See also: ـجان and خان

Arabic

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Etymology 1

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Root
ج ن ي (j n y)
7 terms

Derived from the active participle of جَنَى (janā, to gather, to harvest; to commit a crime).

Adjective

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جَانٍ (jānin) (informal جَانِي (jānī), feminine جَانِيَة (jāniya), masculine plural جُنَاة (junāh) or جَانُونَ (jānūna), feminine plural جَانِيَات (jāniyāt))

  1. guilty, delinquent, criminal, flagrant, vicious, evil
Declension
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Declension of adjective جَانٍ (jānin)
singular masculine feminine
singular triptote in ـٍ (-in) singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
indefinite definite indefinite definite
informal جَانِي
jānī
الْجَانِي
al-jānī
جَانِيَة
jāniya
الْجَانِيَة
al-jāniya
nominative جَانٍ
jānin
الْجَانِي
al-jānī
جَانِيَةٌ
jāniyatun
الْجَانِيَةُ
al-jāniyatu
accusative جَانِيًا
jāniyan
الْجَانِيَ
al-jāniya
جَانِيَةً
jāniyatan
الْجَانِيَةَ
al-jāniyata
genitive جَانٍ
jānin
الْجَانِي
al-jānī
جَانِيَةٍ
jāniyatin
الْجَانِيَةِ
al-jāniyati
dual masculine feminine
indefinite definite indefinite definite
informal جَانِيَيْن
jāniyayn
الْجَانِيَيْن
al-jāniyayn
جَانِيَتَيْن
jāniyatayn
الْجَانِيَتَيْن
al-jāniyatayn
nominative جَانِيَانِ
jāniyāni
الْجَانِيَانِ
al-jāniyāni
جَانِيَتَانِ
jāniyatāni
الْجَانِيَتَانِ
al-jāniyatāni
accusative جَانِيَيْنِ
jāniyayni
الْجَانِيَيْنِ
al-jāniyayni
جَانِيَتَيْنِ
jāniyatayni
الْجَانِيَتَيْنِ
al-jāniyatayni
genitive جَانِيَيْنِ
jāniyayni
الْجَانِيَيْنِ
al-jāniyayni
جَانِيَتَيْنِ
jāniyatayni
الْجَانِيَتَيْنِ
al-jāniyatayni
plural masculine feminine
broken plural triptote in ـَاة (-āh)‎;
sound masculine plural
sound feminine plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
informal جُنَاة‎; جَانِين
junāt‎; jānīn
الْجُنَاة‎; الْجَانِين
al-junāt‎; al-jānīn
جَانِيَات
jāniyāt
الْجَانِيَات
al-jāniyāt
nominative جُنَاةٌ‎; جَانُونَ
junātun‎; jānūna
الْجُنَاةُ‎; الْجَانُونَ
al-junātu‎; al-jānūna
جَانِيَاتٌ
jāniyātun
الْجَانِيَاتُ
al-jāniyātu
accusative جُنَاةً‎; جَانِينَ
junātan‎; jānīna
الْجُنَاةَ‎; الْجَانِينَ
al-junāta‎; al-jānīna
جَانِيَاتٍ
jāniyātin
الْجَانِيَاتِ
al-jāniyāti
genitive جُنَاةٍ‎; جَانِينَ
junātin‎; jānīna
الْجُنَاةِ‎; الْجَانِينَ
al-junāti‎; al-jānīna
جَانِيَاتٍ
jāniyātin
الْجَانِيَاتِ
al-jāniyāti

Noun

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جَانٍ (jāninm (construct state جَانِي (jānī), plural جَانُونَ (jānūna) or جُنَاة (junāh), feminine جَانِيَة (jāniya))

  1. gatherer, harvester, harvestman, reaper
  2. perpetrator, offender, delinquent, criminal, culprit, felon, evildoer
Declension
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Declension of noun جَانٍ (jānin)
singular masculine feminine
singular triptote in ـٍ (-in) singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
indefinite definite construct indefinite definite construct
informal جَانِي
jānī
الْجَانِي
al-jānī
جَانِي
jānī
جَانِيَة
jāniya
الْجَانِيَة
al-jāniya
جَانِيَة
jāniyat
nominative جَانٍ
jānin
الْجَانِي
al-jānī
جَانِي
jānī
جَانِيَةٌ
jāniyatun
الْجَانِيَةُ
al-jāniyatu
جَانِيَةُ
jāniyatu
accusative جَانِيًا
jāniyan
الْجَانِيَ
al-jāniya
جَانِيَ
jāniya
جَانِيَةً
jāniyatan
الْجَانِيَةَ
al-jāniyata
جَانِيَةَ
jāniyata
genitive جَانٍ
jānin
الْجَانِي
al-jānī
جَانِي
jānī
جَانِيَةٍ
jāniyatin
الْجَانِيَةِ
al-jāniyati
جَانِيَةِ
jāniyati
dual masculine feminine
indefinite definite construct indefinite definite construct
informal جَانِيَيْن
jāniyayn
الْجَانِيَيْن
al-jāniyayn
جَانِيَيْ
jāniyay
جَانِيَتَيْن
jāniyatayn
الْجَانِيَتَيْن
al-jāniyatayn
جَانِيَتَيْ
jāniyatay
nominative جَانِيَانِ
jāniyāni
الْجَانِيَانِ
al-jāniyāni
جَانِيَا
jāniyā
جَانِيَتَانِ
jāniyatāni
الْجَانِيَتَانِ
al-jāniyatāni
جَانِيَتَا
jāniyatā
accusative جَانِيَيْنِ
jāniyayni
الْجَانِيَيْنِ
al-jāniyayni
جَانِيَيْ
jāniyay
جَانِيَتَيْنِ
jāniyatayni
الْجَانِيَتَيْنِ
al-jāniyatayni
جَانِيَتَيْ
jāniyatay
genitive جَانِيَيْنِ
jāniyayni
الْجَانِيَيْنِ
al-jāniyayni
جَانِيَيْ
jāniyay
جَانِيَتَيْنِ
jāniyatayni
الْجَانِيَتَيْنِ
al-jāniyatayni
جَانِيَتَيْ
jāniyatay
plural masculine feminine
sound masculine plural‎;
broken plural triptote in ـَاة (-āh)
sound feminine plural
indefinite definite construct indefinite definite construct
informal جَانِين‎; جُنَاة
jānīn‎; junāt
الْجَانِين‎; الْجُنَاة
al-jānīn‎; al-junāt
جَانِي‎; جُنَاة
jānī‎; junāt
جَانِيَات
jāniyāt
الْجَانِيَات
al-jāniyāt
جَانِيَات
jāniyāt
nominative جَانُونَ‎; جُنَاةٌ
jānūna‎; junātun
الْجَانُونَ‎; الْجُنَاةُ
al-jānūna‎; al-junātu
جَانُو‎; جُنَاةُ
jānū‎; junātu
جَانِيَاتٌ
jāniyātun
الْجَانِيَاتُ
al-jāniyātu
جَانِيَاتُ
jāniyātu
accusative جَانِينَ‎; جُنَاةً
jānīna‎; junātan
الْجَانِينَ‎; الْجُنَاةَ
al-jānīna‎; al-junāta
جَانِي‎; جُنَاةَ
jānī‎; junāta
جَانِيَاتٍ
jāniyātin
الْجَانِيَاتِ
al-jāniyāti
جَانِيَاتِ
jāniyāti
genitive جَانِينَ‎; جُنَاةٍ
jānīna‎; junātin
الْجَانِينَ‎; الْجُنَاةِ
al-jānīna‎; al-junāti
جَانِي‎; جُنَاةِ
jānī‎; junāti
جَانِيَاتٍ
jāniyātin
الْجَانِيَاتِ
al-jāniyāti
جَانِيَاتِ
jāniyāti

Etymology 2

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Has the form derived from the active participle, as if from جَنَّ (janna, to hide) (in the passive جُنَّ (junna, to go crazy)).

Noun

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جَانّ (jānnm or f (plural جَوَانّ (jawānn) or جِنَّان (jinnān))

  1. snake, serpent
  2. (defined, proper noun, Islam) Jann, the forefather of the race of jinn
    • 1445-1505, Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī, Al-Dur al-Manthur, page Surah 2:30:
      وقد كان فيها قبل أن يخلق بألفي عام الجن بنو الجان، ففسدوا في الأرض.
      Two thousand years before [Adam] He [God] created the jinn, the sons of Jann, on earth, and they spread corruption and shed blood therein.
  3. (rare or Classical Arabic) a jinn; a genie, a jann.
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 55:74:
      لَمْ يَطْمِثْهُنَّ إِنْسٌ قَبْلَهُمْ وَلَا جَانٌّ
      lam yaṭmiṯhunna ʔinsun qablahum walā jānnun
      touched them has not mankind before them nor a jinn.
  4. a serpentine or draconic class of the jinn
  5. (in the plural) any supernatural being in general, especially elves and fairies.
Declension
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Declension of noun جَانّ (jānn)
singular basic singular triptote
indefinite definite construct
informal جَانّ
jānn
الْجَانّ
al-jānn
جَانّ
jānn
nominative جَانٌّ
jānnun
الْجَانُّ
al-jānnu
جَانُّ
jānnu
accusative جَانًّا
jānnan
الْجَانَّ
al-jānna
جَانَّ
jānna
genitive جَانٍّ
jānnin
الْجَانِّ
al-jānni
جَانِّ
jānni
dual indefinite definite construct
informal جَانَّيْن
jānnayn
الْجَانَّيْن
al-jānnayn
جَانَّيْ
jānnay
nominative جَانَّانِ
jānnāni
الْجَانَّانِ
al-jānnāni
جَانَّا
jānnā
accusative جَانَّيْنِ
jānnayni
الْجَانَّيْنِ
al-jānnayni
جَانَّيْ
jānnay
genitive جَانَّيْنِ
jānnayni
الْجَانَّيْنِ
al-jānnayni
جَانَّيْ
jānnay
plural basic broken plural diptote
indefinite definite construct
informal جَوَانّ
jawānn
الْجَوَانّ
al-jawānn
جَوَانّ
jawānn
nominative جَوَانُّ
jawānnu
الْجَوَانُّ
al-jawānnu
جَوَانُّ
jawānnu
accusative جَوَانَّ
jawānna
الْجَوَانَّ
al-jawānna
جَوَانَّ
jawānna
genitive جَوَانَّ
jawānna
الْجَوَانِّ
al-jawānni
جَوَانِّ
jawānni
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Azerbaijani

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Noun

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جان (can) (definite accusative جانێ (canı), plural جانلار (canlar))

  1. Arabic spelling of can (life, soul)

Declension

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Old Anatolian Turkish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Persian جان.[1]

Noun

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جَانْ (cān)

  1. soul, spirit
    • 14th Century, anonymous author, Dresden manuscript: Kitāb-ı Dedem Ḳorḳud Alā Lisān-ı Tāife-i Oġuzān:
      اولن آدم دیرلمز, چیخان جان كرو كلمز
      ölän ādäm dirilmäz, çıḫan cān gerü gälmäz
      [a] dead person does not arise back, [a] departed soul does not come back
  2. life

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Azerbaijani: can
  • Gagauz: can
  • Ottoman Turkish: جان (can)
    • Turkish: can
    • Albanian: xhan
    • Macedonian: џан (džan)
    • Serbo-Croatian:
      Cyrillic script: џан
      Latin script: džan

References

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  1. ^ Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “can”, in Nişanyan Sözlük

Further reading

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  • “can”, in XIII. Yüzyılından Beri Türkiye Türkçesiyle Yazılmış Kitaplarından Toplanan Tanıklarıyle Tarama Sözlüğü (Türk Dil Kurumu yayınları; 212)‎[1] (in Turkish), Ankara: Türk Dil Kurumu, 1963–1977, page 126

Ottoman Turkish

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Etymology

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Inherited from Old Anatolian Turkish جان, Persian جان (jân, soul, vital spirit, life).

Noun

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جان (can)

  1. soul
  2. being
  3. life
  4. heart
  5. darling

Descendants

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  • Turkish: can
  • Albanian: xhan
  • Macedonian: џан (džan)
  • Serbo-Croatian:
    Cyrillic script: џан
    Latin script: džan

Suffix

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جان (can)

  1. Suffix expressing intimacy, roughly equivalent to dear or darling, attached to a name or title

Persian

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Persian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia fa

Alternative forms

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  • جون (jun) (colloquial Iranian)

Etymology

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From Middle Persian [Book Pahlavi needed] (HYA), [Book Pahlavi needed] (yʾn'), 𐫃𐫏𐫀𐫗 (gyʾn /⁠gyān⁠/, soul, ghost), from Proto-Iranian *wyaHnáH (equivalent to*wi- + *HanH- (to breathe)), from Proto-Indo-Iranian *wyaHnás, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂enh₁- (to breathe), whence, for example, Latin animus.

Cognate with Northern Kurdish giyan, Central Kurdish گیان (giyan), Avestan 𐬬𐬌𐬌𐬁𐬥𐬀𐬌𐬌𐬁 (viiānaiiā), Sanskrit व्यान (vyāná).

Pronunciation

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Readings
Classical reading? jān
Dari reading? jān
Iranian reading? jân
Tajik reading? jon

Noun

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جان (jân) (plural جان‌ها)

Dari جان
Iranian Persian
Tajik ҷон
  1. soul; life; life-force
    جان خود را از دست دادنjân-e xod râ az dast dâdanto lose one's life, to pass away
    • c. 1580, Vahshī Bāfqī, “گلهٔ یار دل‌آزار”, in گزیده اشعار [Selected Poems]‎[2]:
      جان من سنگدلی ، دل به تو دادن غلط است
      بر سر راه تو چون خاک فتادن غلط است
      چشم امید به روی تو گشادن غلط است
      روی پر گرد به راه تو نهادن غلط است
      رفتن اولاست ز کوی تو ، ستادن غلط است
      جان شیرین به تمنای تو دادن غلط است
      jān-i man-i sangdilī, dil ba tu dādan ġalat ast
      bar sar-i rāh-i tu čūn xāk fitādan ġalat ast
      čašm-i umēd ba rōy-i tu gušādan ġalat ast
      rōy-i pur gird ba rāh-i to nihādan ġalat ast
      raftan awwalā-st zi kōy-i tu, sitādan ġalat ast
      jān-i šīrīn ba tamannā-yi tu dādan ġalat ast
      My stone-hearted love, it's a mistake to give my heart to you;
      It's a mistake to fall down like dust at the head of your path;
      It's a mistake to open my hopeful eyes to your face;
      It's a mistake to lay my dusty face on your path;
      First of all, I leave your street, it's a mistake to stand here;
      It's a mistake to give up my sweet life to desiring you.
      (Classical Persian transliteration)
  2. energy; strength
    پاهایم جان ندارند.
    pâ-hâ-yam jân na-dârand.
    My legs are tired.
    (literally, “My legs have no life.”)
  3. main point; essence
    جان کلامjân-e kalâmheart of the matter
  4. (mainly in جانم or جان من) someone very close, e.g. a beloved or close family
    جانمjân-ammy love (literally, “my soul”)
    • c. 1580, Vahshī Bāfqī, “گلهٔ یار دل‌آزار”, in گزیده اشعار [Selected Poems]‎[3]:
      جان من سنگدلی ، دل به تو دادن غلط است
      بر سر راه تو چون خاک فتادن غلط است
      چشم امید به روی تو گشادن غلط است
      روی پر گرد به راه تو نهادن غلط است
      رفتن اولاست ز کوی تو ، ستادن غلط است
      جان شیرین به تمنای تو دادن غلط است
      jān-i man-i sangdilī, dil ba tu dādan ġalat ast
      bar sar-i rāh-i tu čūn xāk fitādan ġalat ast
      čašm-i umēd ba rōy-i tu gušādan ġalat ast
      rōy-i pur gird ba rāh-i to nihādan ġalat ast
      raftan awwalā-st zi kōy-i tu, sitādan ġalat ast
      jān-i šīrīn ba tamannā-yi tu dādan ġalat ast
      My stone-hearted love, it's a mistake to give my heart to you;
      It's a mistake to fall down like dust at the head of your path;
      It's a mistake to open my hopeful eyes to your face;
      It's a mistake to lay my dusty face on your path;
      First of all, I leave your street, it's a mistake to stand here;
      It's a mistake to give up my sweet life to desiring you.
      (Classical Persian transliteration)

Derived terms

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  • از جان و دل (az jân o del, most willingly, literally from soul and heart)
  • به جان آمدن (be jân âmadan, to be endangered, literally to come to the soul)
  • جان تسلیم کردن (jân taslim kard, to pass away, literally to surrender the soul)
  • جان دادن (jân dâdan, to pass away; to give life; to be passionate, literally to give the soul)
  • جانان (jânân, the beloved, literally souls; lives)
  • جانباز (jânbâz, disabled war veteran, literally life-gamblers)
  • جاندار (jândâr, animal, literally soul-haver)
  • جانسوز (jân-suz, heartrending, literally soul-burning)
  • جانسپار (jân-separ, devoted, literally soul-entrusting)
  • جان‌آفرین (jân-âfarin, God, literally soul-creator)

Interjection

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جان (jân)

  1. what?; a request for clarification upon mishearing.
  2. An exclamation of joy.

Usage notes

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  • When used for clarification, this is normally pronounced jân and not jun even in colloquial Iranian Persian.

Derived terms

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Descendants

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References

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  • Cheung, Johnny (2007) Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 161

Punjabi

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Etymology 1

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Borrowed from Classical Persian جَان (jān).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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جان (jānf (Gurmukhi spelling ਜਾਨ)

  1. life, soul
    Synonyms: زِنْدَگی (zindagī), جِیوَن (jīvan), جِنْدَڑی (jindaṛī), حَیَات, آتْما (ātmā), رُوح (rūḥ)
  2. courage, power
  3. (figuratively) love, beloved
  4. truth, basis (of a matter)
Declension
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Declension of جان
singular plural
direct جان (jān) جاناں (jānāṉ)
oblique جان (jān) جاناں (jānāṉ)
vocative جانے (jāne) جانو (jāno)
ablative جانوں (jānoṉ) جاناں (jānāṉ)
locative جانی (jānī) جانِیں (jānīṉ)
instrumental جانِیں (jānīṉ) جانے (jāne)

Etymology 2

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Inherited from Prakrit 𑀚𑀸𑀡 (jāṇa), from Sanskrit ज्ञान (jñāna).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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جَاݨ (jāṇf (Gurmukhi spelling ਜਾਣ)

  1. knowledge, understanding
Declension
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Declension of جان
singular plural
direct جَاݨ (jāṇ) جَاݨاں (jāṇāṉ)
oblique جَاݨ (jāṇ) جَاݨاں (jāṇāṉ)
vocative جَاݨے (jāṇe) جَاݨو (jāṇo)
ablative جَاݨوں (jāṇoṉ) جَاݨاں (jāṇāṉ)
locative جَاݨی (jāṇī) جَاݨِیں (jāṇīṉ)
instrumental جَاݨِیں (jāṇīṉ) جَاݨے (jāṇe)

Verb

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جَاݨ (jāṇ) (Gurmukhi spelling ਜਾਣ)

  1. inflection of جَاݨنا (jāṇnā):
    1. stem
    2. second-person singular present imperative

Etymology 3

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Verb

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جَاݨ (jāṇ) (Gurmukhi spelling ਜਾਣ)

  1. oblique infinitive of جَاݨا (jāṇā, to go)

Further reading

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  • Iqbal, Salah ud-Din (2002) “جان”, in vaḍḍī panjābī lughat‎ (in Punjabi), Lahore: ʻAzīz Pablisharz
  • Bashir, Kanwal (2012) “جان”, in Punjabi-English Dictionary, Hyattsville, MD: Dunwoody Press
  • جان”, in Punjabi-English Dictionary, Patiala: Punjabi University, 2025
  • Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “jñāna”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 291

Sindhi

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Classical Persian جان (jān).

Noun

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جان (jān?

  1. life; soul

Torwali

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Etymology

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From Sanskrit जन्तु (jantú).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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جان (ǰan)

  1. snake

Further reading

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  • Torwali, Zubair (2019) “جان”, in Torwali Dictionary (Webonary) (in Torwali), Dallas, Texas, USA: SIL International, published 2020.

Urdu

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Classical Persian جَان (jān).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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جَان (jānf (Hindi spelling जान)

  1. life (ie. a soul, person)
    Synonyms: زِنْدَگِی (zindagī), حَیات (hayāt), جِیوَن (jīvan)
  2. spirit, vitality

Declension

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Declension of جان
singular plural
direct جَان (jān) جَانیں (jānẽ)
oblique جَان (jān) جَانوں (jānõ)
vocative جَان (jān) جَانو (jāno)

Derived terms

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Uyghur

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Persian جان (jân, soul, vital spirit, life).

Noun

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جان (jan)

  1. soul
  2. spirit
  3. life
    جېنىمjénimmy dear
  4. person
  5. dear
    جان ئاناjan anamy dear mother