It is late to this game for em to add this, but NKR in Hebrew is "Naw-kar" and it does not mean "hail." Naw-kar means to not see as strange, to be aquainted with. Spelled the same way "neh-ker" means "Strange."
This word predates the creation of the Phoenecian alphabet, and is found in Arzawa (semitic cuneiform).
Hillel means "praise, hail, etc."
Hallelujah for example means "Praise unto Yah!"
So Hallelu-Yahuwah" would be "Praise unto YHVH" in biblical hebrew.
This would typically be shortened to Hallelu-YHV, or Hallelu-IAH, hence "Hallelujah."