Hawaiian Fish Name Translations

These are the English names of the more commonly encountered nearshore fish we’ve mentioned on this website. We’ll continue to update this list as needed.

• aha – houndfish or needlefish. Viewed as a pest because it scratches up baits and lures.
• ahi – Yellowfin tuna or bluefin tuna over 100lb. Under 100lb it’s called “shibi”.
• aholehole – Hawaiian flagtail. A flat, silver sided fish that grow up in brackish estuaries and lives in reef crevasses as an adult.
• aku – Skipjack tuna.
• akule – Bigeye scad. In the mackeral family. Grown version of halalu.
• ‘ala’ihi – Various squirrelfish.
• ‘ama’ama – Native Hawaiian striped mullet.
• awa – Milkfish. Herbivore sometimes confused with the smaller awa aua.
• awa aua / awa awa – Hawaiian ladyfish.
• aweoweo – Bigeye. Has big eyes because it’s a nocturnal fish. One of the “red fish”, along with menpachi.
• halalu – Juvenile bigeye scad.
• hinalea – The lowly wrasse family, known for being slimy and easily caught. Most aren’t very tasty but the nabeta (Japanese name) is part of this family of fish.
• kahala – Greater amberjack.
• kagami papio/ulua – African pompano. Has a flat, shiny body that resembles a mirror. “Kagami” is Japanese for mirror. Considered a rare, delicious catch.
• kala – Bluespine unicornfish.
• kaku – Great barracuda. Stinky, toothy fish that is actually pretty tasty.
• kawakawa – Mackeral tuna.
• kawelea – Heller’s barracuda (deeper water version). Milder tasting than kaku.
• kole – Gold ring surgeonfish. Prized for how it tastes fried/grilled, but has been implicated in ciquatera poisoning episodes.
• kumu – Whitesaddle goatfish. Considered the best eating for all the goatfish, followed closely by moana kali.
• laenihi – Peacock wrasse, razor fish, more commonly referred to the Japanese name “nabeta’. Arguably the best eating nearshore fish. Fried whole with scales on to a golden brown.
• lai – Leatherback. Makes great sashimi and the dried skin can be used in lures.
• mahi mahi – Dolphinfish, dorado.
• manini – Convict tang.
• mamo – Hawaiian sergeant.
• menpachi –
• moana – Manybar goatfish.
• moana kali – Blue goatfish. Very beautiful and delicious to steam fish. Now it’s more common that the highly prized, easier to catch, kumu.
• moi – Pacific threadfin. One of the best fish to steam. Was reserved for Hawaiian royalty.
• mu – Bigeye emperor, a type of snapper with human-like molars.
• munu – Island goatfish. A stouter goatfish, ranked in the top 4 of best eating.
• nohu – Scorpionfish. Has deadly spines but is good eating.
• nunu – Trumpetfish.
• oama – Juvenile goatfish. Oama bring the nearshore predators into the shallows, within reach of anglers.
• oio – Bonefish.
• omilu – Bluefin trevally. Most common papio.
• opelu – Mackeral scad. Everything in the deep eats this fish.
• opelu kala – Sleek unicornfish that lacks the horn.
• palani – Eyestripe surgeonfish.
• pananu / ponuhunuhu – Star eyed parrotfish.
• pao’o pa’o – Golden trevally.
• papio – Juvenile (under 10 lbs) in the trevally family.
• poo’paa – Stocky hawkfish. Nicknamed “rock fish” because it perches on rocks and waits for food to pass by.
• puhi – Various moray eels.
• roi – Peacock grouper. Invasive. Implicated in ciquatera poisoning episodes.
• shibi – yellowfin tuna or bluefin tuna under 100lb.
• taape – Blue-lined snapper. Invasive.
• toau – Blacktail snapper. Invasive.
• uhu – Parrotfish.
• uku – Gray snapper, blue green jobfish. Tastes similar to opakapaka, maybe a touch fishier, because it lives in shallower water.
• ulua – Jack fish over 10 lbs. Usually ulua are mature giant trevally since that’s the largest of the related species.
• uouoa – Native mullet, smaller than ‘ama’ama and not striped.
• u’u – Soldierfish. Also called menpachi.
• weke – The common “white weke” or square spot goatfish. Most oama seen are of this type.
• weke nono / weke moelua – Pflueger’s goatfish. The bigger, striped, deeper water red weke.
• weke ula – Literally means red goatfish. This is the shallow water weke that looks like the “white” weke but is nocturnal and can turn reddish. It is a little thicker than the white weke but doesn’t seem to get as long.
• white papio – Juvenile giant trevally under 10 lbs.