noun · verb · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/ˈhɑːkə/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈhæ-/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈhɑkə/
General-American:/ˈhæ-/
New-Zealand:/ˈhaka/
New-Zealand:/ˈhaːka/
rhymes with -ɑːkə
rhymes with -ækə
homophone: Hakka (in some dialects)
1
noun
Meaning 1
A group dance of New Zealand's Māori people featuring rhythmic chanting, vigorous facial and arm movements, and foot stamping. Traditionally a war dance, today it is also performed to welcome guests, as a mark of respect at occasions such as commemorations and funerals, as a challenge to opposing teams at sports events, and for artistic purposes.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
To perform the haka.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Māori haka, from Proto-Polynesian *saka, from Proto-Oceanic *sagaʀ. The word is cognate with Hawaiian haʻa (“dance”), Mangarevan ʻaka (“to perform a traditional dance; a usually warlike dance accompanied by a chant”), Rarotongan ʻaka (“dance”), Samoan saʻa (“dance”), Tokelauan haka (“dance”), Tongan haka (“hand action made while singing”).
Across languages
Translations
18 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
هَاكَا
(hākā)
— group dance of New Zealand's Māori people
Armenian:
հակա
(haka)
— group dance of New Zealand's Māori people
Bulgarian:
ха́ка
(háka)
— group dance of New Zealand's Māori people
Chinese Cantonese:
毛利人戰舞 /毛利人战舞
— group dance of New Zealand's Māori people
Chinese Mandarin:
哈卡舞
(hākǎwǔ)
— group dance of New Zealand's Māori people
Czech:
haka
— group dance of New Zealand's Māori people
Galician:
haka
— group dance of New Zealand's Māori people
Georgian:
ჰაკა
(haḳa)
— group dance of New Zealand's Māori people
German:
Haka
— group dance of New Zealand's Māori people
Hebrew:
האקה
— group dance of New Zealand's Māori people
Hindi:
हाका
(hākā)
— group dance of New Zealand's Māori people
Japanese:
ハカ
(haka)
— group dance of New Zealand's Māori people
Korean:
하카
(haka)
— group dance of New Zealand's Māori people
Māori:
haka
— group dance of New Zealand's Māori people
Persian:
هاکا
(hâkâ)
— group dance of New Zealand's Māori people
Russian:
ха́ка
(xáka)
— group dance of New Zealand's Māori people
Serbo-Croatian:
хака
— group dance of New Zealand's Māori people
Ukrainian:
га́ка
(háka)
— group dance of New Zealand's Māori people
