नाना

See also: नोनी, नैना, नैन, नैनु, नान, नानी, and नुन

Hindi

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नाना

Etymology

Inherited from Prakrit णण्ण (ṇaṇṇa) + Middle Indo-Aryan -𑀓- (-ka-), from older *नान्न (nānna), from onomatopoeic nursery words.

Pronunciation

(Delhi) IPA^(key): /nɑː.nɑː/, [näː.näː]

Noun

नाना • (nānā) m (female equivalent नानी, Urdu spelling نانا)

maternal grandfather
Synonym: (endearing) नानू (nānū)

Declension

Declension of *नाना* (masc unmarked ā-stem)
	singular	plural
direct	नाना nānā	नाना nānā
oblique	नाना nānā	नानाओं nānāõ
vocative	नाना nānā	नानाओ nānāo

Related terms

दादा (dādā)

References

Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “*nānna”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 405
Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975), “नाना”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. “Sea of Hindi words”] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha, page 2581
Caturvedi, Mahendra; Bhola Nath Tiwari (1970), “नाना”, in A practical Hindi-English dictionary, Delhi: National Publishing House, page 360
McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993), “नाना”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 552
Bahri, Hardev (1989), “नाना”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons, page 343.

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

নানা (Assamese script)
ᬦᬵᬦᬵ (Balinese script)
নানা (Bengali script)
𑰡𑰯𑰡𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀦𑀸𑀦𑀸 (Brahmi script)
နာနာ (Burmese script)
નાના (Gujarati script)
ਨਾਨਾ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌨𑌾𑌨𑌾 (Grantha script)
ꦤꦴꦤꦴ (Javanese script)
𑂢𑂰𑂢𑂰 (Kaithi script)
ನಾನಾ (Kannada script)
នានា (Khmer script)
ນານາ (Lao script)
നാനാ (Malayalam script)
ᠨᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᠨᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
𑘡𑘰𑘡𑘰 (Modi script)
ᠨᠠᢗᠨᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
𑧁𑧑𑧁𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
𑐣𑐵𑐣𑐵 (Newa script)
ନାନା (Odia script)
ꢥꢵꢥꢵ (Saurashtra script)
𑆤𑆳𑆤𑆳 (Sharada script)
𑖡𑖯𑖡𑖯 (Siddham script)
නානා (Sinhalese script)
𑩯𑩛𑩯𑩛 (Soyombo script)
𑚝𑚭𑚝𑚭 (Takri script)
நாநா (Tamil script)
నానా (Telugu script)
นานา (Thai script)
ནཱ་ནཱ (Tibetan script)
𑒢𑒰𑒢𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
𑨝𑨊𑨝𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Perhaps an aphetic amredita of अना (anā́) (nā́nā ⇐*anā́nā), with the meaning 'in this way and that way, hereby and thereby'. Compare parallel formations इहेह (iheha) and इतरेतर (itaretara).

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /nɑ́ː.nɑː/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /n̪ɑː.n̪ɑː/

Adverb

नाना • (nā́nā)

differently, variously, separately, manifoldly
- c. 1500 BCE – 1000 BCE, Ṛgveda 1.102.5:
  नाना॒ हि त्वा॒ हव॑माना॒ जना॑ इ॒मे धना॑नां धर्त॒रव॑सा विप॒न्यवः॑ ।
  अ॒स्माकं॑ स्मा॒ रथ॒मा ति॑ष्ठ सा॒तये॒ जैत्रं॒ ही॑न्द्र॒ निभृ॑तं॒ मन॒स्तव॑ ॥
  nā́nā hí tvā hávamānā jánā imé dhánānāṃ dhartarávasā vipanyávaḥ.
  asmā́kaṃ smā ráthamā́ tiṣṭha sātáye jáitraṃ hī̀ndra níbhṛtaṃ mánastáva.
  For here in diverse ways these men invoking thee, holder of treasures, sing hymns to win thine aid.
  Ascend the car that thou mayest bring spoil to us, for, Indra, thy fixt winneth the victory.

Descendants

Pali: nānā
Prakrit: 𑀡𑀸𑀡𑀸 (ṇāṇā)

References

Monier Williams (1899), “नाना”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 535.
Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025), “nānā”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
Apte, Vaman Shivram (1890), “नाना”, in The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary, Poona: Prasad Prakashan, page 887
Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893), “नाना”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press, page 139
Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “nā́nā”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 405