Naik (military rank)

Naik (Nk; sometimes historically spelled nayak) is the Indian Army and Pakistan Army rank equivalent to corporal. In Tamil, the word naik was used to indicate a lord or governor prior to its use as an equivalent to corporal in British India.

The rank was previously used in the British Indian Army and the Camel Corps, ranking between lance naik and havildar. In cavalry units the equivalent is lance daffadar. Like a British corporal, a naik wears two rank chevrons.