mana

See also: Appendix:Variations of "mana"

Languages (55)

English

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Page categories

English

WOTD – 6 February 2017

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑː.nə/, /ˈmæ-/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑ.nə/, /ˈmæ-/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈmana/

• Audio (New Zealand):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑːnə
• Hyphenation: ma‧na

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Māori mana, ultimately from Proto-Polynesian *mana, from Proto-Oceanic *mana.

The use of "mana" for "magical energy" in role-playing games originated from Larry Niven, when he wrote the short story, "Not Long Before the End", in 1969. It was later popularised by his The Magic Goes Away setting.

Noun

mana (usually uncountable, plural manas)

1. Power, prestige; specifically, a form of supernatural energy in Polynesian religion that inheres in things or people. [from 19th c.]
   • 1862 January 25, Thomas H. Smith, chapter 4, in Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives of New Zealand, Wellington: House of Representatives, →OCLC, pages 10 and 12:

     They further required that a certain number of the old Chiefs should be liberally pensioned by the Government, and placed upon a footing of equality with European gentlemen of independent means, in consideration of their resigning their "mana" as Chiefs in favor of the new system […]

   • 1920, Edward Carpenter, Pagan and Christian Creeds, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., page 61:

     The human tribe partakes of the mana or life-force of the animal, and is strengthened […]

   • 1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, OCLC 71368859; republished London: Folio Society, 2012, OCLC 805007047, page 193:

     But in popular estimation their essential virtue derived from the personal mana of the sovereign.

   • 1999, Pat Hohepa, “My Musket, My Missionary and My Mana”, in Alex Calder, Jonathan Lamb, Bridget Orr, editors, Voyages and Beaches, Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, →ISBN, page 197:

     It can be seen, therefore, that mana is a nonvisible changing measure; it can remain static, increase, or decrease, depending on the actions or inaction of the recipient, and it can be enhanced or diminished.

   • 2001 September, Aldo Matteucci, “Language and Diplomacy – A Practitioner's View”, in Jovan Kurbalija, Hannah Slavik, editors, Language and Diplomacy, Malta: DiploProjects, Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies, University of Malta, →ISBN, page 61:

     Among the Maori sovereignty was the result of mana—power based on hereditary rank and personal achievement. Manas could coexist and overlap, as they did in the medieval times in Europe.

   • 2012, Harold Hill, “Te Ope Whakaora, the Army that Brings Life”, in Hugh [Douglas] Morrison, Lachy Paterson, Brett Knowles, Murray Rae, editors, Mana Māori and Christianity, Wellington: Huia Publishers, →ISBN:

     On a number of occasions in recent years apologies have been offered to Māori because of past offences to their mana and invasions of their rights as tangata whenua.

2. (fantasy roleplaying games) Magical energy.
   • 1969 April, Larry Niven, “Not Long Before the End”, in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction:

     Mana is the name we give to the power behind magic.

   • 1977, David Hargrave, “Magik, What It Is and What It Does” (chapter VII), in The Arduin Grimoire:

     However, all such magik requires the mages [sic] own "MANA" or "internal power" to make it work. Without the mana, a spoken spell is just so much gibberish.

   • 1993, Richard Garfield, “Overview of Play”, in Magic: The Gathering: A Fantasy Trading Card Game [rulebook]‎^[3], Limited Edition Alpha edition, Wizards of the Coast, archived from the original on 8 March 2013, page 9:

     Lands generate mana, which is required to cast spells.

   • 2003 May 20, "Bear", “Makes Lovely Julienne Ogres …”, in rec.games.roguelike.angband‎^[4] (Usenet), message-ID <3EC9C629.4DF117C@sonic.net>:

     […] Teleporting from an open room where there were a dozen black orcs firing bows […] landed me, low on mana and hitpoints, in a room full of gnome mages who instantly summoned four umber hulks and a xorn!

   • 2010, Ernest Adams, “Artifical Life and Puzzle Games”, in Fundamentals of Game Design, 2nd edition, Berkeley, Calif.: New Riders, →ISBN, page 580:

     Mana often grows in exponential proportion to population size, so as the population increases the player acquires vastly greater powers—a progression that god games share with spellcaster characters in role-playing games.

   • 2023 December 1, Evelynn Kersting, “Games and Time”, in University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee‎^[5], archived from the original on 7 June 2025, page 226‎^[6], archived from the original on 6 June 2025:

     The player starts with no mana crystals, and gets one on their first turn, meaning an 8-mana card cannot be played until turn 8.

Derived terms

• mana flood
• mana glut
• manaism
• mana point
• mana screw
• mana shuffle
• mana weave

Translations

Translations

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 吗那, 魔力 (zh) (mólì), 超自然力量

• Japanese: 魔力 (ja) (maryoku), マナ (mana)
• Polish: mana (pl) f
• Spanish: maná (es) m
• Swedish: mana (sv) c

Etymology 2

Noun

mana (plural manas)

1. Alternative form of mina (“ancient unit of weight or currency”).

Etymology 3

Noun

mana (uncountable)

1. Alternative spelling of manna.

Further reading

• mana on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Anagrams

• Nama, naam

Albanian

Noun

mana

1. indefinite nominative/accusative plural of man

Bassa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mɾ̃ã̄]

Noun

mana

1. a blessing

Verb

mana

1. to swallow

References

• Bassa-English Dictionary
• 2007. The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive. Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics.

Blagar

Noun

mana

1. place

References

• Antoinette Schapper, The Papuan Languages of Timor, Alor and Pantar: Volume 1 (2014), p. 162
• Hein Steinhauer, "Going" and "Coming" in the Blagar of Dolap (Pura–Alor–Indonesia)

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Northern, Balearic, Central) [ˈma.nə]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia, Northwestern) [ˈma.na]

Interjection

mana

1. sorry, pardon (I did not hear you)

   Synonym: perdó?

Verb

mana

1. inflection of manar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Cebuano

Alternative forms

• humana

Etymology

From human +‎ na, literally “it is finished”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈna/ [mɐˈn̪a]
• Hyphenation: ma‧na

Adjective

maná (Badlit spelling ᜋᜈ)

1. (colloquial) specifies that the action is finished or completed

   Mana mi'g kaon. ― We are done eating.

   Mana ko'g luto og utan. ― I am done cooking vegetables.

See also

• nag-
• ni-

Central Bikol

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: ma‧na
• IPA^(key): /ˈmana/ [ˈma.n̪a]

Verb

mana

1. to inherit

   Synonyms: eredar, lubos

Noun

mana (Basahan spelling ᜋᜈ)

1. heirloom; inheritance; heritage

Derived terms

• magmana
• manahon
• pamana

Chavacano

Etymology

Possibly from the inability of Spanish speakers to pronounce the /ŋ/ sound of Hiligaynon mga (“used to pluralize nouns”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maˈna/, [maˈna]
• Hyphenation: ma‧na

Particle

maná

1. alternative form of maga

Czech

Etymology

Etymology tree

Biblical Hebrew מָן (mān)bor.

Ancient Greek μάννα (mánna)der.

Late Latin mannabor.

Czech mana

Borrowed from Late Latin manna.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈmana]
• Hyphenation: ma‧na
• Rhymes: -ana

Noun

mana f

1. (biblical) manna

Declension

Declension of mana (hard feminine)

	singular	plural
nominative	mana	many
genitive	many	man
dative	maně	manám
accusative	manu	many
vocative	mano	many
locative	maně	manách
instrumental	manou	manami

Further reading

• “mana”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “mana”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Denya

Noun

mànǎ

1. water

Further reading

• Tanyi Eyong Mbuagbaw, The Denya Noun Class System, in the Journal of West African Languages

Fijian

Noun

mana

1. sign, omen
2. miracle, wonder (use cakamana to specify this meaning)
3. antidote (use mana kina to specify this meaning)
4. (biblical) manna

Adverb

mana

1. so be it, let it be so (addressed to a heathen deity)

Finnish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑnɑ/, [ˈmɑ̝nɑ̝]
• Rhymes: -ɑnɑ
• Syllabification^(key): ma‧na
• Hyphenation^(key): ma‧na

Etymology 1

Probably from Proto-Finnic *mana (compare Southern Sami muonese (“(good or bad) spirit, omen”)). Alternatively possibly a back-formation of manala, which could then originate from maan alla (“under the ground”).

Noun

mana

1. death, Death (personification of death)

Declension

Inflection of mana (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		mana	manat
genitive		manan	manojen
partitive		manaa	manoja
illative		manaan	manoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		mana	manat
accusative	nom.	mana	manat
	gen.	manan
genitive		manan	manojen manain rare
partitive		manaa	manoja
inessive		manassa	manoissa
elative		manasta	manoista
illative		manaan	manoihin
adessive		manalla	manoilla
ablative		manalta	manoilta
allative		manalle	manoille
essive		manana	manoina
translative		manaksi	manoiksi
abessive		manatta	manoitta
instructive		—	manoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of mana (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative manani manani accusative nom. manani manani gen. manani genitive manani manojeni manaini rare partitive manaani manojani inessive manassani manoissani elative manastani manoistani illative manaani manoihini adessive manallani manoillani ablative manaltani manoiltani allative manalleni manoilleni essive mananani manoinani translative manakseni manoikseni abessive manattani manoittani instructive — — comitative — manoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative manasi manasi accusative nom. manasi manasi gen. manasi genitive manasi manojesi manaisi rare partitive manaasi manojasi inessive manassasi manoissasi elative manastasi manoistasi illative manaasi manoihisi adessive manallasi manoillasi ablative manaltasi manoiltasi allative manallesi manoillesi essive mananasi manoinasi translative manaksesi manoiksesi abessive manattasi manoittasi instructive — — comitative — manoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative manamme manamme accusative nom. manamme manamme gen. manamme genitive manamme manojemme manaimme rare partitive manaamme manojamme inessive manassamme manoissamme elative manastamme manoistamme illative manaamme manoihimme adessive manallamme manoillamme ablative manaltamme manoiltamme allative manallemme manoillemme essive mananamme manoinamme translative manaksemme manoiksemme abessive manattamme manoittamme instructive — — comitative — manoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative mananne mananne accusative nom. mananne mananne gen. mananne genitive mananne manojenne manainne rare partitive manaanne manojanne inessive manassanne manoissanne elative manastanne manoistanne illative manaanne manoihinne adessive manallanne manoillanne ablative manaltanne manoiltanne allative manallenne manoillenne essive manananne manoinanne translative manaksenne manoiksenne abessive manattanne manoittanne instructive — — comitative — manoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative manansa manansa accusative nom. manansa manansa gen. manansa genitive manansa manojensa manainsa rare partitive manaansa manojaan manojansa inessive manassaan manassansa manoissaan manoissansa elative manastaan manastansa manoistaan manoistansa illative manaansa manoihinsa adessive manallaan manallansa manoillaan manoillansa ablative manaltaan manaltansa manoiltaan manoiltansa allative manalleen manallensa manoilleen manoillensa essive mananaan mananansa manoinaan manoinansa translative manakseen manaksensa manoikseen manoiksensa abessive manattaan manattansa manoittaan manoittansa instructive — — comitative — manoineen manoinensa

Synonyms

• (death): kuolema, kuolo, tuoni

Derived terms

• nouns: manala (if not back-formation)
• verbs: mennä manalle, mennä manan majoille

Further reading

• “1. mana”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[7] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 1 July 2023

Etymology 2

From Māori mana.

Noun

mana

1. mana

Declension

Inflection of mana (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)
nominative		mana	manat
genitive		manan	manojen
partitive		manaa	manoja
illative		manaan	manoihin
		singular	plural
nominative		mana	manat
accusative	nom.	mana	manat
	gen.	manan
genitive		manan	manojen manain rare
partitive		manaa	manoja
inessive		manassa	manoissa
elative		manasta	manoista
illative		manaan	manoihin
adessive		manalla	manoilla
ablative		manalta	manoilta
allative		manalle	manoille
essive		manana	manoina
translative		manaksi	manoiksi
abessive		manatta	manoitta
instructive		—	manoin
comitative		See the possessive forms below.

Possessive forms of mana (Kotus type 9/kala, no gradation)

first-person singular possessor singular plural nominative manani manani accusative nom. manani manani gen. manani genitive manani manojeni manaini rare partitive manaani manojani inessive manassani manoissani elative manastani manoistani illative manaani manoihini adessive manallani manoillani ablative manaltani manoiltani allative manalleni manoilleni essive mananani manoinani translative manakseni manoikseni abessive manattani manoittani instructive — — comitative — manoineni second-person singular possessor singular plural nominative manasi manasi accusative nom. manasi manasi gen. manasi genitive manasi manojesi manaisi rare partitive manaasi manojasi inessive manassasi manoissasi elative manastasi manoistasi illative manaasi manoihisi adessive manallasi manoillasi ablative manaltasi manoiltasi allative manallesi manoillesi essive mananasi manoinasi translative manaksesi manoiksesi abessive manattasi manoittasi instructive — — comitative — manoinesi first-person plural possessor singular plural nominative manamme manamme accusative nom. manamme manamme gen. manamme genitive manamme manojemme manaimme rare partitive manaamme manojamme inessive manassamme manoissamme elative manastamme manoistamme illative manaamme manoihimme adessive manallamme manoillamme ablative manaltamme manoiltamme allative manallemme manoillemme essive mananamme manoinamme translative manaksemme manoiksemme abessive manattamme manoittamme instructive — — comitative — manoinemme second-person plural possessor singular plural nominative mananne mananne accusative nom. mananne mananne gen. mananne genitive mananne manojenne manainne rare partitive manaanne manojanne inessive manassanne manoissanne elative manastanne manoistanne illative manaanne manoihinne adessive manallanne manoillanne ablative manaltanne manoiltanne allative manallenne manoillenne essive manananne manoinanne translative manaksenne manoiksenne abessive manattanne manoittanne instructive — — comitative — manoinenne third-person possessor singular plural nominative manansa manansa accusative nom. manansa manansa gen. manansa genitive manansa manojensa manainsa rare partitive manaansa manojaan manojansa inessive manassaan manassansa manoissaan manoissansa elative manastaan manastansa manoistaan manoistansa illative manaansa manoihinsa adessive manallaan manallansa manoillaan manoillansa ablative manaltaan manaltansa manoiltaan manoiltansa allative manalleen manallensa manoilleen manoillensa essive mananaan mananansa manoinaan manoinansa translative manakseen manaksensa manoikseen manoiksensa abessive manattaan manattansa manoittaan manoittansa instructive — — comitative — manoineen manoinensa

Further reading

• “2. mana”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[8] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 1 July 2023

Anagrams

• Maan, maan

French

Pronunciation

• Audio (France (Lyon)):

  (file)

Noun

mana m (plural manas)

1. (religion) mana

Further reading

• “mana”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Garo

Verb

mana

1. to rebuke

Hadza

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mana/

Noun

mana m

1. a piece of meat

See also manako (meat), manabee (body), manae (to go to where there is meat)

Hawaiian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.na/, [ˈmɐ.nə]

Etymology 1

From Proto-Polynesian *mana, from Proto-Oceanic *mana.

Noun

mana

1. mana (religious or spiritual power)
2. power, authority

Verb

mana(stative)

1. having mana; divinely powerful, spiritual

Derived terms

• hoʻomana (causative)

Etymology 2

From Proto-Polynesian *maŋa (“branch, fork”). Cognate with Māori manga (“tree branch”).

Noun

mana

1. (of a tree) crotch, branch
2. crosspiece
3. branch (of a road, river, etc.)
4. variant, version

Verb

mana

1. (stative) branching, forking

Related terms

• manamana (“finger”)

Further reading

• mana in Combined Hawaiian Dictionary, at trussel2.com.

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmaːna/
• Rhymes: -aːna

Etymology 1

Ultimately from Proto-Germanic *manōną. Possibly borrowed through Middle Low German or German mahnen (“to urge”).

Verb

mana (weak verb, third-person singular past indicative manaði, supine manað)

1. to dare (someone to do something)

Conjugation

mana – active voice (germynd)

infinitive nafnháttur		að mana
supine sagnbót		manað
present participle lýsingarháttur nútíðar		manandi
		indicative framsöguháttur			subjunctive viðtengingarháttur
		present nútíð	past þátíð		present nútíð	past þátíð
singular	ég	mana	manaði		mani	manaði
	þú	manar	manaðir		manir	manaðir
	hann, hún, það	manar	manaði		mani	manaði
plural	við	mönum	mönuðum		mönum	mönuðum
	þið	manið	mönuðuð		manið	mönuðuð
	þeir, þær, þau	mana	mönuðu		mani	mönuðu
		imperative boðháttur
singular	þú	mana (þú), manaðu
plural	þið	manið (þið), maniði1

¹ Spoken form, usually not written; in writing, the unappended plural form (optionally followed by the full pronoun) is preferred.

manast – mediopassive voice (miðmynd)

infinitive nafnháttur		að manast
supine sagnbót		manast
present participle lýsingarháttur nútíðar		manandist (rare; see appendix)
		indicative framsöguháttur			subjunctive viðtengingarháttur
		present nútíð	past þátíð		present nútíð	past þátíð
singular	ég	manast	manaðist		manist	manaðist
	þú	manast	manaðist		manist	manaðist
	hann, hún, það	manast	manaðist		manist	manaðist
plural	við	mönumst	mönuðumst		mönumst	mönuðumst
	þið	manist	mönuðust		manist	mönuðust
	þeir, þær, þau	manast	mönuðust		manist	mönuðust
		imperative boðháttur
singular	þú	manast (þú), manastu
plural	þið	manist (þið), manisti1

¹ Spoken form, usually not written; in writing, the unappended plural form (optionally followed by the full pronoun) is preferred.

manaður — past participle (lýsingarháttur þátíðar)

strong declension (sterk beyging)	singular (eintala)			plural (fleirtala)
	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)
nominative (nefnifall)	manaður	mönuð	manað	manaðir	manaðar	mönuð
accusative (þolfall)	manaðan	manaða	manað	manaða	manaðar	mönuð
dative (þágufall)	mönuðum	manaðri	mönuðu	mönuðum	mönuðum	mönuðum
genitive (eignarfall)	manaðs	manaðrar	manaðs	manaðra	manaðra	manaðra
weak declension (veik beyging)	singular (eintala)			plural (fleirtala)
	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)	masculine (karlkyn)	feminine (kvenkyn)	neuter (hvorugkyn)
nominative (nefnifall)	manaði	manaða	manaða	mönuðu	mönuðu	mönuðu
accusative (þolfall)	manaða	mönuðu	manaða	mönuðu	mönuðu	mönuðu
dative (þágufall)	manaða	mönuðu	manaða	mönuðu	mönuðu	mönuðu
genitive (eignarfall)	manaða	mönuðu	manaða	mönuðu	mönuðu	mönuðu

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English mana, from Proto-Polynesian *mana, from Proto-Oceanic *mana.

Noun

mana n (genitive singular mana, no plural)

1. (gaming, role playing) mana

Declension

Declension of mana (sg-only neuter)

	singular
	indefinite	definite
nominative	mana	manað
accusative	mana	manað
dative	mana	mananu
genitive	mana	manans

Indonesian

Pronunciation

• (Standard Indonesian) IPA^(key): /ˈmana/ [ˈma.na]
• Rhymes: -ana
• Syllabification: ma‧na

Etymology 1

Inherited from Malay mana.

Pronoun

mana

1. where, which

Adverb

mana

1. where, which
2. (colloquial, in some contexts only) not, doesn't (negates meaning of verb)

Derived terms

Affixations

• bagaimana (“how”)
• mana-mana (“any; anywhere; wherever”)

Compounds

• dari mana (“where (from)”)
• di mana (“where (at)”)
• ke mana (“where (to)”)
• yang mana (“which one; which (relative)”)

Etymology 2

Learned borrowing from Māori mana, ultimately from Proto-Polynesian *mana, from Proto-Oceanic *mana.

Noun

mana (plural mana-mana)

1. mana: A form of supernatural energy in Polynesian religion that inheres in things or people

Etymology 3

Learned borrowing from Biblical Hebrew מן (mān, “'manna”).

Noun

mana (plural mana-mana)

1. (biblical) manna: Food miraculously produced for the Israelites in the desert in the book of Exodus

Further reading

• “mana”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish manadh, from a Proto-Celtic derivative of Proto-Indo-European *men- (“to think”), the source of Latin moneo (“to advise, warn”).

Noun

mana m (genitive singular mana, nominative plural manaí)

1. portent, sign
2. attitude, outlook
3. motto

Declension

Declension of mana (fourth declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative mana manaí vocative a mhana a mhanaí genitive mana manaí dative mana manaí forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an mana na manaí genitive an mhana na manaí dative leis an mana don mhana leis na manaí

Mutation

Mutated forms of mana

radical	lenition	eclipsis
mana	mhana	not applicable

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “mana”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla [Irish–English Dictionary], Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Italian

Etymology 1

From mano, with a vowel change by analogy of the word's gender. Compare Neapolitan mana, Romanian mână.

Noun

mana f (plural mane)

1. (regional) alternative form of mano

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English mana.

Noun

mana m (uncountable)

1. (fantasy roleplaying games) mana

Italiot Greek

Noun

mana f

1. mother

Japanese

Romanization

mana

1. Rōmaji transcription of まな
2. Rōmaji transcription of マナ

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [ˈmaː.naː]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [ˈmaː.na]

Verb

mānā

1. second-person singular present active imperative of mānō

Latvian

Pronoun

mana

1. inflection of mans:
   1. genitive singular masculine
   2. nominative/vocative singular feminine

Verb

mana

1. third-person singular/plural present indicative of manīt
2. (with the particle lai) third-person singular imperative of manīt
3. (with the particle lai) third-person plural imperative of manīt

Laz

Conjunction

mana

1. Latin spelling of მანა (mana)

Macanese

Noun

mana

1. alternative form of mána: older / oldest sister

Malay

Alternative forms

• mn (text messaging)
• mane (pronunciation spelling)
• manoi (pronunciation spelling)

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• (Southern Peninsular Malaysia Standard) IPA^(key): /ˈmanə/ [ˈma.nə]
  • Rhymes: -anə
• (Literary Standard) IPA^(key): /ˈmana/ [ˈma.na]
  • Rhymes: -ana
• Hyphenation: ma‧na

Adverb

mana (Jawi spelling مان)

1. where (interrogative: at or in what place. Incomplete without ke, di or dari).

   Di mana awak tinggal?

   Where do you live?

   Awak hendak pergi ke mana?

   Where do you want to go (to)?

2. (colloquial) how (used in rhetorical questions, expressing impossibility, or as a clipping of macam mana).

   Synonyms: macam mana, bagaimana

   Mana saya nak tahu?

   How should I know?

   Mana boleh buat begini?

   How can you do this? (You can't do this!)

Pronoun

mana (Jawi spelling مان)

1. which (used with yang)

   Baju yang mana satu pilihan hati? ― Which shirt is the one of your choice?

2. any; whatever.

   Ambillah mana yang awak suka. ― Take whichever (any that) you like.

Usage notes

Occurs in the following constructions: di mana? (“where?”), dari mana? (“whence? from where?”), ke mana? (“whither?, to where?”), macam mana? (“how?”) and yang mana? (“which (one)?”).

Derived terms

Affixations

• bagaimana (“how”)
• mana-mana (“any; anywhere; wherever”)
• manakan (“how could it be”)

Compounds

• dari mana (“where (from)”)
• di mana (“where (at)”)
• ke mana (“where (to)”)
• macam mana (“how (colloquial)”)
• mana ada (“there isn't any”)
• mana boleh (“how can; impossible”)
• mana satu (“which one”)
• mana tahu (“who knows; maybe”)
• yang mana (“which”)

Descendants

• > Indonesian: mana (inherited)

Further reading

• "mana" in Pusat Rujukan Persuratan Melayu (PRPM) [Malay Literary Reference Centre (PRPM)] (in Malay), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2017

Māori

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *mana, from Proto-Oceanic *mana.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmana/ [ˈmɐnɐ]

Noun

mana

1. power; mana
   • 2006, Joanne Barker, Sovereignty Matters, page 208:

     Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Maori.

     The language is the life principle of Maori mana.

Descendants

• → English: mana

Middle Norwegian

Etymology

From Middle Low German [Term?].

Verb

mana

1. to encourage, urge

Descendants

• Norwegian Nynorsk: mana, mane (e infinitive)
• Norwegian Bokmål: mane

References

• “mana” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Nafaanra

Noun

mana

1. nose

Neapolitan

Alternative forms

• mano

Etymology

Inherited from Latin manus, from Proto-Italic *manus.

Pronunciation

• (Naples) IPA^(key): /ˈma.nə/, [ˈmɑːnɐ]

Noun

mana f (plural mmane)

1. hand

Northern Sami

Pronunciation

• (Kautokeino) IPA^(key): /ˈmana/

Verb

mana

1. inflection of mannat:
   1. present indicative connegative
   2. second-person singular imperative
   3. imperative connegative

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology 1

From Middle Norwegian mana, from Middle Low German [Term?].

Alternative forms

• mane (e infinitive)

Verb

mana (present tense manar, past tense mana, past participle mana, passive infinitive manast, present participle manande, imperative mana/man)

1. to encourage, urge

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Noun

mana

1. definite singular of man

References

• “mana” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Old English

Noun

mana

1. genitive plural of man

Old Norse

Noun

mana

1. indefinite genitive plural of mǫn

Oromo

Etymology

From Proto-Cushitic *min- (“house, to build”). Cognates include Burji mina, Hadiyya mine and Sidamo mine. Compare also Egyptian jmn (“to create”).

Noun

mana

1. house

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• 𑀫𑀦 (Brahmi script)
• मन (Devanagari script)
• মন (Bengali script)
• මන (Sinhalese script)
• မန or မၼ (Burmese script)
• มน or มะนะ (Thai script)
• ᨾᨶ (Tai Tham script)
• ມນ or ມະນະ (Lao script)
• មន (Khmer script)
• 𑄟𑄚 (Chakma script)

Alternative scripts

• manas (Latin script)
• 𑀫𑀦𑀲𑁆 (Brahmi script)
• मनस् (Devanagari script)
• মনস্ (Bengali script)
• මනස් (Sinhalese script)
• မနသ် or မၼသ် (Burmese script)
• มนสฺ or มะนัส (Thai script)
• ᨾᨶᩈ᩺ (Tai Tham script)
• ມນສ຺ or ມະນັສ (Lao script)
• មនស៑ (Khmer script)
• 𑄟𑄚𑄥𑄴 (Chakma script)

Noun

mana m or n

1. Interpretation of many of the inflectional forms of manas (“mind”)
2. vocative singular of manas

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Māori mana, from Proto-Polynesian *mana, from Proto-Oceanic *mana.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈma.na/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ana
• Syllabification: ma‧na

Noun

mana f

1. mana (form of supernatural energy in Polynesian religion that inheres in things or people)
2. (fantasy roleplaying games) mana (magical power)

Declension

Declension of mana

	singular
nominative	mana
genitive	many
dative	manie
accusative	manę
instrumental	maną
locative	manie
vocative	mano

Further reading

• “mana”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎^[9] (in Polish)

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐ̃.nɐ/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐ̃.nɐ/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐ.na/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐ.nɐ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈmɐ.nɐ/
  • (Northern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈma.nɐ/

• Rhymes: -ɐnɐ
• Hyphenation: ma‧na

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Spanish mana, clipping of hermana (“sister”).

Noun

mana f (plural manas)

1. (colloquial, familiar) female equivalent of mano: sister

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English mana, from Māori mana.

Noun

mana m or f (uncountable)

1. (religion) mana (form of supernatural energy in Polynesian religion)
2. (fantasy roleplaying games) mana (magical power)

Etymology 3

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

mana

1. inflection of manar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “mana”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “mana” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “mana”, in Dicionário inFormal (in Portuguese), 2006–2026
• “mana”, in Dicionário infopédia da Lingua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2026
• “mana”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Quechua

Particle

mana

1. not
2. no

   Antonym: arí (“yes”)

See also

• -chu

Rapa Nui

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *mana, from Proto-Oceanic *mana.

Noun

mana

1. power
2. divine authority

Sambali

Noun

mana

1. heritage

Samoan

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *mana, from Proto-Oceanic *mana.

Noun

mana

1. mana (religious or spiritual power)

Derived terms

• mamana

References

• Milner, G.B. (1993), Samoan Dictionary, Auckland: Polynesian Press, →ISBN, page 128

Scottish Gaelic

Alternative forms

• mura, mur, man

Etymology

From Old Irish mani (“if not, unless”), the negative form of má (“if”).

Pronunciation

• (Lewis) IPA^(key): /manə/
• (Islay) IPA^(key): /mənə/

Conjunction

mana

1. not, unless

Usage notes

• This is the negative form of the conjunctions ma (“if”).
• Also used as the negative form of conjunctions nan/nam ("if" in conditional clauses).
• This conjunction is followed by the dependent form of the verb, which distinguishes it from the otherwise very similarly pronounced man (“as, like”).

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology 1

From a dialectal vulgarism of Ottoman Turkish بهانه (bahane), either in the form of "mahane" or "mana", from Persian بهانه (bahâne, “excuse”). Related to Macedonian маана (maana), Bulgarian махана (mahana), Albanian mahanë - all borrowed from Ottoman Turkish.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mǎːna/
• Hyphenation: ma‧na
• Rhymes: -ǎːna

Noun

mána f (Cyrillic spelling ма́на)

1. flaw, fault, shortcoming

Declension

Declension of mana

	singular	plural
nominative	mana	mane
genitive	mane	mana
dative	mani	manama
accusative	manu	mane
vocative	mano	mane
locative	mani	manama
instrumental	manom	manama

Derived terms

• verbs: manisati

Etymology 2

From Latin manna, from Ancient Greek μάννα (mánna), from Hebrew מן (mān, “'manna”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mâna/
• Hyphenation: ma‧na

Noun

mȁna f (Cyrillic spelling ма̏на)

1. manna

Declension

Declension of mana

	singular	plural
nominative	mana	mane
genitive	mane	mana
dative	mani	manama
accusative	manu	mane
vocative	mano	mane
locative	mani	manama
instrumental	manom	manama

Etymology 3

Borrowed from English mana, from Proto-Polynesian *mana, from Proto-Oceanic *mana.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mâna/
• Hyphenation: ma‧na

Noun

mȁna f (Cyrillic spelling ма̏на)

1. mana

Declension

Declension of mana

	singular	plural
nominative	mana	mane
genitive	mane	mana
dative	mani	manama
accusative	manu	mane
vocative	mano	mane
locative	mani	manama
instrumental	manom	manama

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmana/ [ˈma.na]
• Rhymes: -ana
• Syllabification: ma‧na

Etymology 1

Noun

mana f (plural manas)

1. (slang, Mexico) female equivalent of mano

Etymology 2

Verb

mana

1. inflection of manar:
   1. third-person singular present indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Etymology 3

Noun

mana f (plural manas)

1. manna

Etymology 4

Noun

mana f (plural manas)

1. spring (of water)

Further reading

• “mana”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025

Swedish

Etymology

From Low German manen, from Old Saxon manon, from Proto-Germanic *manōną, cognate with Old English manian (“to remind”).

Verb

mana (present manar, preterite manade, supine manat, imperative mana)

1. to encourage or urge (someone)

Conjugation

Conjugation of mana (weak)

	active		passive
infinitive	mana		manas
supine	manat		manats
imperative	mana		—
imper. plural1	manen		—
	present	past	present	past
indicative	manar	manade	manas	manades
ind. plural1	mana	manade	manas	manades
subjunctive2	mane	manade	manes	manades
present participle		manande
past participle		manad

¹ Archaic. ² Dated. See the appendix on Swedish verbs.

Derived terms

• anmana
• frammana
• förmana
• maning
• självmant
• uppmana
• utmana

Noun

mana c

1. mana (supernatural power)

Declension

Declension of mana

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	mana	manas
	definite	manan	manans
plural	indefinite	—	—
	definite	—	—

References

• “mana”, in Svensk ordbok [Dictionary of Swedish] (in Swedish)
• “mana”, in Svenska Akademiens ordlista [Wordlist of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)
• “mana”, in Svenska Akademiens ordbok [Dictionary of the Swedish Academy] (in Swedish)

Tagalog

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *mana, *maña (“inherit; inheritance”). Compare Malay manah (“heritage”).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Tagalog) IPA^(key): /ˈmana/ [ˈmaː.n̪ɐ]
• Rhymes: -ana
• Syllabification: ma‧na

Noun

mana (Baybayin spelling ᜋᜈ)

1. heirloom; inheritance; heritage

Derived terms

• magmana
• mamana
• manahin
• pamana
• tagamana
• tagapagmana

Further reading

• “mana”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018

Anagrams

• Maan, ma- -an

Tahitian

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *mana, from Proto-Oceanic *mana.

Noun

mana

1. power
2. respect given in accordance to power

Tongan

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *mana, from Proto-Oceanic *mana.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ma.na/

Noun

mana

1. miracle

Tunggare

Noun

mana

1. water

References

• C. L. Voorhoeve, 1975. Languages of Irian Jaya Checklist, Canberra: Pacific Linguistics, p.120
• Bill Palmer, editor (2018), The Languages and Linguistics of the New Guinea Area: A Comprehensive Guide, Padua: De Gruyter Mouton, →OCLC

Turkish

Etymology

Inherited from Ottoman Turkish معنا, from Arabic مَعْنًى (maʕnan) (plural: مَعَانٍ (maʕānin)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maːˈnaː/, /maːˈna/, [mɑːɲäː], (deprecated) [mɑːnɑː]

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

mana (definite accusative manayı, plural manalar)

1. meaning

   Synonym: anlam

2. purpose, point

   bu tartışmanın pek bir manası yok ― this discussion does not really have a point

Declension

Declension of mana

singular plural nominative mana manalar definite accusative manayı manaları dative manaya manalara locative manada manalarda ablative manadan manalardan genitive mananın manaların Possessive forms nominative singular plural 1st singular manam manalarım 2nd singular manan manaların 3rd singular manası manaları 1st plural manamız manalarımız 2nd plural mananız manalarınız 3rd plural manaları manaları definite accusative singular plural 1st singular manamı manalarımı 2nd singular mananı manalarını 3rd singular manasını manalarını 1st plural manamızı manalarımızı 2nd plural mananızı manalarınızı 3rd plural manalarını manalarını dative singular plural 1st singular manama manalarıma 2nd singular manana manalarına 3rd singular manasına manalarına 1st plural manamıza manalarımıza 2nd plural mananıza manalarınıza 3rd plural manalarına manalarına locative singular plural 1st singular manamda manalarımda 2nd singular mananda manalarında 3rd singular manasında manalarında 1st plural manamızda manalarımızda 2nd plural mananızda manalarınızda 3rd plural manalarında manalarında ablative singular plural 1st singular manamdan manalarımdan 2nd singular manandan manalarından 3rd singular manasından manalarından 1st plural manamızdan manalarımızdan 2nd plural mananızdan manalarınızdan 3rd plural manalarından manalarından genitive singular plural 1st singular manamın manalarımın 2nd singular mananın manalarının 3rd singular manasının manalarının 1st plural manamızın manalarımızın 2nd plural mananızın manalarınızın 3rd plural manalarının manalarının Predicative forms singular plural 1st singular manayım manalarım 2nd singular manasın manalarsın 3rd singular mana manadır manalar manalardır 1st plural manayız manalarız 2nd plural manasınız manalarsınız 3rd plural manalar manalardır

Derived terms

• manaca
• manalandırmak
• manalı
• manalık
• manasız

Related terms

Turkish terms derived from the Arabic root ع ن ي (0 c, 5 e)

Further reading

• “mana”, in Turkish dictionaries, Türk Dil Kurumu
• Ayverdi, İlhan (2010), “mana”, in Misalli Büyük Türkçe Sözlük, a reviewed and expanded single-volume edition, Istanbul: Kubbealtı Neşriyatı
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–), “mana”, in Nişanyan Sözlük

Volapük

Noun

mana

1. genitive singular of man

Xavante

Etymology

From Proto-Central Jê *mə̃nə̃ (“tail, penis”) < Proto-Cerrado *mbyn (“tail, penis”) < Proto-Jê *mbyn (“tail”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mə̃nə̃]

Noun

mana

1. Form of bö (utterance-medial variant)

Yawa

Noun

mana

1. water

References

• Andrew Pawley, Papuan Pasts: Cultural, Linguistic and Biological Histories of Papuan-Speaking Peoples (2005)