Learning ‘Ōlelo: nīele

nīele

(NEE-el-leh) (nvs) Nosey, to keep asking questions, busybody, curious in a rude way.

Example

After a summer spent avoiding our nīele questions about his lack of girlfriends and shepherding multi-bus stop excursions to the Honolulu Zoo, he’s counting the hours until he’s back at college and away from small town Lauele. ~ One Boy, No Water

Note: ‘Ōlelo is a Hawaiian word meaning language, speech, word, etc.  To see the current list of Hawaiian and Pidgin words, definitions, and usage please click on

Pidgin Dictionary