haai
/ɦaːi̯/masculine
The English word shark is translated into Dutch as haai.
The word haai refers to the predatory fish known as a shark.
Meaning: fish (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
As a masculine noun, haai takes the definite article de to mean "the shark".
How do you pronounce it?
/ɦaːi̯/
Did you know?
- The Dutch word haai might actually be related to the English word 'hook', as the term likely originated from the appearance of the shark's dorsal fin.
- In Dutch slang, to haaien can mean 'to play the boss' or to act as a leader in a dominant way.
Examples in context
- Wauw! Is dat een haai?Wow! Is that a shark?Tatoeba #7601745 by MarijnKp, translation #7589605 by AlanF_US
- Een haai viel Tom aan.A shark attacked Tom.Tatoeba #9487140 by MarijnKp, translation #8367605 by CK
- Hij werd aangevallen door een haai.He was attacked by a shark.Tatoeba #1475723 by Citrine, translation #1168378 by Scott
- In het oceanarium vind je verschillende soorten haaien.In the aquarium, you can find various types of sharks.
- Wist je dat een haai erg snel zwemt?Did you know that a shark swims very fast?
- De grootste haai ter wereld is de walvishaai.The largest shark in the world is the whale shark.
- Ik ben bang voor haaien sinds ik die angstaanjagende documentaire heb gezien.I'm scared of sharks ever since I watched that terrifying documentary.
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lisa and Levi are looking at an aquarium at the zoo.
- LisaKijk, Levi, daar is een haai!Look, Levi, there is a shark!
- LeviJa, die haai ziet er indrukwekkend uit.Yes, that shark looks impressive.
- LisaVind jij de haai ook een beetje eng?Do you also find the shark a bit scary?
- LeviEen klein beetje wel, Lisa.A little bit, yes, Lisa.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shark” translations and entries haai, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries haai, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
