Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

karnataka

/kəɹˈnɑːtəkə/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.25 in modern English

Syllables: kar-nata-ka
IPA: /kəɹˈnɑːtəkə/

17

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

3

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A state in southern India. Capital and largest city: Bengaluru.

Example Sentences

"Tamil Nadu is the second biggest market for small business credit, accounting for 9.3% of the national total, as per a joint report by Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and credit bureau CRIF High Mark. As of June 30, 2025, Tamil Nadu had an outstanding small business credit portfolio of about ₹4.21 lakh crore, up 15.7% from ₹3.64 lakh crore as of June 30 2024, the report said. Maharashtra remained the largest market with ₹6.0 lakh crore in outstanding credit, while Tamil Nadu, Gujarat (₹3.69 lakh crore), Uttar Pradesh (₹3.61 lakh crore), and Karnataka (₹3.18 lakh crore) round out the top five by portfolio size. Uttar Pradesh registered highest outstanding portfolio growth of 20.7% on a year-on-year basis. The report defines "Small Business" as those businesses that have an aggregated credit exposure not exceeding ₹5 crore from the formal lending system."

Etymology

Borrowed from Kannada ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ (karnāṭaka). Though several etymologies have been suggested for the name Karnataka, the generally accepted one is that Karnataka is derived from Kannada ಕರು (karu, “elevated”) and ನಾಡು (nāḍu, “land”). ಕರುನಾಡು (karunāḍu) may also be read as "black region", as a reference to the black soil found in the Bayalu Seeme region of the state.

Word Breakdown

Root: ಕರು

Frequently Paired Words

Carnatic Kannada

Synonyms

Mysore

Questions

How do you pronounce karnataka?: The recorded pronunciation is /kəɹˈnɑːtəkə/.
What does karnataka mean?: A state in southern India. Capital and largest city: Bengaluru.
Where does karnataka come from?: Borrowed from Kannada ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ (karnāṭaka). Though several etymologies have been suggested for the name Karnataka, the generally accepted one is that Karnataka is derived from Kannada ಕರು (karu, “elevated”) and ನಾಡು (nāḍu, “land”). ಕರುನಾಡು (karunāḍu) may also be read as "black region", as a reference to the black soil found in the Bayalu Seeme region of the state.

How to pronounce karnataka

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