"Kanake" meaning in German

See Kanake in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /kaˈnaːkə/, /kaˈnakə/ Audio: De-Kanake.ogg , De-Kanacke.ogg
Etymology: Ultimately from Hawaiian kanaka (“person”). Etymology templates: {{der|de|haw|kanaka||person}} Hawaiian kanaka (“person”) Head templates: {{de-noun|m.weak|f=in}} Kanake m (weak, genitive Kanaken, plural Kanaken, feminine Kanakin) Inflection templates: {{de-ndecl|m.weak}} Forms: Kanaken [genitive], Kanaken [plural], Kanakin [feminine], weak [table-tags], Kanake [nominative, singular], Kanaken [definite, nominative, plural], Kanaken [genitive, singular], Kanaken [definite, genitive, plural], Kanaken [dative, singular], Kanaken [dative, definite, plural], Kanaken [accusative, singular], Kanaken [accusative, definite, plural]
  1. A kanaka; a South Sea Islander. Tags: masculine, weak
    Sense id: en-Kanake-de-noun-7vILhIiF Categories (other): German entries with incorrect language header, German entries with topic categories using raw markup, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of German entries with incorrect language header: 47 22 30 Disambiguation of German entries with topic categories using raw markup: 38 21 41 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 78 9 13 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 72 18 10
  2. (often derogatory, ethnic slur) A non-Germanic-looking person, particularly one of Balkan, Turkish, Arab or Iranian origin; a wog. Tags: derogatory, ethnic, masculine, often, slur, weak Related terms: Kanacke [alternative], Kanak [alternative], Kanack [alternative]
    Sense id: en-Kanake-de-noun-Kxa1r5Hb Categories (other): German ethnic slurs, German entries with topic categories using raw markup Disambiguation of German entries with topic categories using raw markup: 38 21 41
  3. (slang, often derogatory) A working-class ethnic German supporter of Schalke 04 or another football team from the Ruhr region. Tags: derogatory, masculine, often, slang, weak Synonyms: Ruhrpottkanake
    Sense id: en-Kanake-de-noun-Tl8uWS~- Categories (other): German entries with topic categories using raw markup, Football Disambiguation of German entries with topic categories using raw markup: 38 21 41 Disambiguation of Football: 0 0 100
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Derived forms: Azzlack, Kanak Sprak, Kanakenland, Kanakistan, Kuffnucke, Mollucke, Spanake Related terms: Kümmeltürke, Talahon

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "derived": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "Azzlack"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "Kanak Sprak"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "Kanakenland"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "Kanakistan"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "Kuffnucke"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "Mollucke"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "Spanake"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "haw",
        "3": "kanaka",
        "4": "",
        "5": "person"
      },
      "expansion": "Hawaiian kanaka (“person”)",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Ultimately from Hawaiian kanaka (“person”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Kanaken",
      "tags": [
        "genitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanaken",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanakin",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "weak",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "table-tags"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "de-ndecl",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "inflection-template"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanake",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "nominative",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanaken",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "definite",
        "nominative",
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanaken",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "genitive",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanaken",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "definite",
        "genitive",
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanaken",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "dative",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanaken",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "dative",
        "definite",
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanaken",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "accusative",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanaken",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "accusative",
        "definite",
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "m.weak",
        "f": "in"
      },
      "expansion": "Kanake m (weak, genitive Kanaken, plural Kanaken, feminine Kanakin)",
      "name": "de-noun"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenations": [
    {
      "parts": [
        "Ka",
        "na",
        "ke"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "inflection_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "m.weak"
      },
      "name": "de-ndecl"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "German",
  "lang_code": "de",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "Kümmeltürke"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0",
      "word": "Talahon"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "47 22 30",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "German entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "38 21 41",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "German entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "78 9 13",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "72 18 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A kanaka; a South Sea Islander."
      ],
      "id": "en-Kanake-de-noun-7vILhIiF",
      "links": [
        [
          "kanaka",
          "kanaka"
        ],
        [
          "South Sea Islander",
          "South Sea Islander"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "masculine",
        "weak"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "German ethnic slurs",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "38 21 41",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "German entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              21,
              27
            ],
            [
              98,
              104
            ]
          ],
          "bold_translation_offsets": [
            [
              25,
              31
            ],
            [
              88,
              94
            ]
          ],
          "english": "How does it feel to be a Kanake in Germany, was the question I asked myself and others. Kanake, a label that, after more than 30 years of Turkish immigration history, is not only a swearword but also a name that children of “Gastarbeiter” of the second and particularly the third generation carry with proud defiance.",
          "ref": "2004 [1995], Feridun Zaimoğlu, Kanak Sprak, Rotbuch, →ISBN, page 9:",
          "text": "Wie lebt es sich als Kanake in Deutschland, war die Frage, die ich mir und anderen gestellt habe. Kanake, ein Etikett, das nach mehr als 30 Jahren Immigrationsgeschichte von Türken nicht nur Schimpfwort ist, sondern auch ein Name, den »Gastarbeiterkinder« der zweiten und vor allem der dritten Generation mit stolzem Trotz führen.",
          "translation": "How does it feel to be a Kanake in Germany, was the question I asked myself and others. Kanake, a label that, after more than 30 years of Turkish immigration history, is not only a swearword but also a name that children of “Gastarbeiter” of the second and particularly the third generation carry with proud defiance.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              23,
              29
            ],
            [
              218,
              224
            ]
          ],
          "bold_translation_offsets": [
            [
              23,
              29
            ],
            [
              193,
              199
            ]
          ],
          "english": "So here comes the good Kanake, standing right in the middle, and while wondering why people are standing in line, he is soon pointed to his seat. After all, everyone belongs somewhere, and the Kanake belongs best […]",
          "ref": "2012, Maria Stehle, Ghetto Voices in Contemporary German Culture: Textscapes, Filmscapes, Soundscapes, Camden House, →ISBN, page 56:",
          "text": "Da kommt also der gute Kanake, stellt sich mitten rein, und während er sich fragt, warum die Leute so Spalier stehen, wird er im nächsten Moment auf seinen Platz verwiesen. Schließlich gehört jeder irgendwohin und der Kanake am besten[…]",
          "translation": "So here comes the good Kanake, standing right in the middle, and while wondering why people are standing in line, he is soon pointed to his seat. After all, everyone belongs somewhere, and the Kanake belongs best […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A non-Germanic-looking person, particularly one of Balkan, Turkish, Arab or Iranian origin; a wog."
      ],
      "id": "en-Kanake-de-noun-Kxa1r5Hb",
      "links": [
        [
          "ethnic",
          "ethnic"
        ],
        [
          "slur",
          "slur"
        ],
        [
          "Balkan",
          "Balkans"
        ],
        [
          "wog",
          "wog"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(often derogatory, ethnic slur) A non-Germanic-looking person, particularly one of Balkan, Turkish, Arab or Iranian origin; a wog."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "tags": [
            "alternative"
          ],
          "word": "Kanacke"
        },
        {
          "tags": [
            "alternative"
          ],
          "word": "Kanak"
        },
        {
          "tags": [
            "alternative"
          ],
          "word": "Kanack"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "derogatory",
        "ethnic",
        "masculine",
        "often",
        "slur",
        "weak"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "38 21 41",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "German entries with topic categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "0 0 100",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "de",
          "name": "Football",
          "orig": "de:Football",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A working-class ethnic German supporter of Schalke 04 or another football team from the Ruhr region."
      ],
      "id": "en-Kanake-de-noun-Tl8uWS~-",
      "links": [
        [
          "derogatory",
          "derogatory"
        ],
        [
          "working-class",
          "working-class"
        ],
        [
          "Ruhr",
          "Ruhr"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(slang, often derogatory) A working-class ethnic German supporter of Schalke 04 or another football team from the Ruhr region."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "Ruhrpottkanake"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "derogatory",
        "masculine",
        "often",
        "slang",
        "weak"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/kaˈnaːkə/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/kaˈnakə/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "De-Kanake.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/c3/De-Kanake.ogg/De-Kanake.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/De-Kanake.ogg"
    },
    {
      "audio": "De-Kanacke.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0a/De-Kanacke.ogg/De-Kanacke.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/De-Kanacke.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "Kanake"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "German entries with incorrect language header",
    "German entries with topic categories using raw markup",
    "German lemmas",
    "German masculine nouns",
    "German nouns",
    "German terms derived from Hawaiian",
    "German weak nouns",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "de:Football"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "Azzlack"
    },
    {
      "word": "Kanak Sprak"
    },
    {
      "word": "Kanakenland"
    },
    {
      "word": "Kanakistan"
    },
    {
      "word": "Kuffnucke"
    },
    {
      "word": "Mollucke"
    },
    {
      "word": "Spanake"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "haw",
        "3": "kanaka",
        "4": "",
        "5": "person"
      },
      "expansion": "Hawaiian kanaka (“person”)",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Ultimately from Hawaiian kanaka (“person”).",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "Kanaken",
      "tags": [
        "genitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanaken",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanakin",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "weak",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "table-tags"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "de-ndecl",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "inflection-template"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanake",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "nominative",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanaken",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "definite",
        "nominative",
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanaken",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "genitive",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanaken",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "definite",
        "genitive",
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanaken",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "dative",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanaken",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "dative",
        "definite",
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanaken",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "accusative",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "Kanaken",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "accusative",
        "definite",
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "m.weak",
        "f": "in"
      },
      "expansion": "Kanake m (weak, genitive Kanaken, plural Kanaken, feminine Kanakin)",
      "name": "de-noun"
    }
  ],
  "hyphenations": [
    {
      "parts": [
        "Ka",
        "na",
        "ke"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "inflection_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "m.weak"
      },
      "name": "de-ndecl"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "German",
  "lang_code": "de",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "Kümmeltürke"
    },
    {
      "word": "Talahon"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A kanaka; a South Sea Islander."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "kanaka",
          "kanaka"
        ],
        [
          "South Sea Islander",
          "South Sea Islander"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "masculine",
        "weak"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "German ethnic slurs",
        "German terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              21,
              27
            ],
            [
              98,
              104
            ]
          ],
          "bold_translation_offsets": [
            [
              25,
              31
            ],
            [
              88,
              94
            ]
          ],
          "english": "How does it feel to be a Kanake in Germany, was the question I asked myself and others. Kanake, a label that, after more than 30 years of Turkish immigration history, is not only a swearword but also a name that children of “Gastarbeiter” of the second and particularly the third generation carry with proud defiance.",
          "ref": "2004 [1995], Feridun Zaimoğlu, Kanak Sprak, Rotbuch, →ISBN, page 9:",
          "text": "Wie lebt es sich als Kanake in Deutschland, war die Frage, die ich mir und anderen gestellt habe. Kanake, ein Etikett, das nach mehr als 30 Jahren Immigrationsgeschichte von Türken nicht nur Schimpfwort ist, sondern auch ein Name, den »Gastarbeiterkinder« der zweiten und vor allem der dritten Generation mit stolzem Trotz führen.",
          "translation": "How does it feel to be a Kanake in Germany, was the question I asked myself and others. Kanake, a label that, after more than 30 years of Turkish immigration history, is not only a swearword but also a name that children of “Gastarbeiter” of the second and particularly the third generation carry with proud defiance.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              23,
              29
            ],
            [
              218,
              224
            ]
          ],
          "bold_translation_offsets": [
            [
              23,
              29
            ],
            [
              193,
              199
            ]
          ],
          "english": "So here comes the good Kanake, standing right in the middle, and while wondering why people are standing in line, he is soon pointed to his seat. After all, everyone belongs somewhere, and the Kanake belongs best […]",
          "ref": "2012, Maria Stehle, Ghetto Voices in Contemporary German Culture: Textscapes, Filmscapes, Soundscapes, Camden House, →ISBN, page 56:",
          "text": "Da kommt also der gute Kanake, stellt sich mitten rein, und während er sich fragt, warum die Leute so Spalier stehen, wird er im nächsten Moment auf seinen Platz verwiesen. Schließlich gehört jeder irgendwohin und der Kanake am besten[…]",
          "translation": "So here comes the good Kanake, standing right in the middle, and while wondering why people are standing in line, he is soon pointed to his seat. After all, everyone belongs somewhere, and the Kanake belongs best […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A non-Germanic-looking person, particularly one of Balkan, Turkish, Arab or Iranian origin; a wog."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "ethnic",
          "ethnic"
        ],
        [
          "slur",
          "slur"
        ],
        [
          "Balkan",
          "Balkans"
        ],
        [
          "wog",
          "wog"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(often derogatory, ethnic slur) A non-Germanic-looking person, particularly one of Balkan, Turkish, Arab or Iranian origin; a wog."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "tags": [
            "alternative"
          ],
          "word": "Kanacke"
        },
        {
          "tags": [
            "alternative"
          ],
          "word": "Kanak"
        },
        {
          "tags": [
            "alternative"
          ],
          "word": "Kanack"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "derogatory",
        "ethnic",
        "masculine",
        "often",
        "slur",
        "weak"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "German derogatory terms",
        "German slang"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A working-class ethnic German supporter of Schalke 04 or another football team from the Ruhr region."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "derogatory",
          "derogatory"
        ],
        [
          "working-class",
          "working-class"
        ],
        [
          "Ruhr",
          "Ruhr"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(slang, often derogatory) A working-class ethnic German supporter of Schalke 04 or another football team from the Ruhr region."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "Ruhrpottkanake"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "derogatory",
        "masculine",
        "often",
        "slang",
        "weak"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/kaˈnaːkə/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/kaˈnakə/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "De-Kanake.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/c3/De-Kanake.ogg/De-Kanake.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/De-Kanake.ogg"
    },
    {
      "audio": "De-Kanacke.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0a/De-Kanacke.ogg/De-Kanacke.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/De-Kanacke.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "Kanake"
}

Download raw JSONL data for Kanake meaning in German (6.0kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable German dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-02-11 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-02-01 using wiktextract (f492ef9 and 59dc20b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.