The Jumping Flea: How the ʻUkulele Found Its Voice in Hawaiʻi

Small, four-stringed and endlessly cheerful, the ʻukulele is inseparable from the sound of Hawaiʻi — but it began as an import. Portuguese immigrants brought a small guitar-like instrument called the machete to the islands in the 1870s, and Hawaiians made it their own, giving it a name that translates, charmingly, as 'jumping flea.'

From Import to Icon

Hawaiian royalty embraced the instrument early, and King Kalākaua featured it at royal gatherings, cementing its place in island music. Over the next century it spread worldwide in waves of popularity, yet its spiritual home remains Hawaiʻi, where master players treat it as a serious instrument, not a novelty.

Playing the Islands' Song

The ʻukulele's gentle voice suits everything from lilting hapa-haole tunes to virtuosic solo arrangements. For visitors, a beginner ʻukulele is one of the most joyful souvenirs imaginable — a few simple chords and you carry a piece of the islands' sound home with you.

The Portuguese brought the instrument; Hawaiʻi gave it a soul — and a name that means 'jumping flea.'

Good to Know

• Adapted from the Portuguese machete in the 1870s
• The name loosely means 'jumping flea'
• Championed by King Kalākaua and Hawaiian royalty
• A beginner ʻukulele makes a joyful souvenir

It is a living tradition, carried forward by the people who call these islands home.