly and interactive host and kumu. She takes us through slides that teach us proper pronunciations and meanings of familiar words—like streets named after ali‘i—and then we follow along as a tūtū and her mo‘opuna (grandchildren) use those words and phrases in context.