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かな. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
かな, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
かな in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
かな you have here. The definition of the word
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Japanese
Etymology 1
Combination of か (ka, interrogative particle) + な (na, mild exclamatory particle).[1]
First attested in the late-Edo period as an apparent shift in sense from the Old Japanese and classical usage, wherein the な (na) came to express more a sense of mild doubt rather than admiration[1] (see that section for more).
Particle
かな • (ka na)
- expresses a question with a feeling of worry
- 彼は怪しい人かな。 ― 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.
- expresses skepticism: really?, is it?
- (in the form ~ないかな (...nai ka na)) expresses affirmation: I hope, I wish
- expresses confusion
Etymology 2
From Old Japanese. First attested in the early 700s.[1]
From か (ka, particle indicating doubt or uncertainty) + な (na, mild exclamatory particle).
Displaced particle かも (ka mo) around the early-Middle Japanese stage.[1][2]
Particle
かな • (ka na)
- (Classical Japanese or literary) expresses wonder or postulation on the part of the speaker
- 善き哉!
- Yoki ka na!
- Wonderful!
Usage notes
Still used in contexts that deliberately evoke a classical or literary sense, such as poetry.[2]
Derived terms
Etymology 3
For pronunciation and definitions of かな – see the following entries.
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【仮名】
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- a category of Japanese syllabary scripts: kana
- a syllabogram, an individual character belonging to one of the syllabaries: kana
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(This term, かな (kana), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.) For a list of all kanji read as かな, see Category:Japanese kanji read as かな.)
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Etymology 4
For pronunciation and definitions of かな – see the following entries.
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【愛】4
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- a female given name
Alternative spellings真, ああい, あゝい, あいか, あいす, あき, あこ, あみか, あおい, ありさ, あや, あゆ, ちぎり, ちか, ちかし, えりな, はあと, ひかり, いと, いとし, いつみ, いずみ, かなえ, かなさ, きずな, こころ, こゝろ, このむ, まどか, まなぶ, まなみ, めづる, めご, めぐ, めぐみ, めぐむ, めい, なる, なるこ, のぞみ, らぶ, るい, さら, さらん, つぐみ, つくみ, うい, よし, よしき, よしみ
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(This term, かな (kana), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.) For a list of all kanji read as かな, see Category:Japanese kanji read as かな.)
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References