haka

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Maori haka, from Proto-Polynesian *saka, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *sakaŋ. The word is cognate with Hawaiian haʻa (“dance”), Mangarevan ʻaka (“to perform a traditional dance; a usually warlike dance accompanied by a chant”), Rarotongan ʻaka (“dance”), Samoan saʻa (“dance”), Tokelauan haka (“dance”), Tongan haka (“hand action made while singing”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈhɑːkə/, /ˈhæ-/

  • Audio (Southern England, /ˈhæ-/)

    (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈhɑkə/, /ˈhæ-/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈhaka/, /ˈhaːka/
• Rhymes: -ɑːkə, -ækə
• Homophone: Hakka (in some dialects)
• Hyphenation: ha‧ka

Noun

haka (plural hakas or haka)

1. A group dance of New Zealand's Maori people featuring rhythmic chanting, vigorous facial and arm movements, and foot stamping. Traditionally a war dance, today it is also performed to welcome guests, as a mark of respect at occasions such as commemorations and funerals, as a challenge to opposing teams at sports events, and for artistic purposes.
   • 1838, J[oel] S[amuel] Polack, chapter III, in New Zealand: Being a Narrative of Travels and Adventures during a Residence in that Country between the Years 1831 and 1837. In Two Volumes, volume I, London: Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street, publisher in ordinary to Her Majesty, →OCLC, page 81:

     After each of my retinue were presented to the chief, partaking of the honour of the ougi, or salutation, the hákà, or dance of welcome, was performed; this was commenced by our entertainers, who placed themselves in an extended line, in ranks four deep. This dance, to a stranger witnessing it for the first time, is calculated to excite the most alarming fears; […]

   • 1876 January, “A Week among the Maoris of Lake Taupo”, in The Cornhill Magazine, volume XXXIII, number 193, London: Smith, Elder & Co., 15 Waterloo Place, →OCLC, page 65:

     A "Haka" is the native dance, answering to the corroboree of the Australian aboriginals, and we were anxious to see it. […] Later in the evening, however, the complaisant Herekiekie entertained a small and select party at a "Haka" in his "whare" or house (pronounced wharry). It was exactly what I expected. The performers, all male, stood in a row, one, slightly advanced, acting as fugleman. They shouted and gesticulated with the most hideous and revolting gestures, grimaces, and yells.

   • 1986, Sylvia Ashton-Warner, “Life in a Maori School”, in Teacher (A Touchstone Book), 1st Touchstone edition, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, pages 198 and 200:

     [T]he children might get up and dance in the middle of their sums. Matawhero might stand up and lead a haka if I'm not careful. Oh dear.

   • 2011 October 23, Tom Fordyce, “2011 Rugby World Cup Final: New Zealand 8 – 7 France”, in BBC Sport‎, archived from the original on 3 April 2017:

     An already febrile atmosphere within the ground before the start had been stoked still further when France's players formed an arrow formation to face down the haka, and then advanced slowly over halfway as the capacity crowd roared.

   • 2013, Matt J. Rossano, “Mountain Rituals”, in Mortal Rituals: What the Story of the Andes Survivors Tells Us about Human Evolution, New York, N.Y., Chichester, West Sussex: Columbia University Press, →ISBN, pages 105–106:

     The Maori haka ritual has been made famous by the All Blacks, New Zealand's national rugby team. Before each match, the All Blacks face their opponents and engage in a synchronized display of hand-slapping, feet-stomping, chest-pumping, tongue-wagging, and eye-popping chanting and dancing designed to intimidate their opponents. The All Blacks' version of the haka is called ka-mate, a war haka or peruperu. […] But hakas are not restricted to war; they are also used as a welcome to strangers, as part of a funeral, or as part of various celebrations and ceremonies.

Derived terms

• kapa haka

Translations

Verb

haka (third-person singular simple present hakas, present participle hakaing, simple past and past participle hakaed)

1. (intransitive) To perform the haka.
   • 1870, Richard Taylor, “Traditions and Legends. (Continued.) ”, in Te Ika a Maui; or, New Zealand and Its Inhabitants. Illustrating the Origin, Manners, Customs, Mythology, Religion, Rites, Songs, Proverbs, Fables, and Language of the Maori and Polynesian Races in General; together with the Geology, Natural History, Productions, and Climate of the Country, 2nd edition, London: William Macintosh, 24, Paternoster Row; Wanganui, New Zealand: H. Ireson Jones, →OCLC, page 274:

     [T]hey hoisted him up to the ridge pole and lighted the fire; they began to haka, when they were tired of that they sang songs, […]

   • 1888, John White, “Hotu-nui. (Nga-ti-maru.)”, in The Ancient History of the Maori, His Mythology and Traditions. Tai-Nui, volume IV, Wellington: By authority; George Didsbury, government printer, →OCLC, pages 213–214:

     [page 213] The haka is one of the Maori's most honourable games that can be performed to entertain strangers; and when such is played it is a sign of a people of chiefs and days of peace. The people played this game to her that Te-kahu-rere-moa might haka and entertain them, that they might see how beautifully she could haka. […] [page 214] She hakaed for some time, and all the people were quite in love with her.

   • 2011, Glyn Harper, editor, Letters from Gallipoli: New Zealand Soldiers Write Home‎, Auckland: Auckland University Press, →ISBN:

     We captured the trenches midst our hakas and cheering. The other party did well, we could hear them on the opposite hill cheering, and hakaing as they went along.

Translations

Further reading

• haka on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• haka (sports) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Akha

'Are'are

Noun

haka

1. boat

References

• Kateřina Naitoro, A Sketch Grammar of 'Are'are: The Sound System and Morpho-Syntax (2013)

Czech

Czech Wikipedia has an article on:

haka

Wikipedia ^cs

Etymology

Borrowed from Maori haka.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):
• Rhymes: -aka
• Hyphenation: ha‧ka

Noun

haka f

1. haka (dance of New Zealand's Maori people featuring rhythmic chanting, vigorous facial and arm movements, and foot stamping.)
   • 2015 September 22, Pavel Jahoda, “Nejenom haka straší na MS soupeře. K vidění jsou i sipi tau či bole”, in ČT sport‎:

     Haka k Novému Zélandu a některým jeho sportovním týmům neodmyslitelně patří, ale nejznámější je ve spojení právě s ragby. Sport známý svou tvrdostí získává slavným tancem, při němž hráči používají všemožné grimasy včetně vyplazování jazyka, tleskají, plácají se po stehnech a rytmicky zpívají, kouzlo, které uchvátilo davy fanoušků po celém světě.

     Haka is inseparable from rugby. The sport, which is known for rough play, gets another charm thanks to the dance, during which the players use various facial expressions including sticking out their tongues, clap their hands and slap their thighs.

Declension

Finnish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɑkɑ/,
• Rhymes: -ɑkɑ
• Syllabification^(key): ha‧ka

Etymology 1

Borrowed from dialectal Swedish haka (compare standard hake).

Noun

haka

1. hook, clasp (type of fastener)

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

• “1. haka”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-01

Etymology 2

Probably borrowed from Old Swedish hagha, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *hagô (“enclosure, yard; pasture”).

Noun

haka

1. corral, paddock, croft (enclosure for livestock)

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

• “2. haka”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-01

Etymology 3

From dialectal Swedish hake.

Adjective

haka (not comparable) (informal)

1. (indeclinable) very good, skilled, masterful

Usage notes

Chiefly used in the verb phrase olla haka (+ inessive), meaning "to be (very) good at something, to be a master at". Only used predicatively in any case (never attributively).

Declension

Indeclinable.

Derived terms

Anagrams

• kaha

Hadza

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɦaka/

Verb

haka

1. to go

   Synonym: etlhikwa

Hawaiian

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *fata, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *pataʀ.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈha.ka/,

Noun

haka

1. shelf
2. platform

References

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

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhaːka/
• Rhymes: -aːka

Etymology 1

From Old Norse haka.

Noun

haka f (genitive singular höku, nominative plural hökur)

1. (anatomy) chin

Declension

Etymology 2

See haki (“pick”)

Verb

haka (weak verb, third-person singular past indicative hakaði, supine hakað)

1. to pick with a pickaxe
2. to mark with a check mark (usually with the preposition við)

Conjugation

Etymology 3

Noun

haka

1. indefinite accusative singular of haki
2. indefinite dative singular of haki
3. indefinite genitive singular of haki
4. indefinite accusative plural of haki
5. indefinite genitive plural of haki

Japanese

Romanization

haka

1. Rōmaji transcription of はか

Kashubian

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Noun

haka f

1. hook

Khoekhoe

Numeral

haka

1. four

Kikuyu

Etymology

Hinde (1904) records kuhaka as an equivalent of English paint in “Jogowini dialect” of Kikuyu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /haka/

Verb

haka (infinitive kũhaka)

1. to paint, to smear
2. to propitiate by gift
3. to bribe

References

Maori

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *saka, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *sakaŋ. Word is cognate with Hawaiian haʻa (“dance”), Mangarevan ʻaka (“to perform a traditional dance; a usually warlike dance accompanied by a chant”), Rarotongan ʻaka (“dance”), Samoan saʻa (“dance”), Tokelauan haka (“dance”), Tongan haka (“hand action made while singing”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈha.ka/,

Noun

haka

1. A war dance; a haka.

Usage notes

Used in the form haka-a.

Derived terms

• haka taparahi (a ceremonial haka)
• kapa haka (the participants in the haka)

Related terms

• peruperu (the proper term for the war dance)

Descendants

• → English: haka
  • → Norwegian Nynorsk: haka
• → Czech: haka

Norwegian Bokmål

Alternative forms

• haken

Noun

haka c

1. definite feminine singular of hake (Etymology 1)

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

Borrowed from English haka, from Maori haka.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɑː.kɑ/

Noun

haka m (definite singular hakaen)

1. haka dance

Etymology 2

To the noun hake m.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²hɑ(ː).kɑ/

Verb

haka (present tense hakar, past tense haka, past participle haka, passive infinitive hakast, present participle hakande, imperative haka/hak)

1. a-infinitive and split infinitive form of hake

Etymology 3

From Old Norse haka f.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /²hɑ(ː).kɑ/

Noun

haka f

1. definite singular of hake (“chin”)
2. (pre-2012) alternative form of hake

Etymology 4

H-insertion on ake with split infinitive. From Old Norse aka, from Proto-Germanic *akaną, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éǵeti.

Verb

haka (past tense hok)

2. (dialectal, Eastern Norway) alternative form of aka (“to go; glide”)
   • 1953, Reidar Holtvedt, Historier fra Krokskauen, Oslo: Aschehoug, page 196:

     Ja, guttungen hok der forrige daen, han, og je har nå høki der je au, sa han.

     Yeah. The kid went there the other day, he. And I have gone there as well, says he.

Etymology 5

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɑː.kɑ/

Noun

haka n

1. definite plural of hak

References

• “haka” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
• “haka”, in Norsk Ordbok: ordbok over det norske folkemålet og det nynorske skriftmålet, Oslo: Samlaget, 1950-2016
• “haka” in Ivar Aasen (1873) Norsk Ordbog med dansk Forklaring

Old Norse

Etymology

Related to the root of haki (“hook, pick”), from Proto-Germanic *hakô, referring to something pointing out.

Noun

haka f (genitive hǫku, plural hǫkur)

1. chin

Declension

Descendants

• Icelandic: haka
• Faroese: høka
• Norwegian: hake
• Swedish: haka
• Danish: hage

References

“haka”, in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press

Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxa.ka/
• Rhymes: -aka
• Syllabification: ha‧ka

Noun

haka m inan

1. genitive/accusative singular of hak

Rapa Nui

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *faka-. Cognates include Hawaiian haʻa- and Maori whaka-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈha.ka/
• Hyphenation: ha‧ka

Particle

haka

1. Used to indicate the causative aspect.

Derived terms

• haka'ite

References

• Veronica Du Feu (1996) Rapanui (Descriptive Grammars), Routledge, →ISBN, page 153
• Paulus Kieviet (2017) A grammar of Rapa Nui‎, Berlin: Language Science Press, →ISBN, page 441

Swedish

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Old Norse haka.

Noun

haka c

1. chin, lower part of face

Declension

Etymology 2

hake (“hook”) +‎ -a

Verb

haka (present hakar, preterite hakade, supine hakat, imperative haka)

1. (often with fast, på, or upp) to hook (attach with something hook-like)
2. (often with i) to get hooked (stuck on something hook-like, not figuratively)

Conjugation

Derived terms

• haka på
• haka upp sig

References

• haka in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• haka in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• haka in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

Tagalog

Alternative forms

• haca — obsolete, Spanish-based orthography

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhakaʔ/,
• Hyphenation: ha‧ka

Noun

hakà (Baybayin spelling ᜑᜃ)

1. idea; opinion

   Synonyms: palagay, kuro, kuro-kuro, opinyon

2. notion; understanding

   Synonyms: pagkaunawa, pagkaintindi, pagkahiwatig

3. belief

   Synonyms: paniwala, paniniwala

4. guess

   Synonym: hula

5. suspicion

   Synonyms: hinala, paghihinala

Derived terms