kiwi fruit (English)

Where does "kiwi fruit" come from?

The name of this fruit originated from the Maori word 'kiwi,' which describes a flightless bird endemic to New Zealand. The term itself is believed to be onomatopoeic, mimicry of the bird's distinct chirping sound. In the mid-20th century, New Zealand fruit exporters adopted this name for the Chinese gooseberry because the fruit's fuzzy brown skin bears a striking resemblance to the bird's plumage.

Full etymology tree

• kiwi fruit (English), 'A Chinese gooseberry vine fruit, having a hairy brown skin and dark green (or in the case of the kiwi fruit gold, yellow) flesh with fine black seeds, almost always varieties of Actinidia deliciosa.'
  • compound kiwi (Maori), 'kiwi (bird)'
    • inherited *kiu (Proto-Polynesian)
      • inherited *kiuk (Proto-Oceanic)
        • inherited *kiuk (Proto-Malayo-Polynesian)

Direct ancestors

• kiwi (Maori)

Updated June 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris