kiai

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 気合.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kiːˈaɪ/

Noun

kiai (plural kiais)

2. The short yell or shout uttered when performing an attacking move in martial arts.

See also

• hi-yah

Indonesian

Etymology 1

From Javanese kyai (ꦏꦾꦲꦶ), from Old Javanese kiya-kiya, kyayi (“respected person”). Semantic loan from Banjarese kiai for distric chief sense. Compare Proto-Malayic *akiʔ (“grandfather”) and Central Malay yai (“grandfather”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈkiʲaʲi]
• Hyphenation: ki‧ai

Noun

kiai (plural kiai-kiai, first-person possessive kiaiku, second-person possessive kiaimu, third-person possessive kiainya)

1. ulema.

   Synonym: ulama

2. spiritual teacher
3. honorific for sacred treasure
4. honorific for tiger (Panthera tigris), when trespass the forest
5. (historical) district chief, in South Kalimantan

Descendants

• → Min Nan: 稽 (ke)

Etymology 2

From Japanese 気合(きあい) (kiai, “yell; spirit, fight”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkiai̯/
• Hyphenation: ki‧ai

Noun

kiai

1. (sports) kiai, the yell or shout uttered when performing a move in martial arts.

Further reading

• “kiai” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation — Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic Indonesia, 2016.

Japanese

Romanization

kiai

1. Rōmaji transcription of きあい