kayak
カヤック
解説 Definition
kayak は、細長い小型の舟で、通常は両端に水かきのあるパドルでこぐカヤックを意味します。日本語の「カヤック」とほぼ同じ意味で、スポーツやレジャーの文脈でよく使われます。
A kayak is a narrow, lightweight boat usually propelled with a double-bladed paddle. Modern kayaks are used for recreation, racing, touring, and travel on lakes, rivers, or the sea, and commonly have a covered or shaped seating area.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
kayak は日本語の「カヤック」とほぼ同じだが、英語では一般に /ˈkaɪæk/ と発音する。両端に水かきのある double-bladed paddle でこぐ細長い小舟、と道具と一緒に覚えよう。綴りは前から読んでも後ろから読んでも kayak になる回文なので、k-a-y-a-k の順を確認しやすい。canoe とは舟の形やパドルの使い方が異なる。
Picture a narrow boat moving quietly across a lake while the paddler alternates the two blades of one paddle. That double-bladed paddle is a useful clue for distinguishing a kayak from a typical canoe. English commonly pronounces kayak /ˈkaɪæk/, which may differ from its Japanese pronunciation. The spelling is especially memorable because kayak is a palindrome: the letters read the same forward and backward, k-a-y-a-k. Connect the word with practical combinations such as rent a kayak, steer a kayak, sea kayak, and kayak tour rather than treating it only as a borrowed katakana label.
例文
We rented a kayak at the lake.
私たちは湖でカヤックを借りました。
The kayak moved quietly through the water.
カヤックは水面を静かに進みました。
He learned how to steer a kayak before the tour began.
彼はツアーが始まる前にカヤックの操り方を学びました。
kayak の類義語・関連語
派生語
紛らわしい語
kayak の語源・成り立ち Etymology
イヌイット語（エスキモー語）のqajaq（カヤク＝人が乗る小舟）に由来する。動物の皮を木の骨組みに張った一人乗りの狩猟用舟を指した。関連語にcanoe（カヌー、カリブ語由来）やumiak（ウミアク、大型皮舟）がある。北極圏の狩猟文化から世界に広まった語である。
Kayak ultimately comes from an Inuit language, especially Greenlandic qajaq, the name of a small covered boat traditionally used by an individual hunter. Such boats were constructed with a light frame covered by animal skin and were suited to Arctic waters. The word entered European languages through contact with Inuit communities, with forms such as Danish kajak helping transmit it. Modern kayaks use many materials and designs, but the name preserves its Arctic cultural origin.
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