# karu
## Ajië
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [karu]

### Numeral

karu
* two

### References

* Leenhardt, M. (1935) Vocabulaire et grammaire de la langue Houaïlou, Paris: Institut d'ethnologie. Cited in: "Houaïlou" in Greenhill, S.J., Blust, R., & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271–283.
* Leenhardt, M. (1946) Langues et dialectes de l'Austro-Mèlanèsie. Cited in: "Ajiø" in Greenhill, S.J., Blust, R., & Gray, R.D. (2008). The Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database: From Bioinformatics to Lexomics. Evolutionary Bioinformatics, 4:271–283.

## Estonian
### Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *karhu.

### Noun

karu (genitive karu, partitive karu)
* bear

#### Derived terms

* jääkaru

#### Descendants

* → Livonian: karū

## Finnish
### Etymology

Possibly borrowed from a Germanic language (compare Middle Low German karich, karch), and perhaps derived with +‎ -u. Cognate with Karelian karu, Ludian karu.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈkɑru/, [ˈkɑ̝ru]
* Rhymes: -ɑru
* Hyphenation: ka‧ru

### Adjective

karu (comparative karumpi, superlative karuin)
* unfertile, barren, bare (such as of land)
* barren, stark
* austere, harsh

#### Declension

Possessive forms of karu (Kotus type 1/valo, no gradation) :
Rare. Only used with substantive adjectives. :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
karuni
karuni
accusative
nom.
karuni
karuni
gen.
karuni
genitive
karuni
karujeni
partitive
karuani
karujani
inessive
karussani
karuissani
elative
karustani
karuistani
illative
karuuni
karuihini
adessive
karullani
karuillani
ablative
karultani
karuiltani
allative
karulleni
karuilleni
essive
karunani
karuinani
translative
karukseni
karuikseni
abessive
karuttani
karuittani
instructive
comitative
—karuineni
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
karusi
karusi
accusative
nom.
karusi
karusi
gen.
karusi
genitive
karusi
karujesi
partitive
karuasi
karujasi
inessive
karussasi
karuissasi
elative
karustasi
karuistasi
illative
karuusi
karuihisi
adessive
karullasi
karuillasi
ablative
karultasi
karuiltasi
allative
karullesi
karuillesi
essive
karunasi
karuinasi
translative
karuksesi
karuiksesi
abessive
karuttasi
karuittasi
instructive
comitative
—karuinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
karumme
karumme
accusative
nom.
karumme
karumme
gen.
karumme
genitive
karumme
karujemme
partitive
karuamme
karujamme
inessive
karussamme
karuissamme
elative
karustamme
karuistamme
illative
karuumme
karuihimme
adessive
karullamme
karuillamme
ablative
karultamme
karuiltamme
allative
karullemme
karuillemme
essive
karunamme
karuinamme
translative
karuksemme
karuiksemme
abessive
karuttamme
karuittamme
instructive
comitative
—karuinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
karunne
karunne
accusative
nom.
karunne
karunne
gen.
karunne
genitive
karunne
karujenne
partitive
karuanne
karujanne
inessive
karussanne
karuissanne
elative
karustanne
karuistanne
illative
karuunne
karuihinne
adessive
karullanne
karuillanne
ablative
karultanne
karuiltanne
allative
karullenne
karuillenne
essive
karunanne
karuinanne
translative
karuksenne
karuiksenne
abessive
karuttanne
karuittanne
instructive
comitative
—karuinenne
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
karunsa
karunsa
accusative
nom.
karunsa
karunsa
gen.
karunsa
genitive
karunsa
karujensa
partitive
karuaan karuansa
karujaan karujansa
inessive
karussaan karussansa
karuissaan karuissansa
elative
karustaan karustansa
karuistaan karuistansa
illative
karuunsa
karuihinsa
adessive
karullaan karullansa
karuillaan karuillansa
ablative
karultaan karultansa
karuiltaan karuiltansa
allative
karulleen karullensa
karuilleen karuillensa
essive
karunaan karunansa
karuinaan karuinansa
translative
karukseen karuksensa
karuikseen karuiksensa
abessive
karuttaan karuttansa
karuittaan karuittansa
instructive
comitative
—karuineen karuinensa :

#### Derived terms

* karukko
* karusti
* karuuntua
* karuus

### References

* ↑ Ruppel, Klaas, editor (2021–2023), Suomen etymologinen sanakirja [Finnish Etymological Dictionary] (Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 72)‎ (in Finnish), Kotimaisten kielten keskus, →ISSN

### Further reading

* “karu”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

### Anagrams

* kura

## Gurindji
### Noun

karu
* child

### References

* Gurindji language words from the 50 words project from the Research Unit for Indigenous Language at the University of Melbourne. Retrieved 7 November 2024.

## Japanese
### Romanization

karu
* Rōmaji transcription of かる

## Kambera
### Alternative forms

* karung

### Noun

karu
* sack

### References

* Marian Klamer (1998) A Grammar of Kambera, Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 213

## Karelian
### Noun

karu
* devil

## Latvian
### Noun

karu m
* inflection of karš:
** accusative singular
** instrumental/genitive plural

### Verb

karu
* first-person singular present indicative of kārt

## Lower Sorbian
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈkaru/

### Noun

karu
* accusative/instrumental singular of kara

## Maori
### Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *kalu₂ (compare with Samoan ‘alu).
Sense of eye likely from 'spongy pulp of the calabash' > 'spongy membrane surrounding the eye' > 'pupil of the eye' > 'eye'.

### Noun

karu
* spongy matter (pulp around the seeds of a bottle gourd, brains, clotted blood etc)
    Synonyms: pukahu, kōpuka, roro
* pupil of the eye
* eye
    Synonyms: mata, whatu
    E ai ki ngā kōrero i whakapurua e Te Whānau-a-Apanui ngā karu o te papa angaanga o tana matua, o Te Pori-o-te-rangi, ki te harare pūwhero.It is said that Te Whānau-a-Apanui plugged up the eye sockets of the skull of her father, Te Pori-o-te-rangi, with red sealing wax.

#### Derived terms

* kakaru
* karukaru
* karupango

### References

* ↑ Compare “kalub, kalua” in Ross Clark and Simon J. Greenhill, editors (2011). POLLEX-Online: The Polynesian Lexicon Project Online.
* 1 2 “Hue”, in Te Māra Reo‎, Benson Family Trust, 2025

### Further reading

* Williams, Herbert William (1917) “karu”, in A Dictionary of the Maori Language, page 120
* “karu” in John C. Moorfield, Te Aka: Maori–English, English–Maori Dictionary and Index, 3rd edition, Longman/Pearson Education New Zealand, 2011, →ISBN.

## Old Tupi
### Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Tupi-Guarani *kaʔru, from *kar- (“thing”) +‎ *ʔu (“to eat”), literally “to eat things”.
Cognate with Awetí kat-ʔu, Guaraní karu.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kaˈɾu/
* Rhymes: -u
* Hyphenation: ka‧ru

### Noun

karu (possessable)
* consumption (the act of eating)
* meal; repast (food served or eaten)
* overeating (the act of eating to excess)

#### Derived terms

* inambukaru
* karugûasu

### Adjective

karu (noun form karu)
* gluttonous (prone to overeating)

#### Derived terms

* abakaru

### Verb

karu (first-person singular active indicative akaru, first-person singular negative active indicative n'akaruî, noun karu) (intransitive)
* to eat
    Near-synonym: 'u (transitive)
* to graze (to eat grass from a pasture)

#### Derived terms

* karûaba

#### Descendants

* Nheengatu: karú

### References

* ↑ Beatriz Carretta Corrêa da Silva (2010) Mawé/Awetí/Tupí-Guaraní: relações linguísticas e implicações históricas (in Portuguese), Brasília: UnB, page 404
* ↑ Aryon d'Alligna Rodrigues (2007) “As consoantes do proto-tupí”, in Aryon d'Alligna Rodrigues, Ana Suelly Arruda Câmara Cabral, editors, Línguas e culturas tupí‎, 1 edition, volume 1, Campinas: Curt Nimuendajú, pages 167–204
* Eduardo de Almeida Navarro (2013) “karu”, in Dicionário de tupi antigo: a língua indígena clássica do Brasil [Dictionary of Old Tupi: The Classical Indigenous Language of Brazil] (overall work in Portuguese), São Paulo: Global, →ISBN, page 222, column 2

## Papiamentu
### Alternative forms

* caro (Aruba)

### Etymology

From Portuguese caro and Spanish caro, ultimately from Latin carus

### Adjective

karu
* expensive, costly, pricey
    Mi gusta e kas aki, pero e ta muchu karu.I like this house, but it's too expensive.

## Rapa Nui
### Noun

karu
* seed

## Votic
### Etymology

From Proto-Finnic *karhu.

### Pronunciation

* (Luutsa, Liivtšülä) IPA: /ˈkɑru/, [ˈkɑru]
* Rhymes: -ɑru
* Hyphenation: ka‧ru

### Noun

karu
* bear

#### Inflection
### References

* Hallap, V., Adler, E., Grünberg, S., Leppik, M. (2012) Vadja keele sõnaraamat [A dictionary of the Votic language], 2nd edition, Tallinn