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Kannada

American  
[kah-nuh-duh, kan-uh-] / ˈkɑ nə də, ˈkæn ə- /

noun

  1. a Dravidian language spoken mainly in the state of Karnataka, in southwest India.


Kannada British  
/ ˈkæn-, ˈkɑːnədə /

noun

  1. Also called: Kanarese.  a language of S India belonging to the Dravidian family of languages: the state language of Karnataka, also spoken in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

But her father, a government employee, wanted more for her and at the age of eight, enrolled her in a convent school where the medium of instruction was the state's official language - Kannada.

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

The Kannada film industry supported this protest, with superstar Rajkumar spearheading the movement.

From BBC • Jan. 11, 2024

Why hasn't he spoken to me in Kannada?

From "Born Behind Bars" by Padma Venkatraman