ka

See also:Appendix:Variations of "ka"

Languages (73)

Translingual•English

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Acehnese•Afar•Ainu•Albanian•Amanab•Ambonese Malay•Bahnar•Bambara•Basque•Central Pomo•Chuukese•Cimbrian•Drung•Dutch•Estonian•Ewe•Finnish•French•Fula•Futuna-Aniwa•German•Guinea-Bissau Creole•Haitian Creole•Hanunoo•Hausa•Hawaiian•Hokkien•Iban•Ido•Indonesian•Japanese•Javanese•Kabuverdianu•Kapampangan•Latin•Latvian•Lower Sorbian•Malay•Mandarin•Mangas•Maori•Mapudungun•Mizo•Namuyi•Naxi•Northern Pomo•Norwegian Bokmål•Norwegian Nynorsk•Old Prussian•Pali•Picuris•Pipil•Pitjantjatjara•Portuguese•Rapa Nui•Rawang•Scots•Serbo-Croatian•Skou•Somali•Spanish•Sumerian•Swahili•Tagalog•Tok Pisin•Tuvaluan•Ujir•Veps•Volapük•Ye'kwana•Yoruba

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Page categories

Translingual

Etymology

The etymology for the ISO 639-1 code forGeorgianis fromGeorgianქართული ენა(kartuli ena).

Symbol

ka

1. kiloyear(alsoky,kyr)
2. thousands of years ago
3. (international standards)ISO 639-1language codeforGeorgian.

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/kɑː/
• Rhymes:-ɑː

Etymology 1

Borrowed fromEgyptiankꜣ.

Noun

ka(pluralkas)

1. A spiritual part of thesoulin Egyptian mythology, which survived after death.
   • 1983,Norman Mailer,Ancient Evenings:

     Then, I wondered how long I must wait before seeing my Double, but if I recalled, theKawas not supposed to appear before the seventy days of embalming were done.

   • 1990,Camille Paglia,Sexual Personae:

     Hence Dorian's portrait is like thekaor double of the deceased in Egyptian tombs, heaped with toys and furniture.

   • 2011,Neil Gaiman,American Gods(Tenth Anniversary Edition), William Morrow 2013, p. 179:

     ‘You could bind thekaof a man to his body for five thousand years,’ said Jaquel.

Etymology 2

Origin uncertain.

Verb

ka

1. (transitive,obsolete)Toserveorhelp;used only in the phrase"Ka me, ka thee"or variants thereof.
   • 1603,Michel de Montaigne, translated byJohn Florio,Essays,III.5:

     Now nature stood ever on this point,Kæmee Ilekæthee,and ever ready to bee even alwaies on recompences and vicissitude of things, and to give as good as one brings.

   • 1821January 8, [Walter Scott],Kenilworth; a Romance.[…],volume(please specify |volume=I to III),Edinburgh:[…]Archibald Constable and Co.;andJohn Ballantyne,[…];London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co.,→OCLC:

     Kame,kathee, is a proverb all over the world.

References

• Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable

Etymology 3

Noun

ka(pluralkas)

1. The name of theCyrillic scriptletterК/к.

See also

• gwo ka
• ish ka bibble
• ka-boom
• ka-ching

Anagrams

• AK,Ak

Acehnese

Adverb

ka

1. already

Afar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ˈka/ [ˈkʌ]

Pronoun

ká

1. he,him

Usage notes

• The formkáais used when the pronoun isn't followed by a clitic.

See also

Afar personal pronouns

		1st person	2nd person	3rd personm	3rd personf
Subject	Singular	anú	atú	úsuk	ís
	Plural	nanú	isín	úsun
Object	Singular	yó	kó	ká	tét
	Plural	né	sín	kén

References

• E. M. Parker, R. J. Hayward (1985) “ka”, inAn Afar-English-French dictionary (with Grammatical Notes in English),University of London,→ISBN

Ainu

Etymology

Likely a loan word fromNivkhӿа(ha)(bearing the same meaning), given that the traps were of the same type and that sable hunting was taken up on Sakhalin for export to Qing China, to whom the Nivkh were nearer.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):[ka]

Noun

ka

1. sabletrap

References

• Bugaeva, Anna. Handbook of the Ainu Language, Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton, 2022.https://doi.org/10.1515/9781501502859

Albanian

Alternative forms

• nga(Tosk)
• kah

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):[ka](Gheg)

Etymology 1

From olderkah,from*kah ~ ngah(compareTosk Albaniannga), fromProto-Albanian*en kaxa,fromProto-Indo-European*en kʷod so(“wherein, wherefrom”),literally ‘in which this’. Cognate withOld Church Slavonicкъ(kŭ,“to”).

Preposition

ka(+ nominative)

1. from,out,out of,to

   Jo,unënukjamkaShqipëria.

   No, I am not from Albania.

2. who,whom

Etymology 2

From earlier *kaha, fromProto-Albanian*koso,fromProto-Indo-European*kʷeh₁s-(“scratch, cut”).For sense development, compare Slavic *volь - ox, from *valiti - to throw down, castrate. Alternatively, the plural formqesuggests an earlier *kʷē, fromProto-Indo-European*gʷṓws(“ox, cow”)via an unidentified Indo-European language.

Pronunciation

• singular:IPA^(key):[kaː]
• singular:IPA^(key):[qɒ](Gheg)
• plural:IPA^(key):[ceː]

Noun

kam(pluralqe,definitekau,definite pluralqetë)

1. ox
2. steer

Declension

Declension ofka

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	ka	kau	qe	qetë
accusative		kaun
dative	kau	kaut	qeve	qeve
ablative			qesh

Hyponyms

• kau i hullisë( “stronger ox (of a team) that walks in the furrow” )
• ka i kularit( “yoke ox” )

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the correspondinglemmaform.

Verb

ka

1. third-personsingularpresentindicativeofkam

Amanab

Pronoun

ka

1. I(first person singular nominative)

Ambonese Malay

Etymology

FromMalayke.

Preposition

ka

1. to,towards

References

• D. Takaria, C. Pieter (1998)Kamus Bahasa Melayu Ambon-Indonesia‎^[2],Pusat Pembinaan dan Pengembangan Bahasa

Bahnar

Etymology

FromProto-Bahnaric*kaː,fromProto-Mon-Khmer*kaʔ;cognate withSedangká,Vietnamesecá,Monက(kaʔ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/kaː/

Noun

ka

1. fish

Bambara

Particle

ka

1. possessive marker

   an ka jamana

   our country

Particle

ka

1. particle linking subject and predicative adjective

   A ka ɲi

   It's good

   Kidali ka jan

   Kidal is far away

Basque

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ka/,[ka]

Noun

kainan

1. The name of theLatin-scriptletterK/k.

Declension

Declension ofka(inanimate, ending in-a)

	indefinite	singular	plural
absolutive	ka	ka	kak
ergative	kak	kak	kek
dative	kari	kari	kei
genitive	karen	karen	ken
comitative	karekin	karekin	kekin
causative	karengatik	karengatik	kengatik
benefactive	karentzat	karentzat	kentzat
instrumental	kaz	kaz	kez
inessive	katan	kan	ketan
locative	katako	kako	ketako
allative	katara	kara	ketara
terminative	kataraino	karaino	ketaraino
directive	katarantz	karantz	ketarantz
destinative	katarako	karako	ketarako
ablative	katatik	katik	ketatik
partitive	karik	—	—
prolative	katzat	—	—

See also

• (Latin-script letter names)a,be,ze,de,e,efe,ge,hatxe,i,jota,ka,ele,eme,ene,eñe,o,pe,ku,erre,ese,te,u,uve,uve bikoitz,ixa,i greko,zeta

Central Pomo

Noun

ka

1. water

Chuukese

Pronoun

ka

1. you(singular)

Adjective

ka

1. you are

Related terms

		Present and past tense	Negative tense	Future	Negative future	Distant future	Negative determinate
Singular	First person	ua	use	upwe	usap	upwap	ute
	Second person	ka,ke	kose,kese	kopwe,kepwe	kosap,kesap	kopwap,kepwap	kote,kete
	Third person	a	ese	epwe	esap	epwap	ete
Plural	First person	aua(exclusive) sia(inclusive)	ause(exclusive) sise(inclusive)	aupwe(exclusive) sipwe(inclusive)	ausap(exclusive) sisap(inclusive)	aupwap(exclusive) sipwap(inclusive)	aute(exclusive) site(inclusive)
	Second person	oua	ouse	oupwe	ousap	oupwap	oute
	Third person	ra,re	rese	repwe	resap	repwap	rete

Cimbrian

Etymology

Shortened form ofkan.

Preposition

ka

1. Alternative form ofkan,used before words starting withs.

Further reading

• “ka” inMartalar, Umberto Martello, Bellotto, Alfonso (1974)Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini,1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo

Drung

Etymology

FromProto-Sino-Tibetan*ka.

Noun

ka

1. word

References

• Ross Perlin (2019)A Grammar of Trung‎^[3],Santa Barbara: University of California

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/kaː/
• Hyphenation:ka
• Rhymes:-aː

Etymology 1

Fromkade.

Noun

kaf(pluralkadenorkadesorka's,diminutivekaatjen)

1. Alternative form ofkade

Etymology 2

Uncertain. Possibly fromCatharina Mulderor"Kaat Mossel".

Noun

kaf(pluralka's,diminutivekaatjen)

1. (Netherlands,derogatory)dominantwoman

Synonyms

• kenau

Etymology 3

Related tokauw.

Noun

kaf(pluralka'sorkauwen,diminutivekaatjenorkauwtjen)

1. Alternative form ofkauw

Etymology 4

Borrowed fromEgyptiankꜣ.

Noun

kac(pluralka's)

1. ka(ancient Egyptian notion of the soul, shown as a bird)

Estonian

Etymology

Derived fromkaasas.

Adverb

ka(not comparable)

1. also,too

   Tema läkskametsa.

   Healsowent to the forest.

Ewe

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ˈkɑː/

Noun

ka(pluralkawo)

1. cord
2. line
3. rope
4. string

Verb

ka

1. tobite
2. tobreak
3. tochip
4. torummage

Finnish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ˈkɑ/,[ˈkɑ̝]
• Rhymes:-ɑ
• Syllabification^(key):ka

Etymology 1

Variant ofkaa,both shortenings ofkanssa.

Adverb

ka(rare,dialectal)

1. also,too

   Minä menin kauppaanka.

   I went to a shopas well.

Etymology 2

A dialectal or colloquial 2nd person imperative present ofkatsoa(“to look”).

Verb

ka

1. (dialectal,colloquial)look!

   Ka!

Synonyms

• katso
• kato(colloquial)

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ka/~/kɑ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes:-ɑ

Noun

kam(pluralkas)

1. kay,The name of theLatin-scriptletterK/k.

Fula

Preposition

ka

1. to,in,at

Suffix

ka

1. Noun class indicator for nouns (singular) including abstractions and borrowed words

Usage notes

• Common to all varieties ofFula(Fulfulde/Pulaar/Pular).

Article

ka

1. (definite)the(when it follows the noun)

   taasa ka―the bowl

Usage notes

• Common to all varieties ofFula(Fulfulde/Pulaar/Pular).

Determiner

ka

1. (used in indicating something)

   ka taasa―this/that bowl

Usage notes

• Common to all varieties ofFula(Fulfulde/Pulaar/Pular).

References

• Oumar Bah,Dictionnaire Pular-Français, Avec un index français-pular,Webonary.org, SIL International, 2014.
• M. Niang,Pulaar-English English-Pulaar Standard Dictionary,New York: Hippocrene Books, 1997.

Futuna-Aniwa

Verb

ka

1. (Aniwa)tosqueal

German

Phrase

ka

1. (Internetslang)Alternative spelling ofk. A.
   • 2004September 21, Tilman Wetter, “Schaltauge nachrüsten?”, inde.rec.fahrrad‎^[4](Usenet):

     Na gut
     Mir war halt so nach schnellspannnabe, wegen Reifenwechseln undsoweiter.
     Ich habkanun den zweiten Totenkopf abgerissen und die 14er Schlüssel
     ziehen Winters immer in den Süden:-(

     (pleaseadd an English translationof this quotation)

   • 2005December 10, Alexander Jede, “einfrierende Maus bei xine”, inlinux.debian.user.german‎^[5](Usenet):

     Kann mir da einer helfen? ich hab absolutkaworan es liegt. AUs der config von xine bin ich zum nicht schlauer geworden.

     (pleaseadd an English translationof this quotation)

   • 2006January 12, Alexander Jede, “einfrierende Maus bei xine”, inlinux.debian.user.german‎^[6](Usenet):

     irgendwo hab ich aufgeschnappt das mitte Februar neue Dual Core CPU´s auf den Markt kommen.Bitte nicht fragen wo ich das her hab,kavieleicht bilde ich mir das ja auch nur ein;-)

     (pleaseadd an English translationof this quotation)

Guinea-Bissau Creole

Etymology

From African origin. Cognate withKabuverdianuka.

Adverb

ka

1. not

Haitian Creole

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ka/

Etymology 1

FromFrenchcas(“case”).

Noun

ka

1. case,instance

Etymology 2

Contraction ofkapab,fromFrenchcapable

Verb

ka

1. (auxiliary)can,be able to

Hanunoo

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ˈka/[ˈka]
• Rhymes:-a
• Syllabification:ka

Etymology 1

FromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*ka(2sg. subject pronoun).

Pronoun

ka(Hanunoo spellingᜣ)

1. you(singular)

   Synonyms:kawo,(rare)kam

   Naankapamag-uli?

   Where doyoulive?

See also

Hanunoo personal pronouns

Person	Number	Direct	Indirect	Oblique
First	singular	ako	niko	kangko,kang
	plural inclusive	kita	nita	kanta
	plural exclusive	kami	nimi	kanmi
Second	singular	kawo,ka	nimo	kanmo
	plural	kamo	niyo	kanyo
Third	singular	siya	niya	kanya
	plural	sida	nida	kanda

Etymology 2

Particle

ka(Hanunoo spellingᜣ)

1. connective used between a cardinal numeral and that which is enumerated

   duwakabilog sab-a―twoofsaba bananas

Etymology 3

Particle

ka(Hanunoo spellingᜣ)(literary)

1. a connective

   Synonyms:pag,pagka

   Kangkaidu, si Migra.―My dog, Migra.

Further reading

• Conklin, Harold C. (1953)Hanunóo-English Vocabulary(University of California Publications in Linguistics), volume 9, London, England: University of California Press,→OCLC,page131

Hausa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/káː/
  • (Standard Kano Hausa)IPA^(key):[káː]

Adverb

kā

1. (withdàorà)inoron

References

• Newman, Paul(2007)A Hausa-English Dictionary(Yale Language Series), New Haven, London: Yale University Press,→ISBN,page102.

Hawaiian

Alternative forms

• ke(before words that begin with 'k', 'a', 'e', or 'o')

Etymology

(Thisetymologyis missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at theEtymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ka/,[kə]

Article

kasg(pluralnā)

1. the

Hokkien

For pronunciation and definitions ofka– seeGia( “home;family;household;etc.” ). (This term is thepe̍h-ōe-jīform ofGia).

For pronunciation and definitions ofka– seeCưu( “pigeon;dove(family;togather;toassemble;etc.” ). (This term is thepe̍h-ōe-jīform ofCưu).

For pronunciation and definitions ofka– seeGiảo( “scissors;tocutwith scissors; etc.” ). (This term is thepe̍h-ōe-jīform ofGiảo).

For pronunciation and definitions ofka– seeThêm( “toputontopof another object; toadd;toputin; etc.” ). (This term is thepe̍h-ōe-jīform ofThêm).

Iban

Pronunciation

IPA^(key):/käʔ̚/

Verb

ka

1. (informal,modalauxiliary)Contraction ofdeka.

   Akukamakai asi.

   Iwantto eat rice.

Ido

Etymology

Seekad.Decision no.16, Progreso II.Based on the apocopic formsa,e,ando.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ka/

Particle

ka

1. Apocopicform ofkad(used before a consonant)

   Katu amoras me?―Doyou love me?

References

• Progreso II(in Ido),1909–1910,page15,357,579

Indonesian

Etymology

FromDutchkaa.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ˈka/,[ˈka]

Noun

ka

1. The name of theLatin-scriptletterK/k.

Synonyms

• ke(Standard Malay)

See also

• (Latin-script letter names)huruf;a,be,ce,de,e,ef,ge,ha,i,je,ka,el,em,en,o,pe,ki,er,es,te,u,ve,we,eks,ye,zet

Further reading

• “ka”inKamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia,Jakarta:Agency for Language Development and Cultivation–Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia,2016.

Japanese

Romanization

ka

1. Thehiraganasyllableか(ka)or thekatakanasyllableカ(ka)inHepburnromanization.

Javanese

Etymology

Clippingofika

Determiner

ka

1. (colloquial)yonder

Kabuverdianu

Etymology

From African origin.

Adverb

ka

1. not

Kapampangan

Etymology

FromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*ka(“2sg. subject pronoun”).CompareIndonesian-kah,Malay-kah.

Particle

ka

1. marks a sentence as interrogative

   Kalaramanka?

   Is ita lie?

   Nanka?

   What's up?

   • 1617,Francisco Coronel,Arte y reglas de la lengua Pampanga:

     Sucat mo casing bitasan quing micabucasanca?

     Can youby chance assure us that you will arrive tomorrow?

2. whether (or not)

   XkaYka?

   Are youan XorY?

   Muntakaalika?

   Are yougoingornot?

3. used withoto mark list and to connect choices being considered with uncertainty

   Inikao itaka,sanu kareni.

   Thisorthat?,which one of these?

   Magpastakao magpitsaka?

   Are yougonna eat pastaorpizza?

Pronoun

ka

1. you(second person singular)

   Kaluguran daka

   I love you

   Mamunkakang inda

   Say goodbye to your mother

Usage notes

• The wordkausually replacesikawhen in the middle of a sentence.
• When speaking to be polite, use the plural formkayu,ikayu.

See also

• kana
• kanu
• kaya
• kayi
• uari

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin)IPA^(key):/kaː/,[käː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical)IPA^(key):/ka/,[käː]

Noun

kāf(indeclinable)

1. The name of the letterK.

Coordinate terms

• (Latin-script letter names)littera;ā,bē,cē,dē,ē,ef,gē,hā/*acca,ī,kā,el,em,en,ō,pē,kū,er,es,tē,ū,ix/īx/ex,ȳ/ī graeca/ȳpsīlon,zēta

References

• Arthur E. Gordon,The Letter Names of the Latin Alphabet(University of California Press,1973; volume 9 ofUniversity of California Publications: Classical Studies), part III: “Summary of the Ancient Evidence”, page 32
  Clearly thereis no question or doubt about the names of the vowels A, E, I, O, U. They are simply long A, long E, etc. (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū). Nor is there any uncertainty with respect to the six mutes B, C, D, G, P, T. Their names are bē, cē, dē, gē, pē, tē (each with a long E). Or about H, K, and Q: they are hā, kā, kū — each, again, with a long vowel sound.

Latvian

Etymology

Originally an old neuter nominative singular form ofkas(“who, what”)that acquired the function of a conjunction. Cognates includeOld Prussianka(“who, what”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):[ka]

• Audio:

  (file)

Conjunction

ka

1. that;usedtolinkasubordinateclauseto themainclause,sometimeswith apronominalantecedent(tas,tāds,tik,tādēļ,tāpēc), withvariousdifferentfunctions:

   (a)subject:

   labi,kadarbs padarīts―(it is) goodthatthe work is done

   viņam nepatika,katagad viņi ar Plienu bija palikuši tikai divi―he didn't likethatnow only he and Pliens had remained

   aplam darīts arī tas,kadivās dienās nopļāva visu Spilvas pļavu―wrongly done was also that (= the fact)that(he) mowed the entire Spilva meadow in two days

   tveice bija tāda,kašķita - tīrums smaržo kā liela rudzu kalte―the heat was suchthatone felt (as if) the field smelled like a big rye drier

   (b)attributivecomplement,(secondary)predicate

   pienāca ziņa,katēvs saslimis―there is newsthatfather is sick

   viņi nolaida karogus per zīmi,kademonstrācija beigusies―they lowered the flags as a signthatthe protest was over

   vēl vairāk sirdi nospeiž sāpes, /kaatkal apkārt tikai mežs―even more the heart is oppressed by the pain /thatagain (there is) only forest around

   ir tāds karstums,kapat putniņi paslēpušies―(there) is such a heatthateven the little birds are hiding

   (c)direct object

   viņš teica,kavaram iet―he saidthatwe could go

   Ģirts redzēja,kaArtūrs nekā neapjēdz,kalabāk runāt par ko citu―Ģirts sawthatArtūrs would never realizethatit would be better to talk about something else

   Krančelis izrādīja visu savu nemieru ar to,kanevarēja meiteni iepriecināt―Krančelis showed all his concern with that (= the fact)thathe could not cheer up the girl

   kas gan var būt vēl skaistāks pasaulē par to,kacilvēks palīdz cilvēkam un draugs - draugam!―what can be more beautiful in (this) world than that (= the fact)thata person helps (another) person and a friend - (another) friend!

   (d)adverbialcomplement(manner)

   viņpus upes krastā Preimanis lādējās,kavisa pamale skanēja―on the shore, on the other side of the river, Preimanis cursed (in such a way)thatthe whole horizon resounded (with his curses)

   Saulītis krāca tā,kaārā varēja dzirdēt―Saulītis snored so (= in such a way)thatone could hear it outside

   (e)adverbialcomplement(cause)

   (oftentāpēcka,tādēļka,lessfrequentlytamdēļka,tālabka,“for the reason that” )

   viņai kļūst kauns par sevi,kapat domās pieļāvusi salīdzinājumu―she felt ashamed of herself,that(= because) she had allowed herself (to make) this comparison even in thought

   publicisti uzbruka rakstniekiem,katie bez īstas kvēles un dedzības ķeras pagatavot lugas―the publishers attacked the writers that (= because) they tried to prepare (= write) plays without real fervor and zeal

   “bet varbūt tāpēc līst,kaman sāp zobs”, viņš iedomājās―“but maybe it is raining for that reason,that(= because) my tooth hurts,” he thought

   krievu valoda mums jāprot tādēļ,katā ir mūsu kaimiņu un draugu valoda―we must know Russian for that reason,that(= because) it is the language of our neighbors and friends

   Ješka nepaguva atbildēt,tāpēc kapapriekš gribēja iedzert―Ješka couldn't answer,becausehe first wanted to drink

   tu, tēvoc, daudz ko nedzirdi,tādēļ kakurls esi palicis―you, uncle, haven't heard much,becauseyou have become deaf

   (f)adverbialcomplement(consequence)

   (oftentākā“so that” )

   otrā rītā sāp mugura,katīri vai jāraud―the next morning (his) back was in pain, (so much)that(he) simply had to cry

   visi bija tik satraukti,kanemanīja, vai viņš atsveicinās vai ne―everybody was so excitedthat(they) did not noticed whether or not he said goodbye

   Ainas acis vērāas tik mierīgas un vēas,kaviņš atmeta šādu domu―(but) Aina's eyes were so peaceful and cool (= calm)thathe abandoned such thought(s)

   dejotāju kājas bija noru noblietējušas tā,kazeme sāka skanēt―the dancers' feet had stomped the (forest) glade so (= in such a way)thatthe earth began to resound

   vējš gaudoja aizvien stiprāk,tā kasāka jau drebēt majas jumts―the wind howled more and more strongly,so thatthe house roof began to shake

   vecais zvirbulis bija ļoti noskumis un kļuva pat neuzmanīgs,tā kato gandrīz noķēra pelēkais Minka―the old sparrow had become very sad and even inattentive,so thatthe gray Minka (= cat) almost caught him

   (g)adverbialcomplement(purpose)

   pēc malkas ej,kavar kurināt tam akmenim virsū!―go find wood, (so)thatwe can burn it on (top of) that rock

   skrien kā traks,katikai izraut lielāku normu―I run (= work) like crazy, (so)thatI may get a larger margin (= advantage)

   (h)adverbialcomplement(measure,proportion)

   tūlīt pēc kara pievairojis bija pelēču,kamudž―immediately after the war the grays (= landowners) became many, (so much)that(they) were swarming

   viņa steidzās tik ļoti, ka neievēroja vaļējās klēts durvis un tajās sēdošo cilvēku―she hurried so muchthat(she) did not notice the open barn door and the person sitting in(side of) it

   vai tik daudz sāpju sevī pārvarēji, /katikai prieku spēsi citiem sniegt?―have you overcome so much pain in yourself /thatyou will be able to give only joy to others?

   (i)adverbialcomplement(condition)

   kas tas par draugu,kanevar palīdzēt?―what kind of friend is he,that(= if) he can't help?

   kur gan esat, zilie ceriņi,kanekur vairs nesatieku jūs?―where are you, blue lilac,that(= if) I don't find you anywhere?

Particle

ka

1. usedtoaddanuanceofprobabilityordoubtto a,usuallynegative,utterance,tomakeitoptative,expressiveof adesire(cf.kaut);may...

   jāsagrābj siens,kaneuznāk lietus―(we) have to rake the hay together,mayrain not come (i.e., maybe there will be rain)

   vispirms gādājiet, lai rudzi tiek statos;kaneuznāk krusa―first of all make sure that the rye is in heaps;mayhail not come (= i.e., maybe there will be hail)

   katik viņš neaizietu!―mayhe only not leave! if only he wouldn't leave!

   “kanenositas”, Nikolajs ieminas, bet onkulis atmet at roku: “liels puisietis, nenositīsies”―“mayhe not get himself killed” (i.e., he probably won't get himself killed), Nikolas said, and uncle gestured with his hand: “(he is) a big boy, he won't get himself killed”

   “ak,katak viss neietu tik lēnām... tos, kas nomirs, tos tak ielaidīs jūrā?” “laikam”

   “oh,mayeverything not go so slowly (= if only everything didn't go so slowly)... those who died, they will be thrown into the sea?” “maybe”

   pagája labs brīdis, bet necēlās neviens no pakritušajiem skrējējiem...kaviņu vilks, nu būs abi divi beigti―a good while went by, but none of the fallen runners stood up...may(the devil) take him, they now will be (= probably are) both finished (= dead)

2. usedtoreinforcetheintensityof anactionoractivity,usuallywith arepeatedverb;...and...

   māte tik naigi durkadur - šuj savu šujamo―mother so quickly piercedandpierced - she sows her sowing (= what she needs to sow, i.e. she is certainly carrying out her task)

Lower Sorbian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ka/

Noun

kaminan

1. The name of theLatin-scriptletterk/K.

See also

• (Latin-script letter names)a,bej,cej,čet,ćej,dej,ej,ět,ef,gej,ha,cha,i,jot,ka,eł,el,em,en,ejn,o,pej,er,ejŕ,es,eš,śej,tej,u,wej,y,zet,žet,źej

Malay

Noun

ka

1. Abbreviationofkaki(“foot (unit of measurement)”).

Further reading

• “ka”inPusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu | Malay Literary Reference Centre,Kuala Lumpur:Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka,2017.

Mandarin

Romanization

ka

1. Nonstandardspelling ofkā.
2. Nonstandardspelling ofkǎ.
3. Nonstandardspelling ofkà.

Usage notes

• Transcriptionsof Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the criticaltonaldifferences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Mangas

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/kā/

Pronoun

ka

1. second person singular personal pronoun,you

References

• Blench, Robert; Bulkaam, Michael (2021) An Introduction to Mantsi, a South Bauchi language of Central Nigeria. University of Cambridge.

Maori

Particle

ka

1. Marks an event as occurring at some time or as existing
2. when;used before a verb to indicate the start of an action or state
3. Marks a verb as being infuture tense
4. Used when counting numbers

   Katahi,karua,katoru...

   One, two, three...

5. Used incommandswithtauaandtātou

   ātoukahaere

   let's go

6. now(for the first time);when used afterkātahianō

References

• "ka"- Maori Dictionary

Mapudungun

Adverb

ka(Raguileo spelling)

1. too;also

Synonyms

• kafey

Conjunction

ka(Raguileo spelling)

1. and

Determiner

ka(Raguileo spelling)

1. another;not thesame

Mizo

Etymology

FromProto-Kuki-Chin*kaj ~ kaj-maʔ ,fromProto-Sino-Tibetan*ŋa-j ~ ka(“I; me”).

Pronoun

ka

1. I;me

References

• Lorrain, J. Herbert(1940) “ka”,inDictionary of the Lushai language,Calcutta: Asiatic Society

Namuyi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):[ka˧]

Noun

ka

1. bed

Naxi

Etymology

FromProto-Sino-Tibetan*b-ka-(n/m/ŋ).

Adjective

ka

1. bitter

References

• Naxi Dictionaryby T.M. Pinson, Li gian g 2012

Northern Pomo

Noun

ka

1. water

Norwegian Bokmål

Pronoun

ka

1. form removed with thespelling reform of 1959;superseded byhva

Norwegian Nynorsk

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/kɑː/

Pronoun

ka

1. (dialectal,Trøndelag,Northern Norway,Vestlandet,non-standard since1959)alternative form ofkva(“what”)

   Kae da du gjere på?

   Whatare you doing?

Old Prussian

Alternative forms

• kha

Etymology

Derived fromProto-Balto-Slavic*kas.

Pronoun

ka

1. (interrogative)what
2. (relative)what

References

• Mažiulis, Vytautas(1988–1997) “ka”, inPrūsų kalbos etimologijos žodynas‎^[7](in Lithuanian), Vilnius
• W. R. Schmalstieg (1971) “New Look at the Old Prussian Pronoun”, inBaltistica VII(2),Vilnius: Vilniau Universitetas

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• 𑀓(Brahmi script)
• क(Devanagari script)
• ক(Bengali script)
• ක(Sinhalese script)
• ကorၵ(Burmese script)
• กorกะ(Thai script)
• ᨠ(Tai Tham script)
• ກorກະ(Lao script)
• ក(Khmer script)
• 𑄇(Chakma script)

Etymology 1

From the masculine and neuter respectively ofSanskritक(ká),fromProto-Indo-Iranian*kás,fromProto-Indo-European*kʷós.

Pronoun

kam

1. (interrogative)who
2. (interrogative)what
3. (interrogative)which
   • 2006,The First Book in the Suttanta-Pitaka: Dīgha-Nikāya (I)‎^[8],page82:

     කන‍්නුඛ‍්වජ‍්ජ සමණං වා බ්‍රාහ‍්මණං වා පයිරුපාසෙය්‍යාම යන‍්නො පයිරුපාසතො චිත‍්තං පසීදෙය්‍යා! "ති

     kannu khvajja samaṇaṃ vā brāhmaṇaṃ vā payirupāseyyāma yanno payirupāsato cittaṃ pasīdeyyā! "ti

     Indeed nowwhichascetic or Brahmin should we visit today who, for us visiting him, will soothe the heart?

Usage notes

The pronoun may function as an interrogative adjective.

Declension

Declension table of "ka" (masculine)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	ko	ke
Accusative (second)	kaṃ	ke
Instrumental (third)	kena	kehiorkebhi
Dative (fourth)	kassaorkissa	kesaṃorkesānaṃ
Ablative (fifth)	kasmāorkismā	kehiorkebhi
Genitive (sixth)	kassaorkissa	kesaṃorkesānaṃ
Locative (seventh)	kasmiṃorkamhiorkismiṃorkimhi	kesu

Derived terms

• kā( “who (f)” )

Pronoun

kan

1. (interrogative)what
2. (interrogative)which

Usage notes

The pronoun may function as an interrogative adjective.

Declension

Declension table of "ka" (neuter)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	kiṃ	kāni
Accusative (second)	kiṃ	kāni
Instrumental (third)	kena	kehiorkebhi
Dative (fourth)	kassaorkissa	kesaṃorkesānaṃ
Ablative (fifth)	kasmāorkismā	kehiorkebhi
Genitive (sixth)	kassaorkissa	kesaṃorkesānaṃ
Locative (seventh)	kasmiṃorkamhiorkismiṃorkimhi	kesu

Derived terms

• kāpurisa

Etymology 2

Probably from the pronunciation of a syllable consisting only of the letter.

Noun

kam

1. the Pali letter 'k'
   • c.500 AD,Kaccāyana,Pālivyākaraṇaṃ‎^[9](overall work in Pali), page 4; republished asSatish Chandra Acharyya Vidyabhusana,editor,Kaccayana's Pali Grammar (edited in Devanagari character and translated into English),Calcutta, Bengal: Mahabodhi Society,1901:

     क,ख, ग, घ, ङ, च, छ, ज, झ, ञ, ट, ठ, ड, ढ, ण, त, थ, द, ध, न, प, फ, ब, भ, म, य, र, ल, व, स, ह, ळ, ं। इति व्यञ्जन नाम होन्ति।

     Ka,kha, ga, gha, ṅa, ca, cha, ja, jha, ña, ṭa, ṭha, ḍa, ḍha, ṇa, ta, tha, da, dha, na, pa, pha, ba, bha, ma, ya, ra, la, va, sa, ha, ḷa, aṃ, iti vyañjanā nāma honti.

     'k','kh', 'g', 'gh', 'ṅ', 'c', 'ch', 'j', 'jh', 'ñ, 'ṭ', 'ṭh', 'ḍ', 'ḍh', 'ṇ', 't', 'th', 'd', 'dh', 'n', 'p', 'ph', 'b', 'bh', 'm', 'y', 'r', 'l', 'v', 's', 'h', 'ḷ' and 'ṃ', these are the consonants by name.

   • c.500 AD,Kaccāyana,Pālivyākaraṇaṃ‎^[10](overall work in Pali), page12;republished asSatish Chandra Acharyya Vidyabhusana,editor,Kaccayana's Pali Grammar (edited in Devanagari character and translated into English),Calcutta, Bengal: Mahabodhi Society,1901:

     कोयस्स यथा-सको।

     Koyassa yathā-sako.

     'K'from 'y' as in 'sako'.

Declension

Declension table of "ka" (masculine)

Case \ Number	Singular
Nominative (first)	ko
Accusative (second)	kaṃ
Instrumental (third)	kena
Dative (fourth)	kassaorkāyaorkatthaṃ
Ablative (fifth)	kasmāorkamhāorkā
Genitive (sixth)	kassa
Locative (seventh)	kasmiṃorkamhiorke
Vocative (calling)	ka

Synonyms

• kakāra

References

• Pali Text Society (1921–1925) “ka˚”,inPali-English Dictionary‎,London: Chipstead

Picuris

Verb

ka

1. towash

Further reading

• Dominic Yu,Comparative Phonology of Picurís and Taos(2008)

Pipil

Preposition

ka

1. to,at

Further reading

• Campbell, L. (1985).The Pipil Language of El Salvador.Mouton De Gruyter. p. 59

Pitjantjatjara

Conjunction

ka

1. and(switching)

   Watingku maḻu nyangukawirtjapakaṉu.

   The man saw the kangaroo and the kangaroo ran away.

Usage notes

• Kais a switching conjunction. When it links two clauses or sentences, it conveys that the second clause has a different subject from the first. In cases where the subject remains the same, the conjunctionmunuis used. In the example above, the subject of the second clause need not be "the kangaroo", although that seems the most likely possibility from context. Thekusimply tells us that someone or something other thanwati(the subject of the first clause) ran away.
• Althoughkais spelt with a shorta,the vowel is actually long (kaa). The misleading spelling exists for historical reasons.

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• kaka,kakaka(kakakaka...)

Interjection

ka

1. ha(representation of laughter)

Rapa Nui

Etymology

FromProto-Polynesian*ka-,*ka.Cognates includeHawaiianʻa-andMaorika.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ˈka/
• Hyphenation:ka

Particle

ka

1. Used to indicate thefuture tense.
2. Used to indicate theimperative mood.
3. Used to indicate thejussive mood.
4. Used to indicate the temporalcontiguityof an action.
5. Used to indicate theconditional moodof a relative clause.
6. Used to form a counting form from of the following numeral.

   Katahi,karua,katoru.―One, two, three.

Interjection

¡ka!

1. Intensifies the following verb;how!whata!

   ¡Kama'itaki 'ō!―Howvery beautiful!

Usage notes

• Kais often used to convey an objective intensification, whilekois used when one has a strong emotion towards the subject.

References

• Paulus Kieviet (2017)A grammar of Rapa Nui‎^[11],Berlin: Language Science Press,→ISBN,pages153, 330, 477, 491

Rawang

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/kʰɑ˧/

Etymology 1

CompareBurmeseကြက်(krak).

Noun

ka

1. chicken.

Etymology 2

FromProto-Sino-Tibetan*b-ka-(n/m/ŋ)(“bitter”).Cognate withBurmeseခါး(hka:),Old ChineseKhổ(OC*kʰaːʔ, *kʰaːs).

Adjective

ka

1. bitter.

Scots

Alternative forms

• kae

Etymology

Ofimitativeorigin, similar toOld High Germankā(“crow, jackdaw”),Middle Low Germankâ(“crow, jackdaw”),Englishcaw.

Noun

ka(pluralkas)

1. jackdaw

Serbo-Croatian

Preposition

ka(Cyrillic spellingка)

1. Alternative form ofk

Synonyms

• k

Adverb

ka(Cyrillic spellingка)

1. (Chakavian,Montenegro)as,like

Synonyms

• kao

Conjunction

ka

1. (Chakavian,Montenegro)as,like

Synonyms

• kao

Pronoun

ka(Cyrillic spellingка)

1. (Chakavian,Kajkavian,interrogative)which(feminine)
2. (Chakavian,Kajkavian,relative)which,that,who(feminine)
3. (Chakavian,Kajkavian,indefinite)some(feminine)

Synonyms

• koja

Skou

Particle

ka

1. not- negative particle

   Ke bà fue a bápánenì neka.

   That person isnotmy friend.

References

• Donohue, Mark.A Grammar of the Skou Language of New Guinea(2004).

Somali

Etymology 1

Preposition

ka

1. from
2. away from
3. out of
4. about,concerning

Usage notes

• In Somali, prepositions fall before the verb and not before the noun they modify:

  Kaimow.―To comefrom.

  Kakeen.―To bringfrom.

Etymology 2

Article

ka

1. Alternative spelling of-ka

   Garaashkafur.―Openthegarage.

References

• Puglielli, Annarita, Mansuur, Cabdalla Cumar (2012) “ka”, inQaamuuska Af-Soomaliga‎^[12],Rome:RomaTrE-Press,→ISBN

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ˈka/[ˈka]
• Rhymes:-a
• Syllabification:ka
• Homophone:ca

Noun

kaf(pluralkas)

1. Name of the letterk

Further reading

• “ka”,inDiccionario de la lengua española(in Spanish), online version 23.7,Royal Spanish Academy,2023 November 28

Sumerian

Romanization

ka

1. Romanization of𒅗(ka)

Swahili

Etymology

From the -ka-consecutive tense marker.

Pronunciation

• Audio(Kenya):

  (file)

Adverb

ka

1. andthen(used between a series of actions that happened soon closely together)

Tagalog

Etymology 1

Influenced by Baybayin characterᜃ(ka).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog)IPA^(key):/ka/[kɐ]
• Rhymes:-a
• Syllabification:ka

Noun

ka(Baybayin spellingᜃ)

1. the name of theLatin-scriptletterK/k,in theAbakada Alpha bet

   Synonym:(in the Filipino Alpha bet)key

2. (historical)the name of theLatin-scriptletterK/k,in theAbecedario

   Synonym:(in the Filipino Alpha bet)key

See also

• Ka
• ka-
• kaka

Etymology 2

FromProto-Malayo-Polynesian*ka(“2sg. subject pronoun”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog)IPA^(key):/ka/[kɐ]
• Rhymes:-a
• Syllabification:ka

Pronoun

ka(Baybayin spellingᜃ)(postpositive)

1. you(second person singular)

Usage notes

• The wordkausually replacesikawwhen in the middle of a clause.
• When speaking to be polite, use the plural formkayo.

Alternative forms

• ca—obsolete,Spanish-based orthography
• k—Internet and text messaging slang

Derived terms

• halika
• parika
• teka
• tika

See also

Tagalog personal pronouns

Person	Number	Direct (ang)	Indirect (ng)	Oblique (sa)
First	singular	ako	ko	akin
	dual1	kita,kata	nita,nata,ta	kanita,kanata,ata
	plural inclusive	tayo	natin	atin
	plural exclusive	kami	namin	amin
First & Second	singular	kita2
Second	singular	ikaw,ka	mo	iyo
	plural	kayo,kamo	ninyo,niyo	inyo
Third	singular	siya	niya	kaniya
	plural	sila	nila	kanila
1First person dual pronouns are not commonly used in Standard Tagalog. 2Replaceskoikaw.

Etymology 3

Fromclippingofwika.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog)IPA^(key):/ˈkaʔ/[ˈkaʔ]
• Rhymes:-aʔ
• Syllabification:ka

Noun

kâ(Baybayin spellingᜃ)

1. Alternative spelling of'ka

Derived terms

• kako
• kamo
• kaniya

Tok Pisin

Etymology

FromEnglishcar.

Noun

ka

1. car

Tuvaluan

Particle

ka

1. future tensemarker, inserted immediately before the relevant verb

Ujir

Numeral

ka

1. four

References

• Antoinette Schapper, Marian Klamer,Numeral systems in the Alor-Pantar languages

Veps

Etymology

(Thisetymologyis missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at theEtymology scriptorium.)

Adverb

ka

1. yes
2. certainly,absolutely
3. naturally,of course
4. let's[withfirst-personpluralimperative]

Conjunction

ka

1. but
2. then(in "if...then" constructions)

References

• Zajceva, N. G., Mullonen, M. I. (2007) “безусловно,да,давать,естественно,конечно,но”,inUz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ‎^[13],Petrozavodsk: Periodika

Volapük

Conjunction

ka

1. than(used for comparisons)

Ye'kwana

Alternative forms

• cha(allomorph afteri)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):[ka]

Particle

ka

1. Forms a polar (yes/no) question.

Usage notes

In most circumstances this particle is found in the second position in a sentence (immediately after the first constituent). Occasionally, for unclear reasons, it may appear elsewhere.

References

• Cáceres, Natalia (2011) “ka”, inGrammaire Fonctionnelle-Typologique du Ye’kwana‎^[14],Lyon, pages158–159

Yoruba

Etymology 1

Cognate withIgalakáà

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/kà/

Verb

kà

1. (intransitive,transitive)tocount
2. (intransitive,transitive)toread

Usage notes

• kabefore a direct object

Derived terms

• kíkà( “reading, counting” )
• ìkà( “the act of reading” )
• òǹkà( “number” )

Etymology 2

Likely cognate withIgalakà(“to tell”)andIgbokà(“to speak”),perhaps related toNupegàn

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/kà/

Verb

kà

1. (transitive)toconfess(literally, "to recount previous misdeeds involuntarily or under duress")

Usage notes

• kabefore a direct object

Derived terms

• ìkà( “the act of confession” )

Related terms

• jẹ́wọ́( “to confess” )

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/kà/

Verb

kà

1. tobuythings in thehundreds

Usage notes

• kabefore a direct object

Derived terms

• ìkà

Etymology 4

Cognate withIgalaká

Alternative forms

• kán(Igbomina)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ká/

Verb

ká

1. (transitive)topluckfruit(from a tree)
2. tobreaksomething; toknockoffsomething
3. (idiomatic)tobecomesnappedunderpressure

Derived terms

• ká ìbó( “euphemism for a child dying literally" to pluck the fruit of the ibo tree "” )
• káléyín
• késo
• ìká

Etymology 5

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ká/

Verb

ká

1. (transitive)tocurlorfoldsomething

   Fọlá, wá bá mikáaṣọ!―Fọla, come and help mefoldthe clothes

2. (intransitive)tobecomecurledorfolded
3. toconstrainsomeone (often viasupernaturalmeans)
4. (idiomatic)togetsomethingunder control

   apá àtẹ́lẹwọ́ kì í ká ilé―The arm of the palm cannotcontrolthe house(Yoruba incantation)

Derived terms

• kápá
• ìká

Etymology 6

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):/ká/

Verb

ká

1. tobeeverywhere

Usage notes

• Used especially in the V2 position

Derived terms

• kárí( “around” )
• káàkiri( “around” )
• rìnká( “to wander, walk around” )
• yíká( “to surround” )
• Yímiká( “a shortened name form meaning" surrounds me "” )
• Yín̄ká( “a shortened name form meaning" surrounds me "” )
• àyíká( “around” )
• ìká