गङ्गा

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• gaṅgā (Latin script)
• 𑀕𑀗𑁆𑀕𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• গঙ্গা (Bengali script)
• ගඞ‍්ගා (Sinhalese script)
• ဂင်္ဂါ or ၷင်္ၷႃ or ၷင်ၷႃ (Burmese script)
• คงฺคา or คังคา (Thai script)
• ᨣᩘᨣᩤ (Tai Tham script)
• ຄງ຺ຄາ or ຄັງຄາ (Lao script)
• គង្គា (Khmer script)
• 𑄉𑄋𑄴𑄉𑄂 (Chakma script)

Proper noun

गङ्गा f

1. Devanagari script form of gaṅgā (“Ganges”)

Declension

Declension table of "गङ्गा" (feminine)

Case \ Number	Singular
Nominative (first)	गङ्गा (gaṅgā)
Accusative (second)	गङ्गं (gaṅgaṃ)
Instrumental (third)	गङ्गाय (gaṅgāya)
Dative (fourth)	गङ्गाय (gaṅgāya)
Ablative (fifth)	गङ्गाय (gaṅgāya)
Genitive (sixth)	गङ्गाय (gaṅgāya)
Locative (seventh)	गङ्गाय (gaṅgāya) or गङ्गायं (gaṅgāyaṃ)
Vocative (calling)	गङ्गे (gaṅge)

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

• गंगा (gaṃgā)

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• গঙ্গা (Assamese script)
• ᬕᬗ᭄ᬕᬵ (Balinese script)
• গঙ্গা (Bengali script)
• 𑰐𑰒𑰿𑰐𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀕𑀗𑁆𑀕𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• ဂင်္ဂါ (Burmese script)
• ગઙ્ગા (Gujarati script)
• ਗਙ੍ਗਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌗𑌙𑍍𑌗𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦒꦔ꧀ꦒꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂏𑂑𑂹𑂏𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ಗಙ್ಗಾ (Kannada script)
• គង្គា (Khmer script)
• ຄງ຺ຄາ (Lao script)
• ഗങ്ഗാ (Malayalam script)
• ᡤᠠᢛᡤᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘐𑘒𑘿𑘐𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᠺᠠᢊᠺᠠ᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦰𑦲𑧠𑦰𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐐𑐒𑑂𑐐𑐵 (Newa script)
• ଗଙ୍ଗା (Odia script)
• ꢔꢖ꣄ꢔꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆓𑆕𑇀𑆓𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖐𑖒𑖿𑖐𑖯 (Siddham script)
• ගඞ‍්ගා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩞𑩠 𑪙𑩞𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚌𑚎𑚶𑚌𑚭 (Takri script)
• க³ங்க³ா (Tamil script)
• గఙ్గా (Telugu script)
• คงฺคา (Thai script)
• ག་ངྒཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒑𑒓𑓂𑒑𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨍𑨏𑩇𑨍𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *gʷem-

Sanskrit गम् (gam)redup.?

Sanskrit गङ्गा

Probably a reduplication formation from the root गम् (gam, “to go, move”), referring to the river literally as a "swift-goer". If the aforementioned is folk etymology however, perhaps alternatively of substrate origin; note the areal Southeast Asian word family denoting "river" represented by Proto-Sino-Tibetan *kl(j)u(ŋ/k) (“river”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɡɐ́ŋ.ɡɑː/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ɡɐŋ.ɡɑː/

Proper noun

गङ्गा॑ • (gáṅgā) stem, f

1. (geography) Ganga (a river in India)
2. (Vedic religion, Hinduism) the Ganges river personified as the goddess, Ganga
   • c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 10.75.5:

     इ॒मं मे॑ गङ्गे यमुने सरस्वति॒ शुतु॑द्रि॒ स्तोमं॑ सचता॒ परु॒ष्ण्या।
     अ॒सि॒क्न्या म॑रुद्वृधे वि॒तस्त॒यार्जी॑कीये शृणु॒ह्या सु॒षोम॑या॥

     imáṃ me gaṅge yamune sarasvati śútudri stómaṃ sacatā páruṣṇyā́.
     asiknyā́ marudvṛdhe vitástayā́rjīkīye śṛṇuhyā́ suṣómayā.

     Accept this my praise, Gaṅgā, Yamunā, Sarasvatī, Śutudri, Paruṣṇi, Asiknī, Marudvṛdha and Vitastā; listen, Ārjikīya with Suṣomā.

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of गङ्गा

	singular
nominative	गङ्गा (gaṅgā)
accusative	गङ्गाम् (gaṅgām)
instrumental	गङ्गया (gaṅgayā) गङ्गा¹ (gaṅgā¹)
dative	गङ्गायै (gaṅgāyai)
ablative	गङ्गायाः (gaṅgāyāḥ) गङ्गायै² (gaṅgāyai²)
genitive	गङ्गायाः (gaṅgāyāḥ) गङ्गायै² (gaṅgāyai²)
locative	गङ्गायाम् (gaṅgāyām)
vocative	गङ्गे (gaṅge)

• ¹Vedic
• ²Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

Inherited

• Prakrit: 𑀕𑀁𑀕𑀸 (gaṃgā)
  • Central Indo-Aryan:
    • Old Awadhi: 𑂏𑂰𑂀𑂏 (gām̐ga)
  • Eastern Indo-Aryan:
    • Bengali-Assamese:
      • Early Assamese: গাঙ্গ (gaṅgo)
        • Assamese: গাং (gaṅ)
      • Bengali: গাং (gaṅ)
      • Chakma: 𑄉𑄧𑄋 (gaṅā)
      • Sylheti: ꠉꠣꠋ (gaṅ)
  • Southern Indo-Aryan:
    • Old Marathi: 𑘐𑘽𑘐𑘰 (gaṅgā)
      • Marathi: गंगा (gaṅgā)
• Pali: gaṅgā
  • → Burmese: ဂင်္ဂါ (gangga)
  • → Khmer: គង្គា (kŭəngkiə)
  • → Lao: ກັງກາ (kang kā)
  • → Thai: คงคา (kong-kaa)

Borrowed

• → Ancient Greek: Γάγγης (Gángēs)
  • Greek: Γάγγης (Gángis)
  • → Latin: Gangēs
    • → English: Ganges
    • French: Gange
      • → Arabic: الْغَانْج (al-ḡānj)
      • → Iranian Persian: گانْژ (gânž)
      • → Turkish: Ganj
    • Italian: Gange
    • → Polish: Ganges
    • Portuguese: Ganges
    • Spanish: Ganges
  • → Old Armenian: Գանգէս (Gangēs)
• → Assamese: গংগা (goṅga)
• → Bengali: গঙ্গা (goṅga)
• → Czech: Ganga
• → Dhivehi: ގަންގާ (gan̊gā)
• → Gujarati: ગંગા (gaṅgā)
• → Hindustani:

  Hindi: गंगा (gaṅgā)

  Urdu: گَن٘گا (gaṅgā)

• → Kannada: ಗಂಗಾ (gaṅgā)
• → Malayalam: ഗംഗ (gaṅga)
• → Middle Chinese: 恆伽 (MC hong gja)
  • Chinese: 恆伽 / 恒伽 (Hénggā)
  • → Japanese: 恒河 (こうが, kōga)
  • → Korean: 항하 (hangha) (恒河)
  • → Vietnamese: Hằng
• → Middle Persian:
  • Classical Persian: گَنْگ (gang)
    • Iranian Persian: گَنْگ (gang)
    • Tajik: Ганг (Gang)
    • → Arabic: الْكَنْك (al-kank)
    • → Ottoman Turkish: كنك (Geng)
      • Turkish: Geng
• → Old Javanese:
  • Javanese: ꦒꦁꦒ (gangga)
• → Old Tamil:
  • Tamil: கங்கை (kaṅkai)
• → Odia: ଗଙ୍ଗା (gaṅgā)
• → Punjabi:

  Gurmukhi script: ਗੰਗਾ (gaṅgā)

  Shahmukhi script: گَن٘گا (gaṉgā)

• → Sindhi: گنگا (g̃gā)
• → Sinhalese: ගංගා (gaṁgā)
• → Telugu: గంగ (gaṅga)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899), “गङ्गा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 341, column 2.