haka
ha·ka/ˈhɑkə/noun, verb
haka is spelled H-A-K-A: 4 letters and 2 syllables (ha·ka). It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 54,192nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, haka means “A group dance of New Zealand's Māori people featuring rhythmic chanting, vigorous facial and arm movements, and foot stamping. Traditionally a war…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of haka is hakas.
How many letters and syllables are in haka?
| Letters | 4: H-A-K-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: ha·ka |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 54,192nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is haka?
Haka appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 54,192nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce haka?
- UK /ˈhɑːkə/
- UK /ˈhæ-/
- US /ˈhɑkə/
Haka has 2 syllables, split ha·ka in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-haka.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with haka
Sounds like: Hakka (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with haka?
4 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as haka from its last stressed vowel (/ɑkə/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of haka
- hakas plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- hakaing participle, present
- hakaed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does haka mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 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.
verb
- 1
To perform the haka.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Haka in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense group dance of New Zealand's Māori people:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Haka |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does haka come from?
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”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).