Etymology

ki

K5I1

Today it means: A term indicating intrinsic energy; usually associated with martial art – karate, judo, aikido, etc. – practitioners who consider ki important to performing at the highest level. Full definition →

Hawaiian kī
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ki · noun1

  1. Hawaiian · borrowed fromkī
  2. Hawaiian · borrowed fromkī
  3. English todayki

Borrowed from Hawaiian kī.

ki · noun2

  1. Japanese · borrowed from気
  2. Mandarin · borrowed from氣 /气
  3. English todayki

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.

kI · noun3

From 氣, 気.

Words from the same roots

Mandarin氣 all →

qich'i

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.