"ka-" meaning in Swahili

See ka- in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Prefix

Audio: Sw-ke-ka.flac
Head templates: {{head|sw|prefix}} ka-
  1. third-person singular animate ([[Appendix:Swahili_noun_classes#M-wa class|m class_((I))]]) recent-past perfective marker Tags: morpheme
    Sense id: en-ka--sw-prefix-TXSU0lFZ Related terms (Final): Negative present [-i] Related terms (Final; General (positive indicative)): -a Related terms (Final; Positive subjunctive): -e Related terms (Final; Second person plural): -ni Related terms (Infix position negative subject concord): -ja-1 (english: Not yet) Related terms (Infix position negative subject concord; Negative future): -ta- Related terms (Infix position negative subject concord; Negative past): -ku-1 Related terms (Infix position negative subject concord; Negative past conditional): -ngali- Related terms (Infix position negative subject concord; Negative present conditional): -nge- Related terms (Infix position positive subject concord): -a-1, past: -lisha- (english: Already), present: -mesha- (english: Already), -sha- (english: Already), -ki-1 (english: If/When), -sipo- (english: If not) Related terms (Infix position positive subject concord; Consecutive): -ka-1 Related terms (Infix position positive subject concord; Negative past conditional): -singali- Related terms (Infix position positive subject concord; Negative present conditional): -singe- Related terms (Infix position positive subject concord; Negative subjunctive): -si-1 Related terms (Infix position positive subject concord; Perfect): -me- Related terms (Infix position positive subject concord; Positive future): -ta- Related terms (Infix position positive subject concord; Positive past): -li- Related terms (Infix position positive subject concord; Positive past conditional): -ngali- Related terms (Infix position positive subject concord; Positive present): -na- Related terms (Infix position positive subject concord; Positive present conditional): -nge- Related terms (Initial): ka-1 Related terms (Initial; Habitual): hu-1 Related terms (Initial; Negative infinitive): kuto- Related terms (Initial; Positive infinitive): ku-, kw-1 Related terms (Relative; Future): -taka- Related terms (Relative; Negative): -si- Related terms (Relative; Past): -li- Related terms (Relative; Present): -na-
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 1

Prefix

Audio: Sw-ke-ka.flac
Etymology: Ultimately from Proto-Bantu *kà-. Etymology templates: {{der|sw|bnt-pro|*kà-}} Proto-Bantu *kà- Head templates: {{head|sw|prefix}} ka-
  1. (colloquial or dialect, nonstandard) noun class 12 prefix, used with a diminutive or depreciative meaning Tags: colloquial, dialectal, morpheme, nonstandard
    Sense id: en-ka--sw-prefix-i7sUCCJV Categories (other): Swahili entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of Swahili entries with incorrect language header: 23 77
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Etymology number: 2
{
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "sw",
        "2": "prefix"
      },
      "expansion": "ka-",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Swahili",
  "lang_code": "sw",
  "pos": "prefix",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Near-synonyms: ali-, ame-"
        },
        {
          "english": "I have worked hard on my own and God has helped me, […]",
          "ref": "1973, Mohammed S. Abdulla, Duniani kuna watu, page 5:",
          "text": "Nimefanya jitihada mwenyewe na Mungu kanisaidia,[…]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "english": "President Obama has left, let us not return to a life of shame",
          "ref": "2013, “Rais Obama kaondoka, tusirudie maisha ya aibu”, in Mwananchi:",
          "text": "Rais Obama kaondoka, tusirudie maisha ya aibu",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "third-person singular animate ([[Appendix:Swahili_noun_classes#M-wa class|m class_((I))]]) recent-past perfective marker"
      ],
      "id": "en-ka--sw-prefix-TXSU0lFZ",
      "related": [
        {
          "sense": "Initial; Positive infinitive",
          "word": "ku-"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Initial; Positive infinitive",
          "word": "kw-1"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Initial; Negative infinitive",
          "word": "kuto-"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Initial; Habitual",
          "word": "hu-1"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Initial",
          "word": "ka-1"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Final; General (positive indicative)",
          "word": "-a"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Final; Positive subjunctive",
          "word": "-e"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Final",
          "tags": [
            "-i"
          ],
          "word": "Negative present"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Final; Second person plural",
          "word": "-ni"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Positive past",
          "word": "-li-"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Positive present",
          "word": "-na-"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Positive future",
          "word": "-ta-"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Negative subjunctive",
          "word": "-si-1"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Positive present conditional",
          "word": "-nge-"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Negative present conditional",
          "word": "-singe-"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Positive past conditional",
          "word": "-ngali-"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Negative past conditional",
          "word": "-singali-"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord",
          "word": "-a-1"
        },
        {
          "english": "Already",
          "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord",
          "word": "past: -lisha-"
        },
        {
          "english": "Already",
          "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord",
          "word": "present: -mesha-"
        },
        {
          "english": "Already",
          "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord",
          "word": "-sha-"
        },
        {
          "english": "If/When",
          "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord",
          "word": "-ki-1"
        },
        {
          "english": "If not",
          "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord",
          "word": "-sipo-"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Perfect",
          "word": "-me-"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Consecutive",
          "word": "-ka-1"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Infix position negative subject concord; Negative past",
          "word": "-ku-1"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Infix position negative subject concord; Negative future",
          "word": "-ta-"
        },
        {
          "english": "Not yet",
          "sense": "Infix position negative subject concord",
          "word": "-ja-1"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Infix position negative subject concord; Negative present conditional",
          "word": "-nge-"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Infix position negative subject concord; Negative past conditional",
          "word": "-ngali-"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Relative; Past",
          "word": "-li-"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Relative; Present",
          "word": "-na-"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Relative; Future",
          "word": "-taka-"
        },
        {
          "sense": "Relative; Negative",
          "word": "-si-"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "Sw-ke-ka.flac",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/54/Sw-ke-ka.flac/Sw-ke-ka.flac.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/54/Sw-ke-ka.flac/Sw-ke-ka.flac.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "ka-"
}

{
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "sw",
        "2": "bnt-pro",
        "3": "*kà-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Bantu *kà-",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Ultimately from Proto-Bantu *kà-.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "sw",
        "2": "prefix"
      },
      "expansion": "ka-",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Swahili",
  "lang_code": "sw",
  "pos": "prefix",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "23 77",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Swahili entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "noun class 12 prefix, used with a diminutive or depreciative meaning"
      ],
      "id": "en-ka--sw-prefix-i7sUCCJV",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(colloquial or dialect, nonstandard) noun class 12 prefix, used with a diminutive or depreciative meaning"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial",
        "dialectal",
        "morpheme",
        "nonstandard"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "Sw-ke-ka.flac",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/54/Sw-ke-ka.flac/Sw-ke-ka.flac.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/54/Sw-ke-ka.flac/Sw-ke-ka.flac.ogg"
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  "word": "ka-"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "Pages with 24 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Swahili entries with incorrect language header",
    "Swahili lemmas",
    "Swahili prefixes",
    "Swahili terms derived from Proto-Bantu"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 1,
  "head_templates": [
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        "2": "prefix"
      },
      "expansion": "ka-",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Swahili",
  "lang_code": "sw",
  "pos": "prefix",
  "related": [
    {
      "sense": "Initial; Positive infinitive",
      "word": "ku-"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Initial; Positive infinitive",
      "word": "kw-1"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Initial; Negative infinitive",
      "word": "kuto-"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Initial; Habitual",
      "word": "hu-1"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Initial",
      "word": "ka-1"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Final; General (positive indicative)",
      "word": "-a"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Final; Positive subjunctive",
      "word": "-e"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Final",
      "tags": [
        "-i"
      ],
      "word": "Negative present"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Final; Second person plural",
      "word": "-ni"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Positive past",
      "word": "-li-"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Positive present",
      "word": "-na-"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Positive future",
      "word": "-ta-"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Negative subjunctive",
      "word": "-si-1"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Positive present conditional",
      "word": "-nge-"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Negative present conditional",
      "word": "-singe-"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Positive past conditional",
      "word": "-ngali-"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Negative past conditional",
      "word": "-singali-"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord",
      "word": "-a-1"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Perfect",
      "word": "-me-"
    },
    {
      "english": "Already",
      "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord",
      "word": "past: -lisha-"
    },
    {
      "english": "Already",
      "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord",
      "word": "present: -mesha-"
    },
    {
      "english": "Already",
      "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord",
      "word": "-sha-"
    },
    {
      "english": "If/When",
      "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord",
      "word": "-ki-1"
    },
    {
      "english": "If not",
      "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord",
      "word": "-sipo-"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Infix position positive subject concord; Consecutive",
      "word": "-ka-1"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Infix position negative subject concord; Negative past",
      "word": "-ku-1"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Infix position negative subject concord; Negative future",
      "word": "-ta-"
    },
    {
      "english": "Not yet",
      "sense": "Infix position negative subject concord",
      "word": "-ja-1"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Infix position negative subject concord; Negative present conditional",
      "word": "-nge-"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Infix position negative subject concord; Negative past conditional",
      "word": "-ngali-"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Relative; Past",
      "word": "-li-"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Relative; Present",
      "word": "-na-"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Relative; Future",
      "word": "-taka-"
    },
    {
      "sense": "Relative; Negative",
      "word": "-si-"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Swahili terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Near-synonyms: ali-, ame-"
        },
        {
          "english": "I have worked hard on my own and God has helped me, […]",
          "ref": "1973, Mohammed S. Abdulla, Duniani kuna watu, page 5:",
          "text": "Nimefanya jitihada mwenyewe na Mungu kanisaidia,[…]",
          "type": "quote"
        },
        {
          "english": "President Obama has left, let us not return to a life of shame",
          "ref": "2013, “Rais Obama kaondoka, tusirudie maisha ya aibu”, in Mwananchi:",
          "text": "Rais Obama kaondoka, tusirudie maisha ya aibu",
          "type": "quote"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "third-person singular animate ([[Appendix:Swahili_noun_classes#M-wa class|m class_((I))]]) recent-past perfective marker"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "Sw-ke-ka.flac",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/54/Sw-ke-ka.flac/Sw-ke-ka.flac.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/54/Sw-ke-ka.flac/Sw-ke-ka.flac.ogg"
    }
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  "word": "ka-"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "Pages with 24 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Swahili entries with incorrect language header",
    "Swahili lemmas",
    "Swahili prefixes",
    "Swahili terms derived from Proto-Bantu"
  ],
  "etymology_number": 2,
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "sw",
        "2": "bnt-pro",
        "3": "*kà-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Bantu *kà-",
      "name": "der"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Ultimately from Proto-Bantu *kà-.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "sw",
        "2": "prefix"
      },
      "expansion": "ka-",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Swahili",
  "lang_code": "sw",
  "pos": "prefix",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Swahili colloquialisms",
        "Swahili dialectal terms",
        "Swahili nonstandard terms"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "noun class 12 prefix, used with a diminutive or depreciative meaning"
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(colloquial or dialect, nonstandard) noun class 12 prefix, used with a diminutive or depreciative meaning"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial",
        "dialectal",
        "morpheme",
        "nonstandard"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "Sw-ke-ka.flac",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/54/Sw-ke-ka.flac/Sw-ke-ka.flac.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/54/Sw-ke-ka.flac/Sw-ke-ka.flac.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "ka-"
}

Download raw JSONL data for ka- meaning in Swahili (5.1kB)

{
  "called_from": "page/1412",
  "msg": "gloss may contain unhandled list items: third-person singular animate ([[Appendix:Swahili_noun_classes#M-wa class|m class_((I))]]) recent-past perfective marker",
  "path": [
    "ka-"
  ],
  "section": "Swahili",
  "subsection": "prefix",
  "title": "ka-",
  "trace": ""
}

{
  "called_from": "linkages/371",
  "msg": "unrecognized linkage prefix: Telegrammic: ka-1 desc=Telegrammic rest=ka-1 cls=romanization cls2=romanization e1=False e2=False",
  "path": [
    "ka-"
  ],
  "section": "Swahili",
  "subsection": "prefix",
  "title": "ka-",
  "trace": ""
}

{
  "called_from": "linkages/371",
  "msg": "unrecognized linkage prefix: Gnomic: -a-1 desc=Gnomic rest=-a-1 cls=romanization cls2=romanization e1=False e2=False",
  "path": [
    "ka-"
  ],
  "section": "Swahili",
  "subsection": "prefix",
  "title": "ka-",
  "trace": ""
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable Swahili dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-03-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-02-21 using wiktextract (7c21d10 and f2e72e5). 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.