Grab a lei and your best island sense of direction, because Hawaii has far more to quiz than beaches and palm trees.
These Hawaii trivia questions hop through volcanic landscapes, Native Hawaiian culture, royal history, local food, music, wildlife, landmarks, and legendary sports.
Hawaii on the Map
Q: What is the capital of Hawaii?
A: Honolulu.
Q: On which island is Honolulu located?
A: Oʻahu.
Q: How many main islands are commonly recognized in Hawaii?
A: Eight.
Q: What is the largest Hawaiian island?
A: Hawaiʻi Island, also called the Big Island.
Q: Which island is nicknamed the Valley Isle?
A: Maui.
Q: Which island is nicknamed the Garden Isle?
A: Kauaʻi.
Q: Which island is nicknamed the Gathering Place?
A: Oʻahu.
Q: Which privately owned island is known as the Forbidden Island?
A: Niʻihau.
Q: Which Hawaiian island was formerly known for its pineapple plantations?
A: Lānaʻi.
Q: Which island is home to Kalaupapa Peninsula?
A: Molokaʻi.
Q: Which small island southwest of Maui was used as a U.S. Navy bombing range?
A: Kahoʻolawe.
Q: In which ocean is Hawaii located?
A: The Pacific Ocean.
Q: What is the westernmost of Hawaii's eight main islands?
A: Niʻihau.
Q: What is the southeasternmost major island in the chain?
A: Hawaiʻi Island.
Q: What time zone covers Hawaii year-round?
A: Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time.
Volcanoes, Cliffs, and Waterfalls
Q: Which active volcano dominates the southeast side of Hawaiʻi Island?
A: Kīlauea.
Q: What massive shield volcano is the largest active volcano on Earth?
A: Mauna Loa.
Q: What is Hawaii's highest point?
A: Mauna Kea.
Q: Which national park protects Kīlauea and Mauna Loa?
A: Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.
Q: What type of volcano created most of the Hawaiian Islands?
A: Shield volcanoes.
Q: What stationary source of magma formed the Hawaiian island chain as the Pacific Plate moved over it?
A: A volcanic hot spot.
Q: What Hawaiian word describes smooth, ropy lava?
A: Pāhoehoe.
Q: What Hawaiian term describes rough, jagged lava?
A: ʻaʻā.
Q: What vast canyon on Kauaʻi is sometimes called the Grand Canyon of the Pacific?
A: Waimea Canyon.
Q: What dramatic coastline of cliffs and valleys stretches along northwest Kauaʻi?
A: The Nāpali Coast.
Q: What massive Maui volcano forms most of the island's eastern side?
A: Haleakalā.
Q: What scenic Maui highway winds toward Hāna?
A: The Road to Hāna.
Q: Which Oʻahu crater is known in Hawaiian as Lēʻahi?
A: Diamond Head.
Q: What famous waterfall drops into Wailua River State Park on Kauaʻi?
A: Wailua Falls.
Q: What cloud-filled mountain on Kauaʻi is among the wettest places in Hawaii?
A: Mount Waiʻaleʻale.
Native Hawaiian Culture and Language
Q: What are the Indigenous people of the Hawaiian Islands called?
A: Native Hawaiians, or Kānaka Maoli.
Q: What does aloha commonly express?
A: Love, affection, greeting, or farewell.
Q: What Hawaiian value refers to responsibility and care for the land?
A: Mālama ʻāina.
Q: What does ʻohana mean?
A: Family.
Q: What is a lei?
A: A garland presented as a symbol of affection, welcome, or honor.
Q: What traditional Hawaiian dance tells stories through movement and chant?
A: Hula.
Q: What is an oli?
A: A Hawaiian chant.
Q: What feathered garment symbolized high chiefly status in old Hawaii?
A: An ʻahu ʻula, or feather cloak.
Q: What traditional Hawaiian feast is called a lūʻau?
A: A communal feast or celebration.
Q: What underground oven is used to cook food at a traditional Hawaiian gathering?
A: An imu.
Q: What double-hulled voyaging canoe completed a landmark journey to Tahiti in 1976?
A: Hōkūleʻa.
Q: Which Micronesian navigator guided Hōkūleʻa to Tahiti without modern instruments?
A: Mau Piailug.
Q: What punctuation mark represents a glottal stop in written Hawaiian?
A: The ʻokina.
Q: What mark placed over a vowel indicates length in Hawaiian?
A: The kahakō.
Q: Besides English, what language is official in the state of Hawaii?
A: Hawaiian.
Chiefs, Kingdom, and Statehood
Q: Which ruler united the Hawaiian Islands into one kingdom in 1810?
A: Kamehameha I.
Q: What battle in 1795 helped Kamehameha conquer Oʻahu?
A: The Battle of Nuʻuanu.
Q: Which British explorer reached the Hawaiian Islands in 1778?
A: James Cook.
Q: At which bay was James Cook killed in 1779?
A: Kealakekua Bay.
Q: What 1848 land redistribution transformed Hawaiian property ownership?
A: The Great Māhele.
Q: Which king was known as the Merrie Monarch?
A: David Kalākaua.
Q: Which palace in Honolulu was the royal residence of Hawaii's last monarchs?
A: ʻIolani Palace.
Q: Who was the last reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Kingdom?
A: Queen Liliʻuokalani.
Q: In what year was Queen Liliʻuokalani overthrown?
A: 1893.
Q: In what year did the United States annex Hawaii?
A: 1898.
Q: What 1941 attack brought the United States into World War II?
A: The attack on Pearl Harbor.
Q: On what date was Pearl Harbor attacked?
A: December 7, 1941.
Q: In what year did Hawaii become a U.S. state?
A: 1959.
Q: Which number state is Hawaii?
A: The 50th.
Q: Who was the first person born in Hawaii to become U.S. president?
A: Barack Obama.
Honolulu and Island Landmarks
Q: What world-famous Honolulu beach fronts many Waikīkī hotels?
A: Waikīkī Beach.
Q: What harbor on Oʻahu contains the USS Arizona Memorial?
A: Pearl Harbor.
Q: Which battleship hosted Japan's formal surrender in World War II?
A: USS Missouri.
Q: What Honolulu museum holds a major collection of Polynesian cultural objects?
A: The Bishop Museum.
Q: What Honolulu statue honors the monarch who unified Hawaii?
A: The King Kamehameha I statue.
Q: What historic church near ʻIolani Palace is known as the Westminster Abbey of the Pacific?
A: Kawaiahaʻo Church.
Q: What is the name of Hawaii's state capitol building?
A: The Hawaii State Capitol.
Q: Which Maui town was the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom before Honolulu?
A: Lahaina.
Q: What enormous tree became a beloved landmark in Lahaina?
A: The Lahaina banyan tree.
Q: What famous snorkeling bay on Oʻahu lies inside a volcanic crater?
A: Hanauma Bay.
Q: What historic surf town anchors Oʻahu's North Shore?
A: Haleʻiwa.
Q: What ranch on Oʻahu has appeared in Jurassic Park and other films?
A: Kualoa Ranch.
Q: What Kona landmark was once a royal vacation home?
A: Huliheʻe Palace.
Q: What Molokaʻi settlement is associated with Saint Damien's care for people with Hansen's disease?
A: Kalaupapa.
Q: What observatory complex sits near the summit of Haleakalā?
A: Haleakalā Observatory.
Wild Hawaii
Q: What is Hawaii's state bird?
A: The nēnē, or Hawaiian goose.
Q: What is Hawaii's state marine mammal?
A: The humpback whale.
Q: Which endangered seal is found only in the Hawaiian archipelago?
A: The Hawaiian monk seal.
Q: What Hawaiian name is used for the green sea turtle?
A: Honu.
Q: What is Hawaii's state fish?
A: The humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa, or reef triggerfish.
Q: Which native honeycreeper is famous for its bright red feathers and curved bill?
A: The ʻiʻiwi.
Q: What native tree produces the flower used in many traditional leis?
A: The ʻōhiʻa lehua.
Q: What is Hawaii's state flower?
A: The yellow hibiscus, or pua maʻo hau hele.
Q: What is Hawaii's state tree?
A: The kukui, or candlenut tree.
Q: What fragrant white flower introduced from Asia is popular in Hawaiian leis?
A: Plumeria.
Q: Which introduced amphibian is notorious for its loud nighttime call on Hawaiʻi Island?
A: The coquí frog.
Q: What colorful bird often seen in Hawaii was introduced from Brazil in the 1960s?
A: The red-crested cardinal.
Q: Which winter visitors migrate thousands of miles from Alaska to breed in Hawaiian waters?
A: Humpback whales.
Q: What disease spread by mosquitoes threatens native Hawaiian forest birds?
A: Avian malaria.
Q: What striking rosette plant has rare species found on Haleakalā and Mauna Kea?
A: The silversword.
Island Flavors, Music, and Movies
Q: What dish of diced raw fish is seasoned and served in bowls across Hawaii?
A: Poke.
Q: What staple is made by pounding cooked taro root?
A: Poi.
Q: What shredded pork dish is traditionally cooked in an imu?
A: Kālua pig.
Q: What snack combines rice, luncheon meat, and nori?
A: Spam musubi.
Q: What plate-lunch favorite consists of a hamburger patty, rice, gravy, and a fried egg?
A: Loco moco.
Q: What sweet bread came to Hawaii with Portuguese immigrants?
A: Portuguese sweet bread.
Q: What fluffy Portuguese doughnuts are called malasadas?
A: Fried yeast pastries.
Q: What canned meat is especially popular in Hawaii?
A: Spam.
Q: Which small four-stringed instrument is closely associated with Hawaiian music?
A: The ukulele.
Q: Which instrument is played with a metal bar and is central to Hawaiian music?
A: The steel guitar.
Q: Who recorded the beloved medley “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World”?
A: Israel Kamakawiwoʻole.
Q: Which Hawaiian singer made “Tiny Bubbles” his signature song?
A: Don Ho.
Q: What long-running television police drama famously opens with “Book 'em, Danno”?
A: Hawaii Five-O.
Q: Which Disney animated film features sisters Nani and Lilo?
A: Lilo & Stitch.
Q: Which musical set partly in Hawaii includes “Some Enchanted Evening”?
A: South Pacific.
Surf, Sport, and Island Celebrations
Q: Which Hawaiian swimmer helped popularize surfing worldwide and won Olympic gold medals?
A: Duke Kahanamoku.
Q: What sport is known in Hawaiian as heʻe nalu?
A: Surfing.
Q: Which Oʻahu break hosts the Eddie Aikau big-wave surfing event?
A: Waimea Bay.
Q: Which legendary lifeguard and surfer inspired the phrase “Eddie Would Go”?
A: Eddie Aikau.
Q: What grueling triathlon world championship is held in Kona?
A: The Ironman World Championship.
Q: What three disciplines make up a triathlon?
A: Swimming, cycling, and running.
Q: What college athletic program represents the University of Hawaii at Mānoa?
A: The Rainbow Warriors and Rainbow Wahine.
Q: What bowl game is traditionally played in Honolulu in December?
A: The Hawaii Bowl.
Q: Which annual Honolulu race is one of the largest marathons in the United States?
A: The Honolulu Marathon.
Q: What floral parade and hula celebration honors King Kamehameha I each June?
A: King Kamehameha Celebration.
Q: What weeklong Hilo festival is often called the Olympics of hula?
A: The Merrie Monarch Festival.
Q: Which holiday on May 1 celebrates Hawaiian lei culture?
A: Lei Day.
Q: What annual outrigger canoe race crosses the Kaiwi Channel from Molokaʻi to Oʻahu?
A: The Molokaʻi Hoe.
Q: On what date is Prince Kūhiō Day celebrated?
A: March 26.
Q: Which paddling sport carries on Hawaii's voyaging heritage?
A: Outrigger canoe racing.
Aloha to a Great Score
If you navigated every island, aliʻi, and lava field, your score deserves a sunset by the shore. Keep traveling with our Greece trivia, or switch gears with pop culture trivia.
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