kai

See also Kai, käi, και, καί, kāi, kǎi, and kài

English

Etymology

From Maori, from Proto-Polynesian *kai, from Proto-Oceanic, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.

Noun

kai (uncountable)

1. (New Zealand, informal) food
   • 1995, Graeme Williams, The soc.culture.new-zealand FAQ

     Actually, I'm not sure I like these new hangis using the foil, it tends to stop the juices getting through to the stones and I reckon the hangi kai is drier to the palate.

   • 2003, "RK", Maori TV (on newsgroup nz.general)

     i.e. they'll spend the first four hours enthusiastic as can be, then get bored, want some kai, go down to the local fish and chip shop & bottle store & spend the rest of the episode telling drunken stories of how they used to steal from the "pakeha that owned the store on the corner" and about days spent down at the social welfare office.

   • 2003, "Carmen", Is there really a censor in NZ?! (on newsgroup nz.general)

     Got to go now and get some kai.

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Estonian

Noun

kai (genitive kai, partitive kaid)

1. quay

Declension

Declension of kai (type koi)

	singular	plural
nominative	kai	kaid
genitive	kai	kaide
partitive	kaid	kaisid
illative	kaisse	kaidesse
inessive	kais	kaides
elative	kaist	kaidest
allative	kaile	kaidele
adessive	kail	kaidel
ablative	kailt	kaidelt
translative	kaiks	kaideks
terminative	kaini	kaideni
essive	kaina	kaidena
abessive	kaita	kaideta
comitative	kaiga	kaidega

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Finnish

Pronunciation

• IPA: [kɑi]
• Rhymes: -ɑi
• Hyphenation: kai

Adverb

kai

1. probably
2. maybe, perhaps

Anagrams

• Aki

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Hawaiian

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian (compare Maori tai), from Proto-Oceanic (compare Fijian tai), from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *tasik (compare Chamorro tasi (“sea”), Indonesian tasik (“lake”)).

Noun

kai

1. sea

   i kai — towards the sea

   makai — on the seaside, toward the sea, in the direction of the sea

   o kai — of the lowland, of the sea, seaward

   nā kānaka o kai — shore dwellers

2. salt water
3. seaside, area near the sea, lowlands
4. tide, current in the sea
5. gravy, sauce, dressing, soup, broth

See also

• wai
• moana

Verb

kai

1. (stative) to be insipid, brackish, tasteless

Interjection

kai

1. my, how much!; how very! how terrific!

   kai ka nani! — how beautiful!

   kai ke kolohe! — oh, how mischievous!

See also

• kainō
• keu

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Japanese

Romanization

kai

1. See かい

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Lojban

Cmavo

kai

1. (sumti tcita: x₁-sumti modal of ckaji) characterizing

Rafsi

kai

1. rafsi of ckaji.

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Mandarin

Romanization

kai

1. Nonstandard spelling of kāi.
2. Nonstandard spelling of kǎi.
3. Nonstandard spelling of kài.

Usage notes

English transcriptions of Chinese speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Chinese language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

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Maori

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *kai, from Proto-Oceanic, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.

Verb

kai (passive form kainga)

1. to eat (consume)

Noun

kai

1. food

Related terms

• kaimoana

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Norwegian

Noun

kai

1. dock

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Rapa Nui

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *kai, from Proto-Oceanic, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.

Verb

kai

1. to eat (consume)

Noun

kai

1. food

Derived terms

• patia kai

Adverb

kai

1. not

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Tok Pisin

Etymology

From Proto-Oceanic, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.

Verb

kai

1. (transitive) to eat (consume)

Noun

kai

1. food

See also

• kaikai

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Tongan

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *kai, from Proto-Oceanic, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.

Noun

kai

1. food

Verb

kai

1. To eat

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Tuvaluan

Adverb

kai

1. ever