kana

[ kah-nuh; Japanese kah-nah ]

/ ˈkɑ nə; Japanese ˈkɑ nɑ /

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noun

a Japanese syllabic script consisting of 71 symbols and having two written varieties.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Compare hiragana, katakana.

Origin of kana

1720–30; <Japanese; earlier kanna,kari-na makeshift names (i.e., characters) as opposed to ma-na true characters, i.e., kanji

Words nearby kana

kamseen, Kam-Tai, Kamut, Kamyshin, Kan., kana, kanae, Kanak, kanaka, kana-majiri, kanamycin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use kana in a sentence

Soon they came to a swamp, and Kana′tĭ told them there was something dangerous there and they must keep away from it.
Myths of the Cherokee|James Mooney
Whenever Kana′tĭ went into the mountains he always brought back a fat buck or doe, or maybe a couple of turkeys.
Myths of the Cherokee|James Mooney
At once there ran out a buck, which Kana′tĭ shot, and then lifting it upon his back he started for home again.
Myths of the Cherokee|James Mooney
A few days afterward Kana′tĭ took a bow and some feathers in his hand and started off toward the west.
Myths of the Cherokee|James Mooney

Kana′tĭ stood looking on until he thought they had been punished enough, when he knocked off the vermin and made the boys a talk.
Myths of the Cherokee|James Mooney

British Dictionary definitions for kana

kana

/ (ˈkɑːnə) /

noun

the Japanese syllabary, which consists of two written varietiesSee hiragana, katakana

Word Origin for kana

C18: from Japanese, literally: borrowed or provisional letters; compare kanji, which are regarded as real letters

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