On Tuesday, the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation put out a call to residents across the islands, asking for help giving state road signs a long overdue Hawaiian language tune-up. The agency is working on a statewide push to add Hawaiian diacritical marks - the ʻokina and kahakō - to state highway and street signs in order to correct misspellings, make pronunciation clearer, and bring official signage in line with ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. HDOT has already compiled a master list of state street names and opened it for public review this month.
Join Hawai'i DOT's initiative to add Hawaiian diacritical markings to our street name signs. Click this link to share your mana'o! https://t.co/J22cE9C8Y2 https://t.co/SyzxhOovHC
— Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation (@DOTHawaii) March 10, 2026
What HDOT Is Asking
According to the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation’s highways page, the agency has built a state street-name master list that cleans up spelling errors and adds kahakō and ʻokina where they should appear. The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation says the list will stay open for public comment, and that corrected spellings will be phased in over time as signs are repaired or replaced. HDOT describes the effort as part of its broader support for ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi following Mahina ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian language month).
How Many Names Would Change
Maui Now reports that the master list covers roughly 2,000 streets under state control, and that more than half of them may need added diacritical marks to match proper Hawaiian spelling and pronunciation. HDOT Director Ed Sniffen pointed out that even though fluent speakers can often read words without the marks, "for the vast majority of us who are not expert ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi speakers, seeing words written with ʻokina and kahakō instructs us on proper pronunciation and meaning," as reported by Hawaii News Now. Maui Now also highlights several state streets HDOT has flagged for review, including entries tied to Honoapiʻilani Highway and Kehalani Parkway.
Where the Policy Came From
This latest project builds on an HDOT policy first announced in March 2022 that requires kahakō and ʻokina on all new and replacement highway signs. At the time, the Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation framed the change as a small but lasting step to support and revitalize ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, and the department has since been developing its master list for public consultation.
Broader Language Push
The sign updates are just one piece of a larger statewide effort to restore accurate Hawaiian spelling. The Hawaiʻi Board on Geographic Names has been revising official place names to add ʻokina and kahakō, while the Legislature has taken action to include diacritical marks in state materials. Together, these moves are part of a multi-year push to standardize Hawaiian orthography across government records and public signage, according to the Hawaiʻi Board on Geographic Names and state legislative documents.
How to Weigh In
HDOT encourages anyone interested to look up place names using online resources such as wehewehe.org, then compare meanings and spellings to the state’s master list. The department also says it will contact property owners on streets that appear to be misspelled and will fold sign updates into its regular maintenance schedule. Local reporting and HDOT’s online materials include links to the master list and the agency’s public comment portal for those who want to review proposed spellings and share their manaʻo; see coverage at Hawaii News Now for details.
