Join free

Kanak

English · Français

AI In plain words

Writing a short explanation…

Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

Kanak¹

  • /kəˈnæk/

Where it comes from

First attested in 1910, borrowed from French canaque, from English kanaka (“Pacific islander”), from Hawaiian kanaka (“person”).

noun Kanaks · Kanak · Canaque

  1. An indigenous Melanesian inhabitant of New Caledonia. In the working-class districts of Nouméa, which have a high population of indigenous Kanak residents, buildings were burned and wrecked vehicles remained in the middle of the road.

Kanak²

  • /kəˈnæk/

Where it comes from

Borrowed from Sanskrit कनक (kanaka).

proper noun Canaque

  1. A female given name from Sanskrit used in India.

Translations

Every language

noun indigenous Melanesian inhabitant of New Caledonia

Españolcanaco
日本語カナック Kanakku
Françaiscanaque, Kanak, Kanake, Canaque
DeutschKanake, Kanakin
Русскийкана́к kanák

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"Kanak." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/kanak. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

Kanak. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/kanak

Chicago

"Kanak." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/kanak.

BibTeX
@misc{kanak_2026,
  title = {Kanak},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/kanak},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}