shaka
/ˈʃɑːkə/noun
shaka is spelled S-H-A-K-A: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,363rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, shaka means “A greeting gesture in which the thumb and little finger are extended while curling the three middle fingers in a semi-fist, used to express a variety…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of shaka is shakas.
How many letters and syllables are in shaka?
| Letters | 5: S-H-A-K-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 45,363rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 shaka?
Shaka appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 45,363rd 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 shaka?
- /ˈʃɑːkə/
Shaka has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What rhymes with shaka?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as shaka.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: kasha.
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 shaka
- shakas plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does shaka mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A greeting gesture in which the thumb and little finger are extended while curling the three middle fingers in a semi-fist, used to express a variety of positive meanings including all right, hello and goodbye.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Shaka in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense greeting gesture:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | hang loose, sinal do Ronaldinho |
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 shaka come from?
Origin uncertain. Shaka is not a word in the Hawaiian language, which lacks the /ʃ/ sound.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).