प्रज्ञा

Hindi

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit प्रज्ञा (prajñā, “wisdom, insight”).

Pronunciation

(Delhi) IPA^(key): /pɾəɡ.jɑː/, [pɾɐɡ.jäː]

Noun

प्रज्ञा • (prajñā) f

wisdom, discernment, intelligence, insight
Synonyms: बुद्धि (buddhi), विवेक (vivek), ज्ञान (jñān)

Antonyms: मूर्खता (mūrkhatā), अज्ञान (ajñān)

Proper noun

प्रज्ञा • (prajñā) f

a female given name from Sanskrit

Declension

Declension of *प्रज्ञा* (fem ā-stem)
	singular	plural
direct	प्रज्ञा prajñā	प्रज्ञाएँ prajñāẽ
oblique	प्रज्ञा prajñā	प्रज्ञाओं prajñāõ
vocative	प्रज्ञा prajñā	प्रज्ञाओ prajñāo

References

Dāsa, Śyāmasundara (1965–1975) “प्रज्ञा”, in Hindī Śabdasāgara [lit. Sea of Hindi words] (in Hindi), Kashi [Varanasi]: Nagari Pracarini Sabha, page 3143
McGregor, Ronald Stuart (1993) “प्रज्ञा”, in The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, London: Oxford University Press, page 654
Caturvedi, Mahendra, Bhola Nath Tiwari (1970) “प्रज्ञा”, in A practical Hindi-English dictionary, Delhi: National Publishing House, page 450

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

প্ৰজ্ঞা (Assamese script)
ᬧ᭄ᬭᬚ᭄ᬜᬵ (Balinese script)
প্রজ্ঞা (Bengali script)
𑰢𑰿𑰨𑰕𑰿𑰗𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀧𑁆𑀭𑀚𑁆𑀜𑀸 (Brahmi script)
ပြဇ္ဉာ (Burmese script)
પ્રજ્ઞા (Gujarati script)
ਪ੍ਰਜ੍ਞਾ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌪𑍍𑌰𑌜𑍍𑌞𑌾 (Grantha script)
ꦥꦿꦘꦴ (Javanese script)
𑂣𑂹𑂩𑂔𑂹𑂖𑂰 (Kaithi script)
ಪ್ರಜ್ಞಾ (Kannada script)
ប្រជ្ញា (Khmer script)
ປ຺ຣຊ຺ຎາ (Lao script)
പ്രജ്ഞാ (Malayalam script)
ᢒᡵᠠᡯᠨᡳᠶᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
𑘢𑘿𑘨𑘕𑘿𑘗𑘰 (Modi script)
ᢒᠷᠠᠽᡛᠠ᠋᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
𑧂𑧠𑧈𑦵𑧠𑦷𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
𑐥𑑂𑐬𑐖𑑂𑐘𑐵 (Newa script)
ପ୍ରଜ୍ଞା (Odia script)
ꢦ꣄ꢬꢙ꣄ꢛꢵ (Saurashtra script)
𑆥𑇀𑆫𑆘𑇀𑆚𑆳 (Sharada script)
𑖢𑖿𑖨𑖕𑖿𑖗𑖯 (Siddham script)
ප්‍රඥා (Sinhalese script)
𑩰 𑪙𑩼𑩣 𑪙𑩥𑩛 (Soyombo script)
𑚞𑚶𑚤𑚑𑚶𑚓𑚭 (Takri script)
ப்ரஜ்ஞா (Tamil script)
ప్రజ్ఞా (Telugu script)
ปฺรชฺญา (Thai script)
པྲ་ཛྙཱ (Tibetan script)
𑒣𑓂𑒩𑒖𑓂𑒘𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
𑨞𑩇𑨫𑨥𑩇𑨓𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *per-

Proto-Indo-European *pró

Proto-Indo-European *pro-

Proto-Indo-Iranian *pra-

Sanskrit प्र- (pra-)

Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃-

Sanskrit ज्ञा (jñā)

Sanskrit प्रज्ञा (prajñā)

From प्र- (pra-, “towards, pro-”) +‎ ज्ञा (√jñā, “to know”).

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /pɾɐd͡ʑ.ɲɑ́ː/
(Classical Sanskrit) IPA^(key): /pɾɐd͡ʑ.ɲɑː/

Noun

प्रज्ञा • (prajñā́) stem, f

wisdom, intelligence, knowledge, judgement (ŚBr.)
plan, method (ŚBr., ŚāṅkhŚr.)
a clever or sensible woman (W.)
Wisdom personified as a goddess, Saraswati (L.)
one of the enumerated शक्ति (śakti, “energy”)
(Buddhism) transcendental wisdom (MWB.)
the energy of Adi-Buddha (MWB.)

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of प्रज्ञा
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	प्रज्ञा (prajñā́)	प्रज्ञे (prajñé)	प्रज्ञाः (prajñā́ḥ)
accusative	प्रज्ञाम् (prajñā́m)	प्रज्ञे (prajñé)	प्रज्ञाः (prajñā́ḥ)
instrumental	प्रज्ञया (prajñáyā) प्रज्ञा¹ (prajñā́¹)	प्रज्ञाभ्याम् (prajñā́bhyām)	प्रज्ञाभिः (prajñā́bhiḥ)
dative	प्रज्ञायै (prajñā́yai)	प्रज्ञाभ्याम् (prajñā́bhyām)	प्रज्ञाभ्यः (prajñā́bhyaḥ)
ablative	प्रज्ञायाः (prajñā́yāḥ) प्रज्ञायै² (prajñā́yai²)	प्रज्ञाभ्याम् (prajñā́bhyām)	प्रज्ञाभ्यः (prajñā́bhyaḥ)
genitive	प्रज्ञायाः (prajñā́yāḥ) प्रज्ञायै² (prajñā́yai²)	प्रज्ञयोः (prajñáyoḥ)	प्रज्ञानाम् (prajñā́nām)
locative	प्रज्ञायाम् (prajñā́yām)	प्रज्ञयोः (prajñáyoḥ)	प्रज्ञासु (prajñā́su)
vocative	प्रज्ञे (prájñe)	प्रज्ञे (prájñe)	प्रज्ञाः (prájñāḥ)

¹Vedic
²Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

→ Assamese: প্রজ্ঞা
→ Bengali: প্রজ্ঞা (projna)
- → English: Progya, Pragya
- → Sylheti: ꠙ꠆ꠞꠎ꠆ꠘꠣ (frozna)
→ English: prajna
→ Hindi: प्रज्ञा (prajñā)
- → English: Pragya
→ Kannada: ಪ್ರಜ್ಞ (prajña)
→ Malayalam: പ്രജ്ഞ (prajña)
→ Marathi: प्रज्ञा (pradnyā)
→ Nepali: प्रज्ञा (pragyā)
Pali: paññā
- → Burmese: ပညာ (pa.nya)
- → Khün: ᨷᨬ᩠ᨬᩣ
- → Lao: ປັນຍາ (pan nyā)
- → Lü: ᦔᧃᦍᦱ (ṗanyaa)
- → Middle Chinese: 般若 (MC paen nyaeX)
  - Mandarin: 般若 (bōrě)
  - Cantonese: 般若 (bo1 je5, but3 je5)
  - Hakka: 般若 (pat-ngiâ)
  - Min Nan: 般若 (poa̍t-jiá, poa̍t-ché, pat-jé)
  - → Japanese: 般若(はんにゃ) (hannya)
  - → Korean: 반야(般若) (banya)
  - → Vietnamese: bát nhã (般若)
- → Mon: ပညာ (pɔnɲa)
- → Northern Thai: ᨷᨬ᩠ᨬᩣ
- → Old Khmer:
  - Khmer: បញ្ញា (paññaa)
- → Shan: ပိင်ႇၺႃႇ (pìng nyàa)
- → Thai: ปัญญา (bpan-yaa)
→ Sinhalese: ප්‍රඥ්ඥාව (pragngnāwa)
→ Tamil: பிரக்யா (pirakyā)
- → English: Pirakya
→ Telugu: ప్రజ్ఞ (prajña)
→ Thai: ปรัชญา (bpràt-yaa)
→ Urdu: پرگیہ

Adjective

प्रज्ञा • (prajñā)

feminine nominative singular of प्रज्ञ (prajña)

Root

प्रज्ञा • (prajñā)

to know, understand (esp. a way or mode of action), discern, distinguish, know about, be acquainted with
to find out, discover, perceive, learn

Derived terms

प्रजानाति (prajānāti)
प्रज्ञापयति (prajñāpayati)
प्रज्ञित (prajñita)

Descendants

Prakrit: *𑀧𑀡𑁆𑀡𑀺𑀢 (*paṇṇita)
- ⇒ Sanskrit: पण्डित (paṇḍita)

References

Monier Williams (1899) “प्रज्ञा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, pages 0659/1-2.