かな

Japanese

Etymology 1

Combination of Japanese question particle か (ka) + な (na).

Particle

かな • (ka na) 

1. 哉: Expresses wonder or postulation on the part of the speaker: "I wonder", "maybe".

   彼(かれ)は怪(あや)しい人(ひと)かな。

   Kare wa ayashii hito ka na.

   I wonder if he's a suspicious person.

   まあ、そうかな。

   Mā, sō ka na.

   Well, maybe so.

Etymology 2

Hiragana rendering of various other words.

Noun

かな • (kana) 

1. 仮名: The hiragana and katakana syllabaries, used to write Japanese words and particles using characters that represent syllables; a hiragana or katakana character.
2. 金: Metal; money.
3. 縢: Thread; loom weaving.
4. 鉋: Alternate reading for kanna, a carpenter's plane.

Proper noun

かな • (Kana) 

1. 香奈, 佳奈, 加奈: a female given name

See also

• カナ