कन्या

See also: कनिया

Hindi

Alternative forms

• कनिया (kaniyā)

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit कन्या (kanyā́), from Proto-Indo-Aryan *kanyáH, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kanyáH, from Proto-Indo-European *ken-. Doublet of कनीज़ (kanīz).

Pronunciation

• (Delhi Hindi) IPA^(key): /kən.jɑː/, [kə̃n̪.jäː]

Noun

कन्या • (kanyā) f (Urdu spelling کنیا‎)

1. girl

   Synonym: लड़की (laṛkī)

2. virgin

   Synonyms: कुँआरी (kũārī), कुमारी (kumārī)

3. daughter

   Synonyms: (rare) दुख़्तर (duxtar), पुत्री (putrī), बेटी (beṭī)

Declension

Declension of कन्या (fem ā-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	कन्या kanyā	कन्याएँ kanyāẽ
oblique	कन्या kanyā	कन्याओं kanyāõ
vocative	कन्या kanyā	कन्याओ kanyāo

Derived terms

• कन्यादान (kanyādān)

Proper noun

कन्या • (kanyā) f (Urdu spelling کنیا‎)

1. (astrology, astronomy) Virgo

References

• McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993), “कन्या”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press

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Marathi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit कन्या (kanyā́), from Proto-Indo-Aryan *kanyáH, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *kanyáH, from Proto-Indo-European *ken-. Compare Old Marathi 𑘎𑘡𑘿𑘧𑘰 (kanyā).

Noun

कन्या • (kanyā) f

1. girl
2. daughter

   Synonym: मुलगी (mulgī)

Derived terms

• कन्यादान (kanyādān)

References

• Berntsen, Maxine, “कन्या”, in A Basic Marathi-English Dictionary, New Delhi: American Institute of Indian Studies, 1982-1983.
• Molesworth, James Thomas (1857), “कन्या”, in A dictionary, Marathi and English, Bombay: Printed for government at the Bombay Education Society's Press

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Nepali

Etymology

Inherited from Sanskrit कन्या (kanyā)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kʌnjä]
• Phonetic Devanagari: कन्या
• IPA^(key): [kʌnːjä]
• Phonetic Devanagari: क्aन्न्y्ā

Noun

कन्या • (kanyā) f

1. girl

   Synonym: केटी (keṭī)

2. virgin

   Synonym: कुमारी (kumārī)

3. (astronomy) The constellation Virgo
4. (astrology) A virgo

See also

Zodiac signs in Nepali · राशि (rāśi) (layout · text)
मेष (meṣ) ♈︎	वृष (vr̥ṣ) ♉︎	मिथुन (mithun) ♊︎	कर्कट (karkaṭ) ♋︎
सिंह (siṅha) ♌︎	कन्या (kanyā) ♍︎	तुला (tulā) ♎︎	वृश्चिक (vr̥ścik) ♏︎
धनु (dhanu) ♐︎	मकर (makar) ♑︎	कुम्भ (kumbha) ♒︎	मीन (mīn) ♓︎

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Sanskrit

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• ᬓᬦ᭄ᬬᬵ (Balinese script)
• কন্যা (Assamese script)
• কন্যা (Bengali script)
• 𑰎𑰡𑰿𑰧𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀓𑀦𑁆𑀬𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• 𑌕𑌨𑍍𑌯𑌾 (Grantha script)
• કન્યા (Gujarati script)
• ꦏꦤꦾꦴ (Javanese script)
• កន្យា (Khmer script)
• ಕನ್ಯಾ (Kannada script)
• ກນ຺ຍາ (Lao script)
• 𑘎𑘡𑘿𑘧𑘰 (Modi script)
• ကနျာ (Burmese script)
• 𑦮𑧁𑧠𑧇𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐎𑐣𑑂𑐫𑐵 (Newa script)
• କନ୍ଯା (Oriya script)
• ꢒꢥ꣄ꢫꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆑𑆤𑇀𑆪𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖎𑖡𑖿𑖧𑖯 (Siddham script)
• కన్యా (Telugu script)
• กนฺยา (Thai script)
• ཀནྱཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒏𑒢𑓂𑒨𑒰 (Tirhuta script)

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-Iranian *kanyáH (“maiden, virgin, unmarried girl”), from Proto-Indo-European *ken- (“new, fresh”) (whence also कनीन (kanī́na, “young, youthful”)). Cognate with Avestan 𐬐𐬀𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬁‎ (kaniiā, “maiden”), Middle Persian [script needed] (knykʿ /kanīg/) (whence Persian کنیز‎ (kaniz)), Latin re-cēns (“recent; fresh; young”), Ancient Greek καινός (kainós, “new”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /kɐ.ní.jɑː/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈkɐn̪.jɑː/

Noun

कन्या • (kanyā̀) f (metrical Vedic kaníyā)

1. maiden, virgin, unmarried girl
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 4.58.09:

     क॒न्या॑ इव वह॒तुमेत॒वा उ॑ अ॒ञ्ज्य॑ञ्जा॒ना अ॒भि चा॑कशीमि ।

     kanyā iva vahatumetavā u añjyañjānā abhi cākaśīmi .

     As maidens dock themselves with gay adornment to join the bridal feast, I now behold them.

   • c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda
   • c. 400 BCE, Mahābhārata
2. a daughter
3. (astrology) the sign of the zodiac Virgo
4. the female of any animal
5. name of Durga
6. (botany) name of a tuberous plant growing in Kashmir
7. Aloe perfoliata; rubble aloe, mitre aloe
8. name of several other plants
9. (prosody) name of a metre (of four lines, each of them containing four long syllables)

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of कन्या (kanyā̀)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	कन्या kanyā̀	कन्ये kanyè	कन्याः kanyā̀ḥ
Vocative	कन्ये kánye	कन्ये kánye	कन्याः kányāḥ
Accusative	कन्याम् kanyā̀m	कन्ये kanyè	कन्याः kanyā̀ḥ
Instrumental	कन्यया / कन्या¹ kanyàyā / kanyā̀¹	कन्याभ्याम् kanyā̀bhyām	कन्याभिः kanyā̀bhiḥ
Dative	कन्यायै kanyā̀yai	कन्याभ्याम् kanyā̀bhyām	कन्याभ्यः kanyā̀bhyaḥ
Ablative	कन्यायाः kanyā̀yāḥ	कन्याभ्याम् kanyā̀bhyām	कन्याभ्यः kanyā̀bhyaḥ
Genitive	कन्यायाः kanyā̀yāḥ	कन्ययोः kanyàyoḥ	कन्यानाम् kanyā̀nām
Locative	कन्यायाम् kanyā̀yām	कन्ययोः kanyàyoḥ	कन्यासु kanyā̀su
Notes	¹Vedic

Derived terms

• अकन्या (ákanyā)

Descendants

• Gandhari: 𐨐𐨎𐨙‎ (kaṃña)
• Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀓𑀡𑁆𑀡𑀸 (kaṇṇā)
• Pali: kaññā
  • → Burmese: ကညာ (ka.nya)
  • → Khmer: កញ្ញា (kaññaa)
• → Kannada: ಕನ್ಯೆ (kanye)
• → Burmese: ကန် (kan)
• → Hindustani:

  Hindi: कन्या (kanyā)

  Urdu: کنیا‎ (kanyā)

• → Old Marathi:

  Devanagari: कन्या (kanyā)

  Modi: 𑘎𑘡𑘿𑘧𑘰 (kanyā)

  • → Marathi: कन्या (kanyā)
• → Telugu: కన్య (kanya)
• → Thai: กันยา (gan-yaa)
• : Bhojpuri = 𑂍𑂢𑂱𑂨𑂰 { kaniya }

Further reading

• Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890), “कन्या”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan
• “कन्या” in Carl Cappeller, A Sanskrit–English Dictionary: Based upon the St. Petersburg Lexicons, Strasbourg: Karl J. Trübner, 1891, →OCLC, page 108.
• Monier Williams (1899), “कन्या”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, OCLC 458052227, page 0249.
• Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893), “कन्या”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press, page 062
• Horace Hayman Wilson, A dictionary in Sanscrit and English, 2nd ed., Calcutta: Education Press, Circular Road, 1832, page 187