*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of ki

Borrowed from Hawaiian kī.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

A plant native to the Pacific islands and China (Cordyline fruticosa); ti.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Hawaiian kī.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "haw:kī",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#loanword|Borrowed]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Hawaiian\", \"term\" : \"kī\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"haw\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"ki\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"ki\">\nBorrowed from Hawaiian kī."
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bor",
        "3": "haw:kī",
        "text": "+",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Hawaiian kī."
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "kī",
      "kī#Hawaiian"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A plant native to the Pacific islands and China (Cordyline fruticosa); ti."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "8f773906cbfdd95ad4d81a3a43db325635f065f675440791b56951ae3a12e970",
      "rawRecordSha256": "fb44fe4ff2f116187407aa8194cfaab116731a6d468432ba7b4af183ff3827bb",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 249949
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative form of chi.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From dated romanizations of Mandarin 氣 /气 (qì) without the k-q merger, or from Japanese 気 (ki), both ultimately from the same Middle Chinese origin.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Borrowed-form mention氣cmn
  • Borrowed-form mention気ja
Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "氣",
        "tr": "qì"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin 氣 /气 (qì)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ja",
        "3": "気",
        "tr": "ki"
      },
      "expansion": "Japanese 気 (ki)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ltc",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Chinese"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "氣",
      "氣#Mandarin"
    ],
    [
      "气",
      "气#Mandarin"
    ],
    [
      "気",
      "気#Japanese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of chi."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "alternative",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "7d175937302d52724c96df414c21f9020c9c16e12fc2116c2e1e4edb31fa1f36",
      "rawRecordSha256": "28c36a6d0c62e73df30f434dfca6c41876f65757d1162362ac90941a85af57c6",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 249952
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for ki →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-a2k