*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of tanka

From Japanese 短歌 (tanka, “short song”), from Middle Chinese 短 (MC twanX) 歌 (MC ka) (compare Mandarin 短歌 (duǎngē) duǎngē).

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 4 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 form of Japanese verse in five lines of 5, 7, 5, 7, and 7 morae.

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

From Japanese 短歌 (tanka, “short song”), from Middle Chinese 短 (MC twanX) 歌 (MC ka) (compare Mandarin 短歌 (duǎngē) duǎngē).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      "args": {},
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ja",
        "3": "短歌",
        "4": "",
        "5": "short song",
        "tr": "tanka"
      },
      "expansion": "Japanese 短歌 (tanka, “short song”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ltc",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Chinese"
    },
    {
      "name": "ltc-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "短",
        "2": "",
        "3": "short"
      },
      "expansion": "短 (MC twanX)"
    },
    {
      "name": "ltc-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "歌",
        "2": "",
        "3": "song"
      },
      "expansion": "歌 (MC ka)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "cmn",
        "2": "短歌"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin 短歌 (duǎngē)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "短歌",
      "短歌#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "短",
      "短#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "歌",
      "歌#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "短歌",
      "短歌#Mandarin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A form of Japanese verse in five lines of 5, 7, 5, 7, and 7 morae."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative form of thangka (“Tibetan religious artwork”).

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

See thangka.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "links": [
    [
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    ]
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  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of thangka (“Tibetan religious artwork”)."
      ],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

Alternative form of Tanka (“an ethnic group of boat people living in China”). · A kind of boat used in Guangdong, about 25 feet long and often rowed by Tanka women; junk.

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

See Tanka.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    [
      "Tanka",
      "Tanka#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
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  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Alternative form of Tanka (“an ethnic group of boat people living in China”).",
        "A kind of boat used in Guangdong, about 25 feet long and often rowed by Tanka women; junk."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
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      ],
      "recordId": "e467a4738b24f79bfc1c2f2a8938b582f18baf24078c7bfccde3830d92c1924f",
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}

Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

A coin and unit of currency of varying value, formerly used in parts of India and Central Asia.

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

Ultimately from Sanskrit टङ्क (ṭaṅka, “chisel; tanka”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "1": "+ (coin)"
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    },
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "sa",
        "3": "टङ्क",
        "4": "",
        "5": "chisel; tanka"
      },
      "expansion": "Sanskrit टङ्क (ṭaṅka, “chisel; tanka”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "टङ्क",
      "टङ्क#Sanskrit"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
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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 tanka →

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-dGFua2E