kai

Borrowed from Maori kai.

• Audio (US):

  (file)

  (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this pronunciation?) (particularly: the audio is somewhat too fast)
• Rhymes: -aɪ

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”, in nz.general (Usenet):

     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?!”, in nz.general (Usenet):

     Got to go now and get some kai.

• AKI, KIA, Kia, aik

From Mandarin 凱子／凯子 (kǎizi).

kai

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, slang, dated) foolish; idiotic
   • 2012, 回到三國, episode 1, spoken by 司馬信 (馬國明):

     詰我啲兄弟，佢都kai kai地嘅。 [Cantonese, trad.]
     诘我啲兄弟，佢都kai kai地嘅。 [Cantonese, simp.]

     gat⁶ ngo⁵ di¹ hing¹ dai⁶, keoi⁵ dou¹ kaai¹ kaai¹ dei² ge³. [Jyutping]

     Humilliating my bro? He's such an idiot.

kai

1. (Hong Kong Cantonese, slang, dated) to be foolish; to act like an idiot

• kai子 (kaai1 zi2)

From German Kai, from Dutch kaai, from French quai.

kai (genitive kai, partitive kaid)

1. quay

Declension of kai (ÕS type 26/koi, no gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		kai	kaid
accusative	nom.
	gen.	kai
genitive			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

Borrowed from Danish kaj, from Old French kay, cail (modern French quai), from Gaulish cagiíum (“enclosure”), from Proto-Celtic *kagyom (“pen, enclosure”) (compare Welsh cae (“hedge”)).

• IPA^(key): /kʰaiː/
• Rhymes: -aiː

kai f (genitive singular kaiar, plural kaiir)

1. (colloquial) quay

Declension of kai
f2	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative	kai	kaiin	kaiir	kaiirnar
accusative	kai	kaiina	kaiir	kaiirnar
dative	kai	kaiini	kaium	kaiunum
genitive	kaiar	kaiarinnar	kaia	kaianna

• bryggja
• atløgubryggja

Probably shortened from kaiketi.

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɑi̯(ˣ)/, [ˈkɑ̝i̯(ʔ)]
• Rhymes: -ɑi
• Syllabification^(key): kai

kai

1. probably, I guess (that) (used to express a possibility or belief of what's going to happen)

   Synonyms: ehkä, kenties, luultavasti, otaksuttavasti, arvatenkin, varmaankin, mahdollisesti, kaiketi

   Tulee kai sade.

   It will probably rain.

   Minun pitää kai lähteä.

   I guess I'll have to go.

   Lasseko tämän rikkoi? -Niin kai.

   Was it Lasse who broke this? -Probably yes.

2. Used to indicate derision or disbelief.

   Luulisi hänen osaavan. -Kyllä kai!

   One would think he can. -Yes, but I doubt!

   Annas minä autan! -Niin kai, et sinä ole ennenkään auttanut.

   Let me help you! -Bah, you haven't been much of a help so far.

3. Used as a fortifier, or to confirm.

   Synonyms: toki, tottahan

   Totta kai minä sinua uskon!

   Of course I believe you!

   Kai sinä tämän tiedät!

   You know this, don't you!

• “kai”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

• Aki, aik.

From Portuguese cair. Cognate with Kabuverdianu kai.

kai

1. to fall

From Proto-Afroasiatic [Term?]. Cognates include Mangas ka, Polci kii, Miship ɡɨ.

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

kai

1. you (2nd person singular subject pronoun)

• mákà (2nd person singular indirect object enclitic pronoun)
• ká (2nd person singular independent object pronoun)
• -kà (2nd person singular possessive enclitic pronoun)

Cognate with Bole kóːʔiː, Galambu kā, Gera ká, Deno kàá, Mangas kaam, Goemai kāː, Polci gaam.

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

kâi m (plural kāwunā̀, possessed form kâin)

1. head

From Proto-Polynesian *tai (compare with Maori tai), from Proto-Oceanic *tasik, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *tasik (compare with Malay tasik).

• IPA^(key): /ˈkai̯/, [ˈkɐj], [ˈkɛj] (rapid speech)

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

• wai
• moana

kai

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

kai

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

   kai ka nani! ― how beautiful!

   kai ke kolohe! ― oh, how mischievous!

• kainō
• keu

• Pukui, Mary Kawena, Elbert, Samuel H. (1986) “kai”, in Hawaiian Dictionary, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press

kai

1. Rōmaji transcription of かい

From Portuguese cair.

kai

1. to fall

kai

1. you, second-person singular pronoun

• This term is used in both women's and men's speech.

• kaiboho

• Michael Dunn, Gender determined dialect variation, in The Expression of Gender (edited by Greville G. Corbett)
• David Lee Fortune, Gramática Karajá: um Estudo Preliminar em Forma Transformacional

From Proto-Kuki-Chin *kay, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ngay. Cognates include Hakka 𠊎 (ngài) and Burmese ငါ (nga).

• IPA^(key): /kai̯˥/

kai

1. I

• R. Shafer (1944) “Khimi Grammar and Vocabulary”, in Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, volume 11, number 2, page 419
• K. E. Herr (2011) The phonological interpretation of minor syllables, applied to Lemi Chin‎^[2], Payap University, page 44

From Proto-Balto-Slavic *kai; compare Old Prussian kāi (“when”), Latvian kâ(i) (“when”), Old Church Slavonic цѣ (cě, “and also, besides”), from Proto-Indo-European *kʷoy; compare Ancient Greek ποῖ (poî, “whereto”). Perhaps ultimately the locative of Proto-Indo-European *kʷos, kʷis (“question particle”); see kas (“what”). Also, compare with tai (“that”).^[1]

• (conjunction): IPA^(key): /kɐɪˑ/
• (particle): IPA^(key): /kɐɪ/

kaĩ

1. (in relative clauses) when, while, as

kai (unstressed)

1. (in conjunction with interrogative words) some, a certain (suggesting the complement is a known entity, but withheld)

   kai kàs - (a certain) something

   Àš táu kai ką̃ turiù - I have something for you.

   kai kadà - sometimes, in some cases

• tai
• kas
• kad
• kaip

• kada
• kaž-, nors, bet

kai

1. all

kai

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

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

From Proto-Polynesian *kai, from Proto-Oceanic *kani, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən (compare with Malay makan), from Proto-Austronesian *kaən (compare with Tagalog kain).

kai (passive form kainga)

1. to eat (consume)

kai

1. food

• hari kai (“a song for guests when they wait for food”)
• hoko kai (“to buy food”)
• huanga kai (“crop”)
• kai hamuti (“a contemptible person, a strong insult”) (vulgar, offensive)
• kai inati (“overdose”)
• pū kai (“esophagus”)
• rūma kai (“a dining room”)
• tunu kai (“cooking”)
• wāhi kai (“a restaurant”)

• kaimoana (“seafood”)
• kainga (“the refuse of a meal”)
• wharekai (“a restaurant”)

• → English: kai

• “kai” in John C. Moorfield, Te Aka: Maori–English, English–Maori Dictionary and Index, 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, 2011, →ISBN.

kai

1. Alternative form of keye (“key”)

• koie (Mooring)
• Kai (Sylt)

From Old Frisian kēi. Cognates include West Frisian kaai.

kai m (plural kaier)

1. (Föhr-Amrum) key

From Old French kay, cail (modern French quai), from Gaulish cagiíum (“enclosure”), from Proto-Celtic *kagyom (“pen, enclosure”) (compare Welsh cae (“hedge”)).

kai m or f (definite singular kaia or kaien, indefinite plural kaier, definite plural kaiene)

1. quay, wharf, dock

• ferjekai, fergekai
• kaikant

From Old French kay, cail (modern French quai), from Gaulish cagiíum (“enclosure”), from Proto-Celtic *kagyom (“pen, enclosure”) (compare Welsh cae (“hedge”)).

kai f or m (definite singular kaia or kaien, indefinite plural kaier or kaiar, definite plural kaiene or kaiane)

1. quay, wharf, dock

• ferjekai
• kaikant

From Portuguese cair and Spanish caer and Kabuverdianu kai.

kai

1. to fall

• kai abou

From Proto-Polynesian *kai, from Proto-Oceanic [Term?], from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.

kai

1. to eat (consume)

kai

1. food

• pātia kai

kai

1. not

From Proto-Uto-Aztecan *kapsi.

kai (plural kaakai)

1. thigh

• kairam

Cognate with Northern Tepehuan káídɨ, O'odham kai.

kai

1. seed

kai

1. preterite of kaayaꞌ

• Willett, Elizabeth, et al. (2016) Diccionario tepehuano de Santa María Ocotán, Durango (Serie de vocabularios y diccionarios indígenas “Mariano Silva y Aceves”; 48)‎^[3], electronic edition, Instituto Lingüístico de Verano, A.C., page 100

kai

1. Romanization of ᮊᮄ

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

kai

1. (transitive) to eat (consume)

kai

1. food

• kaikai

• IPA^(key): [ˈka.i]
• Hyphenation: ka‧i

From Proto-Polynesian *kai. Cognates include Hawaiian ʻai and Samoan 'ai.

kai (plural kakai)

1. (transitive) to eat
2. (intransitive) to eat
3. (fishing, intransitive) to bite

From Proto-Polynesian *kai. Cognates include Hawaiian ʻai and Samoan 'ai.

kai

1. (cricket) run
2. (cricket) goal, point
3. (cricket) score

From Proto-Polynesian *kai. Cognates include Tobanga kai and Nukuoro gai.

kai

1. Indicates disapproval and/or dissatisfaction.
2. Indicates regret that something didn't happen.

• (regret): kaina

• R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎^[4], Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 142

From Proto-Polynesian *kai, from Proto-Oceanic [Term?], from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *kaən, from Proto-Austronesian *kaən.

• IPA^(key): /ka.i/

kai

1. food

kai

1. To eat

• kai maʻamaʻa

kai

1. ever

• IPA^(key): /kai̯˧/

kai

1. (intransitive) to rise, ascend, go up

• IPA^(key): /kai̯˧˥/

kái

1. askew
2. low

• IPA^(key): /kai̯˧˩/

kài

1. (transitive) pull, drag, draw

• Lukram Himmat Singh (2013) A Descriptive Grammar of Zou, Canchipur: Manipur University, page 63