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Definition of kahawai

kahawai

/kɑːˈhɑːwaɪ/
ka · ha · wai
Plural:kahawai
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kahawai Lexical Profile

kahawai Game Scores & Validity

• noun

1

New Zealand A moderately large, schooling marine fish (Arripis trutta) native to the coastal waters of New Zealand and Australia, highly valued as both a commercial catch and a hard-fighting sport fish.

Example

"We spent the afternoon fishing off the rocks and managed to catch a large kahawai on a silver spinner."

Word Nuance & Usage

In Australia, the kahawai is commonly referred to as the Australian salmon, despite having no close biological relation to true salmon.

• Rhymes for kahawai

• Nearby Words

kaffir lily
kafue
kagu
kahawai
kahikatea
kahuna
kaieteur falls

Word Origin & Etymology

Borrowed directly from Maori 'kahawai'.

Usage Trend

Historical frequency of usage in published text.

180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer

Cite this Entry

Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Kahawai. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Nov 5, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/kahawai
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