Kapingamarangi English

n. dussumieri tang

Scientific name: Acanthurus dussumieri,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. hound needlefish

Scientific name: Tylosurus crocodilus,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. keeltail needlefish

Scientific name: Platybelone platyura,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. shell without hermit crab

n. skipjack tuna

Scientific name: Katsuwonus pelamis,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. large clam

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. bicolor parrotfish

Scientific name: Cetoscarus bicolor

n. black-spot tang

Scientific name: Acanthurus bariene,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. mollusk sp.

Scientific name: Atactodea sp.,
Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. small clam

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. fish sp.; eel variety

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. parrotfish species

Scientific name: Scarus sp.,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. brown marbled grouper

Scientific name: Epinephelus fuscoguttatus,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

noun shell

Example: Photo by NOAA Photo Library October 25, 2010 via Flickr License: CC BY 2.0

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. long branching shell (long and pointy)

n. violet squirrel fish

Example: Photo by Paul Asman and Jill Lenoble May 26, 2011 via Flickr License: CC BY 2.0

Scientific name: Holocentrus violaceus,
Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. red snapper

Example: Photo by Florida Fish and Wildlife Center April 3, 2012 via Flickr License: CC BY-ND 2.0

Scientific name: Lutjanus vaigiensis,
Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. shark sucker

Example: Photo by NOAA Photo Library September 12, 2013 via Flickr License: CC BY 2.0

Scientific name: Echeneis naucrates,
Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. land crab

Example: Juvenile Strawberry Land Hermit Crab. Photo by warrenski November 23, 2011 via Flickr License: CC BY-SA 2.0

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

inky secretion of squid

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. bigeye trevally

Scientific name: Caranx sexfasciatus,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. sea cucumber

Example: Photo by NOAA Photo Library September 6, 2013 via Flickr License: CC BY 2.0

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. ghost crab

Example: Photo by beautifulcataya May 1, 2005 via Flickr License: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Scientific name: Ocypodinae sp.,
Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. Hawksbill sea turtle

Scientific name: Eretmochelys imbricata,
Speaker: Lieber, Michael D. and Kalio H. Dikepa. 1974.

fish innards

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. Vlaming’s unicorn fish

Scientific name: Cyphomycter vlamingi,
Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. bluespine unicornfish; whitemargin unicornfish

Scientific name: Naso unicornis; Naso annulatus,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. zebra striped sturgeon fish

Example: Photo by Cliff July 20, 2008 via Flickr License: CC BY 2.0

Scientific name: Zebrasoma veliferum,
Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. sailfin tang

Scientific name: Zebrasoma veliferum,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. rainbow runner

Scientific name: Elagatis bipinnulatus,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

school of red snapper

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

school of sea bass

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

fish name (used only in compounds)

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. blue marlin

Scientific name: Makaira nigricans,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. stingray in general. round ribbontail ray; blue spotted ray

Scientific name: Taeniura melanospilos; Dasyatis kuhlii,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. manta ray

Scientific name: Manta alfredi

n. blacktip reef shark

Scientific name: Carcharhinus melanopterus,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. tail, turtle tail

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. orangespine unicornfish

Scientific name: Naso lituratus

n. picasso triggerfish; orange striped triggerfish

Scientific name: Rhinecanthus aculeatus; Balistapus undulatus

n. whitespotted filefish; honeycomb filefish

Scientific name: Cantherhines dumerilii; Cantherhines pardalis,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. undulate triggerfish

Example: Photo by zsispeo February 10, 2013 via Flickr License: CC BY-SA 2.0

Scientific name: Balistapus undulatus,
Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. cane toad

Scientific name: Rhinella marina,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. sponge

n. snail or slug in shell

n. eel species (many species)

Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. octopus ink

n. painted sweetlips

Scientific name: Plectorhinchus picus,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. halfbeaks

Scientific name: Hemiramphus sp.

n. olive-scribbled wrasse

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. wrasse species

n. yellowtail coris

Scientific name: Coris gaimard

n. pale-lipped surgeonfish; whitespotted surgeonfish; ringtail surgeonfish; Achilles tang

Scientific name: Acanthurus leucocheilus; Acanthurus guttatus; Acanthurus blochii; Acanthurus achilles,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. coral grouper

Scientific name: Plectropomus leopardus,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. spinecheek species

Scientific name: Scolopsis sp.,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. shark

Example: Photo by c.lathe. July 6, 2008 via Flickr License: CC BY-SA 2.0

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. starfish

Example: Photo by NOAA Photo Library September 24, 2010 via Flickr License: CC BY 2.0

Scientific name: Asteroidea sp.,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. crowned squirrelfish; samurai squirrelfish; smallmouth squirrelfish

Scientific name: Sargocentron diadema; Sargocentron ittodai; Sargocentron microstoma,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. speckled squirrelfish; violet squirrelfish; silverspot squirrelfish

Scientific name: Sargocentron punctatissimum; Sargocentron violaceum; Sargocentron caudimaculatum,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. fusilier species

Scientific name: Pterocaesio sp.,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. goatfish species

Scientific name: Mullidae sp.

n. humphead parrotfish

Scientific name: Bolbometopon muricatum

n. zebra or leopard shark

Scientific name: Stegastoma varium,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. crocodile

Example: Photo by PG Palmer October 16, 2004 via Flickr License: CC BY-SA 2.0

Speaker: Hawortson Heinrich

n. sweeperfish and sea chub species

Scientific name: Kyphosus sp.,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. grouper species

Scientific name: Epinephelus sp.,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. speckled blue grouper; greasy grouper

Scientific name: Epinephelus cyanopodus; Epinephelus tauvina,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. longnosed emperor

Scientific name: Lethrinus olivaceus

n. squid and cuttlefish

n. group of fish

n. scorpionfish species

Example: Photo by Coby Bidwell August 1, 2013 via Flickr License: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

n. sushi

n. sabre squirrelfish; blue-lined squirrelfish

Scientific name: Sargocentron spiniferum; Sargocentron tiere,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. blackspot snapper

Scientific name: Lutjanus ehrenbergi,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. sammara squirrelfish

Scientific name: Neoniphon sammara,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. bluegill longfin

Scientific name: Plesiops corallicola,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. slipper lobster species

Scientific name: Scyllaridae sp.

n. humpback red snapper

Scientific name: Lutjanus gibbus,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. blue boxfish

Scientific name: Ostracion meleagris

n. black jack

Scientific name: Caranx lugubris,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. shrimp

n. black-banded snapper

Scientific name: Lutjanus semicinctus,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. one spot snapper

Scientific name: Lutjanus monostigma,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. double lined mackerel

Scientific name: Grammatorcynos bilineatus,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

flying fish

Scientific name: Cypselurus sp.,
Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974, Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. red-breasted wrasse

Scientific name: Cheilinus fasciatus,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. shell without hermit crab

n. saddleback coral grouper

Scientific name: Plectropomus laevis,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. non-spiny urchins

n. surge wrasse; christmas wrasse

Scientific name: Thalassoma purpureum; Thalassoma trilobatum,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. green jobfish, also known as slender snapper

Scientific name: Aprion virescens,
Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974, Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. blue and gold fusilier

Scientific name: Caesio caerulaurea,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. clawed lobster species

Scientific name: Nephropidae sp.,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. white trevally

Scientific name: Pseudocaranx dentex,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. scale of a fish

Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. scutes of a turtle

n. mollusk sp.

Scientific name: Nerita picea,
Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974,

n. mahi mahi or common dolphinfish

Scientific name: Coryphaena hippurus

n. coconut crab

Example: Photo by Drew Avery February 18, 2007 via Flickr License: CC BY 2.0

Scientific name: Birgus latro,
Source: Lieber & Dikepa 1974, Speaker: Howartson Heinrich

n. dogfish tuna

Scientific name: Gymnosarda unicolor,
Speaker: Howartson Heinrich