Standard Lemma guide

Tai-Kadai

adj · name · 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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Synonym of Kra-Dai (“pertaining to that family”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Kra-Dai

Antonyms: none provided

2

name

Meaning 2

Synonym of Kra-Dai (“a major language family spoken in large parts of Southeast Asia”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Kra-Dai

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Tai + Kadai. Coined by Paul K. Benedict in 1942.

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Cantonese: 侗台語系 (dung6 toi4 jyu5 hai6) — major language family spoken in large parts of Southeast Asia
  • Chinese Mandarin: 壯侗語族 /壮侗语族 — major language family spoken in large parts of Southeast Asia
  • Wu Chinese: 侗台语 — major language family spoken in large parts of Southeast Asia
  • Lao: ກຸ່ມພາສາໄທ-ກະໄດ (kum phā sā thai ka dai) — major language family spoken in large parts of Southeast Asia
  • Russian: тай-кадайская языковая семья (taj-kadajskaja jazykovaja semʹja) — major language family spoken in large parts of Southeast Asia
  • Thai: ตระกูลภาษาไท-กะได — major language family spoken in large parts of Southeast Asia