Kannada
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What does Kannada mean? Kannada is the name of a language mainly spoken in the Indian state of Karnataka. The Republic of India is a south Asian country made up of 25 states and 7 territories, with the state of Karnataka located in the southwest. Kannada is one of the languages that make up the Dravidian family of languages native to southern India and Sri Lanka. Kannada is also known as Kanarese. Kannada is the state language of Karnataka and is among the most popular languages in India. Worldwide, over 40 million people speak Kannada.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Mushtaq made history earlier this year when she became the first author writing in the Kannada language to win an International Booker.
From BBC • Aug. 29, 2025
In 2017, KS Nisar Ahmed, a Kannada poet and author, had been given the honour.
From BBC • Aug. 29, 2025
Mushtaq worked hard to become fluent in Kannada, but this alien tongue would become the language she chose for her literary expression.
From BBC • May 20, 2025
The newfound capability presented an advantage for national politicians versed primarily in India’s official language, Hindi, to transmit communications to voters in southern states in other languages and dialects, like Kannada and Malayalam.
From Slate • Jun. 6, 2024
And even though we've been speaking in Kannada, Amma and I, everyone else in our cell must see I'm upset.
From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
