गज

See also: गांजा, गाँजा, and गजः

Hindi

Pronunciation

• (Delhi) IPA^(key): /ɡəd͡ʒ/, [ɡɐd͡ʒ]

Etymology 1

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit गज (gaja).

Noun

गज • (gaj) m (Urdu spelling گج)

1. elephant

   Synonym: हाथी (hāthī)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Classical Persian گز (gaz).

Noun

गज • (gaj) m (Urdu spelling گج)

1. Alternative spelling of गज़ (gaz): gudge: a historic unit of length equivalent to sixteen girah, redefined under British occupation as exactly equal to a yard

Declension

Declension of गज (masc cons-stem)

	singular	plural
direct	गज gaj	गज gaj
oblique	गज gaj	गजों gajõ
vocative	गज gaj	गजो gajo

References

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

Marwari

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit गज (gaja).

Noun

गज (gaj) m

1. elephant

Synonyms

• गयंद (gayãnd)

Further reading

• Bhanwar, Lal Suthar, Gahlot, Sukhveer Singh (1998) राजस्थानी-हिन्दी-अंग्रेजी कोश [rājasthānī-hindī-aṅgrejī koś, Rajasthani-Hindi-English Dictionary] (in Hindi), Jodhpur: Bharat Printers (Press), page 80

Old Gujarati

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit गज (gaja).

Noun

गज • (gaja) m

1. elephant

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• gaja (Latin script)
• 𑀕𑀚 (Brahmi script)
• গজ (Bengali script)
• ගජ (Sinhalese script)
• ဂဇ or ၷၹ (Burmese script)
• คช or คะชะ (Thai script)
• ᨣᨩ (Tai Tham script)
• ຄຊ or ຄະຊະ (Lao script)
• គជ (Khmer script)
• 𑄉𑄎 (Chakma script)

Noun

गज m

1. Devanagari script form of gaja (“elephant”)

Declension

Declension table of "गज" (masculine)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	गजो (gajo)	गजा (gajā)
Accusative (second)	गजं (gajaṃ)	गजे (gaje)
Instrumental (third)	गजेन (gajena)	गजेहि (gajehi) or गजेभि (gajebhi)
Dative (fourth)	गजस्स (gajassa) or गजाय (gajāya) or गजत्थं (gajatthaṃ)	गजानं (gajānaṃ)
Ablative (fifth)	गजस्मा (gajasmā) or गजम्हा (gajamhā) or गजा (gajā)	गजेहि (gajehi) or गजेभि (gajebhi)
Genitive (sixth)	गजस्स (gajassa)	गजानं (gajānaṃ)
Locative (seventh)	गजस्मिं (gajasmiṃ) or गजम्हि (gajamhi) or गजे (gaje)	गजेसु (gajesu)
Vocative (calling)	गज (gaja)	गजा (gajā)

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

• গজ (Assamese script)
• ᬕᬚ (Balinese script)
• গজ (Bengali script)
• 𑰐𑰕 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀕𑀚 (Brahmi script)
• ဂဇ (Burmese script)
• ગજ (Gujarati script)
• ਗਜ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌗𑌜 (Grantha script)
• ꦒꦗ (Javanese script)
• 𑂏𑂔 (Kaithi script)
• ಗಜ (Kannada script)
• គជ (Khmer script)
• ຄຊ (Lao script)
• ഗജ (Malayalam script)
• ᡤᠠᡯᠠ (Manchu script)
• 𑘐𑘕 (Modi script)
• ᠺᠠᠽᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦰𑦵 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐐𑐖 (Newa script)
• ଗଜ (Odia script)
• ꢔꢙ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆓𑆘 (Sharada script)
• 𑖐𑖕 (Siddham script)
• ගජ (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩞𑩣 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚌𑚑 (Takri script)
• க³ஜ (Tamil script)
• గజ (Telugu script)
• คช (Thai script)
• ག་ཛ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒑𑒖 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨍𑨥 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Of uncertain, possibly substrate, origin.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɡɐ.d͡ʑɐ/
• (Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /ɡɐ.d͡ʑɐ/

Noun

गज • (gaja) stem, m

1. elephant

   Synonyms: हस्तिन् (hastin), नाग (nāga), कुञ्जर (kuñjara)

2. (chaturanga) gaja, a chaturanga piece ancestral to the bishop in chess
   1. (chess) bishop

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of गज

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	गजः (gajaḥ)	गजौ (gajau) गजा¹ (gajā¹)	गजाः (gajāḥ) गजासः¹ (gajāsaḥ¹)
accusative	गजम् (gajam)	गजौ (gajau) गजा¹ (gajā¹)	गजान् (gajān)
instrumental	गजेन (gajena)	गजाभ्याम् (gajābhyām)	गजैः (gajaiḥ) गजेभिः¹ (gajebhiḥ¹)
dative	गजाय (gajāya)	गजाभ्याम् (gajābhyām)	गजेभ्यः (gajebhyaḥ)
ablative	गजात् (gajāt)	गजाभ्याम् (gajābhyām)	गजेभ्यः (gajebhyaḥ)
genitive	गजस्य (gajasya)	गजयोः (gajayoḥ)	गजानाम् (gajānām)
locative	गजे (gaje)	गजयोः (gajayoḥ)	गजेषु (gajeṣu)
vocative	गज (gaja)	गजौ (gajau) गजा¹ (gajā¹)	गजाः (gajāḥ) गजासः¹ (gajāsaḥ¹)

• ¹Vedic

Derived terms

• महागज (mahāgaja)

Descendants

Descendants

• Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀕𑀅 (gaa)
• Pali: gaja
  • → Thai: คชา (ká-chaa), คช (kót)
• → Acehnese: gajah
• → Balinese: ᬕᬚᬄ (gajah)
• → Banjarese: gajah
• → Toba Batak: ᯎᯐ (gaja)
• → Bikol Central: gagdya
• → Cebuano: gadya
• → Chinese: 伽耶 (qiéyé)
• → Gorontalo: gaja
• → Hiligaynon: gadyo
• → Hindi: गज (gaj)
• → Ilocano: gadia
• → Javanese: ꦒꦗꦃ (gajah)
• → Kannada: ಗಜ (gaja)
• → Ledo Kaili: gaja
• → Kapampangan: gagdia
• → Madurese: ꦓꦙ (ghajha)
• → Malay: gajah
  • Indonesian: gajah
  • → Bikol Central: gadyâ
  • → Cebuano: gadyâ
  • → Maguindanao: gajah
  • → Tagalog: gadya
  • → Tausug: gadja
• → Malayalam: ഗജം (gajaṁ)
• → Minangkabau: gajah
• → Old Gujarati: गज (gaja)
• → Marwari: गज (gaj) (learned)
• → Molbog: gaja
• → Brooke's Point Palawano: gadya
• → Sasak: gajah
• → Sika: glajak
• → Sundanese: ᮌᮏᮂ (gajah)
• → Tagalog: gadya
• → Tamil: கஜம் (kajam)
• → Telugu: గజము (gajamu)
• → Tulu: ಗಜ (gaja)
• → Urdu: گج (gaj)
• → Waray-Waray: gadya
• → Wolio: gaja
• → English: gaja (learned)

References

• Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025) “gaja”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) “gaja- - ganá-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 458