How to pronounce humuhumunukunukuapua'a....

The Hawaiian name for a couple of well known triggerfish is humuhumunukunukuapua'a. People love to mispronounce it, as it's easy to do. Here's my best shot at sounding it out...

who moo who moo new coo new coo ah poo ah ah

Now say it real fast and you'll impress your friends.

This particular fish pictured above happens to be called a humuhumu lei (also called a Whiteline Triggerfish- Sufflamen bursa). Hawaiian names for triggers are usually humuhumu followed by a descriptive section. Leis happen to the be the floral garlands you wear around your neck here, so I'm not exactly sure how the description fits on this fish unless the vertical bars behind the head are thought to resemble a lei. The Humuhumunukunukuapua'a, shown earlier in the month (could be lower on this page or you may have to check in the archives for April/March) aptly translates into "trigger fish with a nose like a pig" humuhumu - triggerfish ; nukunuku - nose ; pua'a - pig

Aloha,

Steve