1. n. Light, month, moon. (PPN ma(a)rama, malama.)

2. conj. Perhaps. Malama ulu mai ka ʻanoʻano, perhaps the seeds will grow.

Another name for moon, besides mahina, is malama. Please don’t confuse this word with mālama, meaning to care for.

While mahina and malama both refer to month as well as moon (see the connection between the moon cycle and month? It is all about the moon!!!!), we tend to use, in modern day, mahina for moon more often than not, and malama for month, more often than not.

Hilinehu ka malama, kū ka nehu – Hilinehu is the month when the nehu fish appears.

Kāpeku ka leo o ke kai, ʻo hoʻoilo ka malama – When the voice of the sea is harsh, the winter months have come (first uttered by Hiʻiaka).

Makaliʻi ka malama, makaliʻi nā maka, makaliʻi nā nahele – Makaliʻi is the month in which people squint and plants grow stunted (A play on different meanings of makaliʻi).

ʻO Kāʻelo ka malama, kāpule ke kōlea – Kāʻelo is the month, the plovers are fat.

Nā hoa ʻaka o ke one hāuli o ka malama – Laughing friends–when the sands look dark in the moonlight (said of friends who will laugh and play in the moonlight but who will not lend a hand when daylight and labor needs to be done).

Kaelo. O ka eiwa keia o na malama ma ka helu Hawaii, a o Sepatemaba hoi i ka helu haole. O ka mea i kapaia ai keia malama he malama ua keia, a puluelo, a eloelo no hoi i ka pulu i ka ua. – Kāʻelo – This is the ninth month in Hawaiian counting, and September is its “English” reference. This month is called the rainy month, drenched in rain, and indeed, it is soggy, wet with rain. (Ka Hoʻoilina)