जन

See also: जान, जानु, and जून

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit जन (jána).

Pronunciation

(Delhi) IPA^(key): /d͡ʒən/, [d͡ʒɐ̃n]

Noun

जन • (jan) m (Urdu spelling جن)

(dialectal) person, people (collectively)
Synonym: लोग (log)

Declension

Declension of जन (masc cons-stem)
	singular	plural
direct	जन jan	जन jan
oblique	जन jan	जनों janõ
vocative	जन jan	जनो jano

Old Awadhi

Etymology

From Sanskrit जन (jana).

Noun

जन (jana)

people
devotee, servant (of Lord)
- c. 1500s CE, Tulsīdās, Rāmacaritamānasa:
  सुकृति संभु तन बिमल बिभूती। मंजुल मंगल मोद प्रसूती॥
  जन मन मंजु मुकुर मल हरनी। किएँ तिलक गुन गन बस करनी॥2॥
  sukṛti saṃbhu tana bimala bibhūtī. maṃjula maṃgala moda prasūtī.
  jana mana maṃju mukura mala haranī. kiem̐ tilaka guna gana basa karanī.2.
  [The dust of Guru's feet is like] The pure sacred ash from which the virtuous Shiva's body is adorned,
  The begetter of beautiful and auspicious delight.
  The eliminator of filth from the beautiful mirror of the mind of devotee.
  Its Tilaka when applied masters many a virtues.

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative scripts

jana (Latin script)
𑀚𑀦 (Brahmi script)
জন (Bengali script)
ජන (Sinhalese script)
ဇန or ၹၼ (Burmese script)
ชน or ชะนะ (Thai script)
ᨩᨶ (Tai Tham script)
ຊນ or ຊະນະ (Lao script)
ជន (Khmer script)
𑄎𑄚 (Chakma script)

Noun

जन m

Devanagari script form of jana

Declension

Declension table of "जन" (masculine)

Case \ Number	Singular	Plural
Nominative (first)	जनो (jano)	जना (janā)
Accusative (second)	जनं (janaṃ)	जने (jane)
Instrumental (third)	जनेन (janena)	जनेहि (janehi) or जनेभि (janebhi)
Dative (fourth)	जनस्स (janassa) or जनाय (janāya) or जनत्थं (janatthaṃ)	जनानं (janānaṃ)
Ablative (fifth)	जनस्मा (janasmā) or जनम्हा (janamhā) or जना (janā)	जनेहि (janehi) or जनेभि (janebhi)
Genitive (sixth)	जनस्स (janassa)	जनानं (janānaṃ)
Locative (seventh)	जनस्मिं (janasmiṃ) or जनम्हि (janamhi) or जने (jane)	जनेसु (janesu)
Vocative (calling)	जन (jana)	जना (janā)

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

জন (Assamese script)
ᬚᬦ (Balinese script)
জন (Bengali script)
𑰕𑰡 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀚𑀦 (Brahmi script)
ဇန (Burmese script)
જન (Gujarati script)
ਜਨ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌜𑌨 (Grantha script)
ꦗꦤ (Javanese script)
𑂔𑂢 (Kaithi script)
ಜನ (Kannada script)
ជន (Khmer script)
ຊນ (Lao script)
ജന (Malayalam script)
ᡯᠠᠨᠠ (Manchu script)
𑘕𑘡 (Modi script)
ᠽᠠᠨᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
𑦵𑧁 (Nandinagari script)
𑐖𑐣 (Newa script)
ଜନ (Odia script)
ꢙꢥ (Saurashtra script)
𑆘𑆤 (Sharada script)
𑖕𑖡 (Siddham script)
ජන (Sinhalese script)
𑩣𑩯 (Soyombo script)
𑚑𑚝 (Takri script)
ஜந (Tamil script)
జన (Telugu script)
ชน (Thai script)
ཛ་ན (Tibetan script)
𑒖𑒢 (Tirhuta script)
𑨥𑨝 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ǵónh₁os

Proto-Indo-Iranian *ȷ́ánHas

Sanskrit जन॑ (jána)

Inherited from Proto-Indo-Aryan *ȷ́ánHas, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *ȷ́ánHas, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵónh₁os. Cognate with Old Persian 𐏀𐎴 (zana, “man; tribe”), Avestan 𐬯𐬭𐬬𐬋𐬰𐬀𐬥𐬀 (srvōzana, “belonging to the race of the horned ones”), Ancient Greek γόνος (gónos, “creation”), French gens (“set of people”).

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /d͡ʑɐ́.nɐ/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /d͡ʑɐ.n̪ɐ/

Adjective

जन॑ • (jána) stem

generating

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of जन
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	जनः (jánaḥ)	जनौ (jánau) जना¹ (jánā¹)	जनाः (jánāḥ) जनासः¹ (jánāsaḥ¹)
accusative	जनम् (jánam)	जनौ (jánau) जना¹ (jánā¹)	जनान् (jánān)
instrumental	जनेन (jánena)	जनाभ्याम् (jánābhyām)	जनैः (jánaiḥ) जनेभिः¹ (jánebhiḥ¹)
dative	जनाय (jánāya)	जनाभ्याम् (jánābhyām)	जनेभ्यः (jánebhyaḥ)
ablative	जनात् (jánāt)	जनाभ्याम् (jánābhyām)	जनेभ्यः (jánebhyaḥ)
genitive	जनस्य (jánasya)	जनयोः (jánayoḥ)	जनानाम् (jánānām)
locative	जने (jáne)	जनयोः (jánayoḥ)	जनेषु (jáneṣu)
vocative	जन (jána)	जनौ (jánau) जना¹ (jánā¹)	जनाः (jánāḥ) जनासः¹ (jánāsaḥ¹)

¹Vedic

Feminine ā-stem declension of जना
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	जना (jánā)	जने (jáne)	जनाः (jánāḥ)
accusative	जनाम् (jánām)	जने (jáne)	जनाः (jánāḥ)
instrumental	जनया (jánayā) जना¹ (jánā¹)	जनाभ्याम् (jánābhyām)	जनाभिः (jánābhiḥ)
dative	जनायै (jánāyai)	जनाभ्याम् (jánābhyām)	जनाभ्यः (jánābhyaḥ)
ablative	जनायाः (jánāyāḥ) जनायै² (jánāyai²)	जनाभ्याम् (jánābhyām)	जनाभ्यः (jánābhyaḥ)
genitive	जनायाः (jánāyāḥ) जनायै² (jánāyai²)	जनयोः (jánayoḥ)	जनानाम् (jánānām)
locative	जनायाम् (jánāyām)	जनयोः (jánayoḥ)	जनासु (jánāsu)
vocative	जने (jáne)	जने (jáne)	जनाः (jánāḥ)

¹Vedic
²Brāhmaṇas

Neuter a-stem declension of जन
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	जनम् (jánam)	जने (jáne)	जनानि (jánāni) जना¹ (jánā¹)
accusative	जनम् (jánam)	जने (jáne)	जनानि (jánāni) जना¹ (jánā¹)
instrumental	जनेन (jánena)	जनाभ्याम् (jánābhyām)	जनैः (jánaiḥ) जनेभिः¹ (jánebhiḥ¹)
dative	जनाय (jánāya)	जनाभ्याम् (jánābhyām)	जनेभ्यः (jánebhyaḥ)
ablative	जनात् (jánāt)	जनाभ्याम् (jánābhyām)	जनेभ्यः (jánebhyaḥ)
genitive	जनस्य (jánasya)	जनयोः (jánayoḥ)	जनानाम् (jánānām)
locative	जने (jáne)	जनयोः (jánayoḥ)	जनेषु (jáneṣu)
vocative	जन (jána)	जने (jáne)	जनानि (jánāni) जना¹ (jánā¹)

¹Vedic

Related terms

उदजन (udajana)
पुरंजन (puraṃjana)

Noun

जन॑ • (jána) stem, m

person, human being, human
ते जनाः किं वदन्ति?
te janāḥ kiṃ vadanti?
What are those people saying?
race, people group
(used collectively) people; subjects
(religion) mortal, common person

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of जन
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	जनः (jánaḥ)	जनौ (jánau) जना¹ (jánā¹)	जनाः (jánāḥ) जनासः¹ (jánāsaḥ¹)
accusative	जनम् (jánam)	जनौ (jánau) जना¹ (jánā¹)	जनान् (jánān)
instrumental	जनेन (jánena)	जनाभ्याम् (jánābhyām)	जनैः (jánaiḥ) जनेभिः¹ (jánebhiḥ¹)
dative	जनाय (jánāya)	जनाभ्याम् (jánābhyām)	जनेभ्यः (jánebhyaḥ)
ablative	जनात् (jánāt)	जनाभ्याम् (jánābhyām)	जनेभ्यः (jánebhyaḥ)
genitive	जनस्य (jánasya)	जनयोः (jánayoḥ)	जनानाम् (jánānām)
locative	जने (jáne)	जनयोः (jánayoḥ)	जनेषु (jáneṣu)
vocative	जन (jána)	जनौ (jánau) जना¹ (jánā¹)	जनाः (jánāḥ) जनासः¹ (jánāsaḥ¹)

¹Vedic

Derived terms

जनपद (janapada, “realms of the Vedic period”)
महाजनपद (mahājanapada, “sixteen great realms of classical India”)

Descendants

Ashokan Prakrit: 𑀚𑀦 (jana)
- Prakrit: 𑀚𑀡 (jaṇa)
  - Apabhramsa: जण (jaṇa) (see there for further descendants)

Borrowed terms

→ Khmer: ជន (cŭən)
→ Telugu: జనుడు (januḍu)

References

Monier Williams (1899) “जन”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 410.
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 566