waka
Americannoun
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Prosody. tanka.
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poetry written in Japanese, as distinct from poetry written in Chinese by a Japanese writer, or poetry in other languages.
noun
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a Māori canoe, usually made from a tree trunk
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a tribal group claiming descent from the first Māori settlers in New Zealand
Etymology
Origin of waka
1875–80; < Japanese: literally, Japanese song < Middle Chinese, equivalent to Chinese hé harmony (as a euphemistic reading of the character for wō dwarf, an ancient Chinese designation for the Japanese ) + gē song
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.
Sixty-one-year-old Tahi Nepia is calmly paddling his outrigger canoe, called a waka ama in his Indigenous Māori language, as it is buffeted from side to side.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 14, 2022
In addition to the gulf between free verse and waka in Japan, there is also a sharp historical divide between male and female poetry.
From The New Yorker • Aug. 18, 2015
Japan's Emperor Meiji wrote thousands of 31-syllable waka poems, which are still available in anthologies today.
From BBC • May 30, 2014
In Wellington, the 2007 World Cup champions, South Africa, walked to the powhiri from the team’s hotel along the waterfront, escorted by a waka, a Maori canoe.
From New York Times • Sep. 8, 2011
When I waka up I no finda him.
From The Radio Boys at Mountain Pass The Midnight Call for Assistance by Chapman, Allen
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.
