She's often stressed and busy. Her intense schedule often interferes with her friendship with David, who also holds an obvious crush on her, and makes several attempts to treat Nani on a date, only to meet rejection due to her busy schedule. Despite their sometimes rocky relationship, Nani and Lilo care deeply for each other, and this strong bond is shown continuously throughout the film. Through her sister, Nani's shown to have a motherly side, and often makes decisions based on Lilo's best interest, alone. In the original film, her custody over Lilo was put to the test at the hands of social worker, Cobra Bubbles who, despite regretting the thought of having to separate the two sisters, is looking out for Lilo's best interest, as well, knowing she needs a figure who can handle the task of raising a child.

Two things that Nani's known for are her inability to hold down a full-time job, partly due to the antics of her sister and Stitch, and for being a terrible cook. Although Nani excels greatly in mathematics and chemistry.