Where does “kanak” come from?

kanak (Hawaiian Creole) comes from Hawaiian kanaka, from Proto-Polynesian taŋata, from Proto-Oceanic *tamʷata — human being, person.

kanak (Hawaiian Creole): a person of Native Hawaiian descent

Definitions

  1. a person of Native Hawaiian descent

Ancestry of “kanak”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Hawaiiankanakahuman being; subject, retainer; a Hawaiian
2Proto-Polynesiantaŋataman, person
3Proto-Oceanic*tamʷatahuman being, person
Every word from Proto-Oceanic *tamʷata →Every word from Proto-Polynesian taŋata →Every word from Hawaiian kanaka →