The Hawaiian language uses two markings. The ‘okina is a glottal stop. The kahako is a macron.

The ‘okina glottal stop is similar to the sound between the syllables of “oh-oh.”

The ‘okina is always before a vowel, never before a consonant.

The macron lengthens and adds stress to the marked vowel.

How to use the ‘okina and kahakō on the Mac (10.12 Sierra).

– open the system preferences
– click on language and text
– click on the Input Sources tab
– scroll down and find and put a check in the Hawaiian box
– put a check in the Show Input in menu bar
– there should be the Hawaiian flag in the top right menu bar

To make a kahakō, hold the option key and press the vowel

To make an ‘okina, hold the option key +right bracket key]