ज्ञान

Hindi

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit ज्ञान (jñāna), from the root verb ज्ञा (jñā, “to know, be aware of”).

Pronunciation

(Delhi) IPA^(key): /ɡjɑːn/, [ɡjä̃ːn]

Noun

ज्ञान • (jñān) m (Urdu spelling گیان)

knowledge
मुझे इसका कुछ भी ज्ञान नहीं है।
mujhe iskā kuch bhī jñān nahī̃ hai.
I have no knowledge of it at all.

हमारा शिक्षक व्यापक ज्ञान की खान है।
hamārā śikṣak vyāpak jñān kī khān hai.
Our professor is a vast storehouse of general knowledge.

गुरूजी, और ज्ञान बाटो!
gurūjī, aur jñān bāṭo!
Oh Guru, please enlighten us with knowledge! (sarcastic)

Declension

Declension of *ज्ञान* (masc cons-stem)
	singular	plural
direct	ज्ञान jñān	ज्ञान jñān
oblique	ज्ञान jñān	ज्ञानों jñānõ
vocative	ज्ञान jñān	ज्ञानो jñāno

References

Bahri, Hardev (1989) “ज्ञान”, in Siksarthi Hindi-Angrejhi Sabdakosa [Learners' Hindi-English Dictionary], Delhi: Rajpal & Sons.

Marathi

FWOTD – 27 May 2025

Etymology

Inherited from Old Marathi 𑘕𑘿𑘗𑘰𑘡 (jñāna), from Sanskrit ज्ञान (jñāna), from the root verb ज्ञा (jñā, “to know, be aware of”). Doublet of जाण (jāṇ).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /d̪nan/
Audio: (file)

Noun

ज्ञान • (dnyān) n

knowledge
खरे ज्ञान म्हणजे एखाद्याच्या अज्ञानाची व्याप्ती जाणून घेणे.
khare dnyān mhaṇje ekhādyācyā adnyānācī vyāptī jāṇūn gheṇe.
Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance.

Declension

Declension of ज्ञान (neut cons-stem)
direct singular	ज्ञान jñān
direct plural	ज्ञाने, ज्ञानं jñāne, dnyāna
	singular एकवचन	plural अनेकवचन
nominative प्रथमा	ज्ञान jñān	ज्ञाने, ज्ञानं jñāne, dnyāna
oblique सामान्यरूप	ज्ञाना jñānā	ज्ञानां- jñānān-
acc. / dative द्वितीया / चतुर्थी	ज्ञानाला jñānālā	ज्ञानांना jñānānnā
ergative	ज्ञानाने, ज्ञानानं jñānāne, jñānāna	ज्ञानांनी jñānānnī
instrumental	ज्ञानाशी jñānāśī	ज्ञानांशी jñānānśī
locative सप्तमी	ज्ञानात jñānāt	ज्ञानांत jñānāt
vocative संबोधन	ज्ञाना jñānā	ज्ञानांनो jñānānno
Oblique Note: The oblique case precedes all postpositions. There is no space between the stem and the postposition. Locative Note: -त (-ta) is a postposition.

Genitive declension of ज्ञान (neut cons-stem)
	masculine object पुल्लिंगी कर्म		feminine object स्त्रीलिंगी कर्म		neuter object नपुसकलिंगी कर्म		oblique सामान्यरूप
	singular एकवचन	plural अनेकवचन	singular एकवचन	plural अनेकवचन	singular^* एकवचन	plural अनेकवचन	oblique सामान्यरूप
singular subject एकवचनी कर्ता	ज्ञानाचा jñānāċā	ज्ञानाचे jñānāċe	ज्ञानाची jñānācī	ज्ञानाच्या jñānācā	ज्ञानाचे, ज्ञानाचं jñānāċe, jñānāċa	ज्ञानाची jñānācī	ज्ञानाच्या jñānācā
plural subject अनेकवचनी कर्ता	ज्ञानांचा jñānānċā	ज्ञानांचे jñānānċe	ज्ञानांची jñānāñcī	ज्ञानांच्या jñānāncā	ज्ञानांचे, ज्ञानांचं jñānānċe, jñānānċa	ज्ञानांची jñānāñcī	ज्ञानांच्या jñānāñcā
^* Note: Word-final ए (e) in neuter words is alternatively written with the anusvara and pronounced as अ (a). Oblique Note: For most postpostions, the oblique genitive can be optionally inserted between the stem and the postposition.

Related terms

अज्ञान (adnyān, “ignorance”)
ज्ञानी (dnyānī, “wise”)
तंत्रज्ञान (tantradnyān, “technology”)
विज्ञान (vidnyān, “science”)

References

Berntsen, Maxine (1982–1983) “ज्ञान”, in A Basic Marathi-English Dictionary, New Delhi: American Institute of Indian Studies
Shankar Gopal Tulpule, Anne Feldhaus (1999) “ज्ञान”, in A Dictionary of Old Marathi, Mumbai: Popular Prakashan

Nepali

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit ज्ञान (jñāna).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ɡjän]
Phonetic Devanagari: ग्यान्

Noun

ज्ञान • (gyān)

References

“ज्ञान”, in नेपाली बृहत् शब्दकोश (nepālī br̥hat śabdakoś) [Comprehensive Nepali Dictionary]‎^[1], Kathmandu: Nepal Academy, 2018
Schmidt, Ruth L. (1993) “ज्ञान”, in A Practical Dictionary of Modern Nepali, Ratna Sagar

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

জ্ঞান (Assamese script)
ᬚ᭄ᬜᬵᬦ (Balinese script)
জ্ঞান (Bengali script)
𑰕𑰿𑰗𑰯𑰡 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀚𑁆𑀜𑀸𑀦 (Brahmi script)
ဇ္ဉာန (Burmese script)
જ્ઞાન (Gujarati script)
ਜ੍ਞਾਨ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌜𑍍𑌞𑌾𑌨 (Grantha script)
ꦘꦴꦤ (Javanese script)
𑂔𑂹𑂖𑂰𑂢 (Kaithi script)
ಜ್ಞಾನ (Kannada script)
ជ្ញាន (Khmer script)
ຊ຺ຎານ (Lao script)
ജ്ഞാന (Malayalam script)
ᡯᠨᡳᠶᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᠨᠠ (Manchu script)
𑘕𑘿𑘗𑘰𑘡 (Modi script)
ᠽᡛᠠᢗᠨᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
𑦵𑧠𑦷𑧑𑧁 (Nandinagari script)
𑐖𑑂𑐘𑐵𑐣 (Newa script)
ଜ୍ଞାନ (Odia script)
ꢙ꣄ꢛꢵꢥ (Saurashtra script)
𑆘𑇀𑆚𑆳𑆤 (Sharada script)
𑖕𑖿𑖗𑖯𑖡 (Siddham script)
ඥාන (Sinhalese script)
𑩣 𑪙𑩥𑩛𑩯 (Soyombo script)
𑚑𑚶𑚓𑚭𑚝 (Takri script)
ஜ்ஞாந (Tamil script)
జ్ఞాన (Telugu script)
ชฺญาน (Thai script)
ཛྙཱ་ན (Tibetan script)
𑒖𑓂𑒘𑒰𑒢 (Tirhuta script)
𑨥𑩇𑨓𑨊𑨝 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-

Sanskrit ज्ञा (jñā)

Sanskrit ज्ञान (jñāna)

From the root ज्ञा (jñā, “to know, be aware of”) +‎ -अन (-ana).

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /d͡ʑɲɑ́ː.nɐ/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /d͡ʑɲɑː.n̪ɐ/

Noun

ज्ञान • (jñā́na) stem, n

knowing, becoming acquainted with, knowledge, (esp.) the higher knowledge (in Buddhism, pure awareness free from conceptual constructs; in Hinduism, true knowledge of the Self's identity with the Ultimate Reality)
"knowledge about anything cognizance" (compare ज्ञानतस् (jñānatas) and अज्ञान (ajñāna))
ज्ञानाद् अज्ञानाद् वा ― jñānād ajñānād vā ― knowingly or ignorantly
conscience
= ज्ञानेन्द्रिय (jñānendriya)
engaging in (+ genitive, e.g. सर्पिषस् (sarpiṣas, “in sacrifice with clarified butter”))
name of a shakti

Declension

Neuter a-stem declension of ज्ञान
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	ज्ञानम् (jñā́nam)	ज्ञाने (jñā́ne)	ज्ञानानि (jñā́nāni) ज्ञाना¹ (jñā́nā¹)
accusative	ज्ञानम् (jñā́nam)	ज्ञाने (jñā́ne)	ज्ञानानि (jñā́nāni) ज्ञाना¹ (jñā́nā¹)
instrumental	ज्ञानेन (jñā́nena)	ज्ञानाभ्याम् (jñā́nābhyām)	ज्ञानैः (jñā́naiḥ) ज्ञानेभिः¹ (jñā́nebhiḥ¹)
dative	ज्ञानाय (jñā́nāya)	ज्ञानाभ्याम् (jñā́nābhyām)	ज्ञानेभ्यः (jñā́nebhyaḥ)
ablative	ज्ञानात् (jñā́nāt)	ज्ञानाभ्याम् (jñā́nābhyām)	ज्ञानेभ्यः (jñā́nebhyaḥ)
genitive	ज्ञानस्य (jñā́nasya)	ज्ञानयोः (jñā́nayoḥ)	ज्ञानानाम् (jñā́nānām)
locative	ज्ञाने (jñā́ne)	ज्ञानयोः (jñā́nayoḥ)	ज्ञानेषु (jñā́neṣu)
vocative	ज्ञान (jñā́na)	ज्ञाने (jñā́ne)	ज्ञानानि (jñā́nāni) ज्ञाना¹ (jñā́nā¹)

¹Vedic

Derived terms

अज्ञान (ajñāna, “ignorance”)
विज्ञान (vijñāna, “cognitive capacity, discernment, intelligence; proficiency; consciousness”)
प्रज्ञान (prajñāna, “knowledge, wisdom, intelligence”)
ज्ञानपाल (jñānapāla)

Descendants

Maharastri Prakrit:
- Old Marathi: जाण (j̈āṇ)
Pali: ñāṇa
- → Burmese: ဉာဏ် (nyan)
- → Khmer: ញាណ (ñiən)
- → Thai: ญาณ (yaan)
Prakrit:
- Gujarati: જાણ (jāṇ)
- Hindi: जान (jān)
- Punjabi: ਜਾਣ (jāṇ)
→ Assamese: জ্ঞান (gyan) (learned)
→ Bengali: জ্ঞান (gên) (learned)
→ English: jnana (learned)
→ Gujarati: જ્ઞાન (jñān) (learned)
→ Hindustani:
- Hindi: ज्ञान (jñān)
- Urdu: گیان (gyān)
→ Kannada: ಜ್ಞಾನ (jñāna)
→ Nepali: ज्ञान (gyān)
→ Old Marathi: 𑘕𑘿𑘗𑘰𑘡 (jñāna)
- Marathi: ज्ञान (dnyān)
→ Punjabi: ਗਿਆਨ (giāna)
→ Old Tamil: 𑀜𑀸𑀷𑀫𑁆 (ñāṉam)
- Tamil: ஞானம் (ñāṉam)
→ Telugu: జ్ఞానము (jñānamu)
→ Sylheti: ꠉꠤꠀꠘ (gian)

References

Monier Williams (1899) “ज्ञान”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 0426.