ज्ञाति

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• ᬚ᭄ᬜᬵᬢᬶ (Balinese script)
• জ্ঞাতি (Assamese script)
• জ্ঞাতি (Bengali script)
• 𑰕𑰿𑰗𑰯𑰝𑰰 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀚𑁆𑀜𑀸𑀢𑀺 (Brahmi script)
• 𑌜𑍍𑌞𑌾𑌤𑌿 (Grantha script)
• જ્ઞાતિ (Gujarati script)
• ਜੑਞਾਤਿ (Gurmukhi script)
• ꦘꦴꦠꦶ (Javanese script)
• ជ្ញាតិ (Khmer script)
• ಜ್ಞಾತಿ (Kannada script)
• ຊ຺ຎາຕິ (Lao script)
• ജ്ഞാതി (Malayalam script)
• 𑘕𑘿𑘗𑘰𑘝𑘱 (Modi script)
• ᠽᡛᠠᢗᢐᠢ (Mongolian script)
• ᡯᠨᡳᠶᠠ᠎᠊ᠠᢠᡳ (Manchu script)
• ဇ္ဉာတိ (Burmese script)
• 𑦵𑧠𑦷𑧑𑦽𑧒 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐖𑑂𑐘𑐵𑐟𑐶 (Newa script)
• ଜ୍ଞାତି (Odia script)
• ꢙ꣄ꢛꢵꢡꢶ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆘𑇀𑆚𑆳𑆠𑆴 (Sharada script)
• 𑖕𑖿𑖗𑖯𑖝𑖰 (Siddham script)
• ජ්ඤාති (Sinhalese script)
• జ్ఞాతి (Telugu script)
• ชฺญาติ (Thai script)
• ཛྙཱ་ཏི (Tibetan script)
• 𑒖𑓂𑒘𑒰𑒞𑒱 (Tirhuta script)

Etymology

Either:

1. From the root जन् (jan, “to beget, generate”).
2. From the root ज्ञा (jñā, “to know; be familiar with”).

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /d͡ʑɲɑː.tí/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈd͡ʑɲɑː.t̪i/

Noun

ज्ञाति • (jñātí) root form, m

1. relative, kinsman (especially paternal)
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 7.55.5:

     सस्तु माता सस्तु पिता सस्तु श्वा सस्तु विश्पतिः ।
     ससन्तु सर्वे ज्ञातयः सस्त्वयमभितो जनः ॥

     sastu mātā sastu pitā sastu śvā sastu viśpatiḥ .
     sasantu sarve jñātayaḥ sastvayamabhito janaḥ .

     May the mother sleep, may the father sleep, may the dog and the village chief sleep.
     May all the kinsmen and all the people who are round about sleep.

   • c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda 14.1.26.2:

     एधन्ते अस्या ज्ञातयः पतिर्बन्धेषु बध्यते ॥

     edhante asyā jñātayaḥ patirbandheṣu badhyate .

     Her kinsmen prosper; the husband is bound in bonds.

Declension

Masculine i-stem declension of ज्ञाति (jñātí)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	ज्ञातिः jñātíḥ	ज्ञाती jñātī́	ज्ञातयः jñātáyaḥ
Vocative	ज्ञाते jñā́te	ज्ञाती jñā́tī	ज्ञातयः jñā́tayaḥ
Accusative	ज्ञातिम् jñātím	ज्ञाती jñātī́	ज्ञातीन् jñātī́n
Instrumental	ज्ञातिना / ज्ञात्या¹ jñātínā / jñātyā̀¹	ज्ञातिभ्याम् jñātíbhyām	ज्ञातिभिः jñātíbhiḥ
Dative	ज्ञातये / ज्ञात्ये² jñātáye / jñātyè²	ज्ञातिभ्याम् jñātíbhyām	ज्ञातिभ्यः jñātíbhyaḥ
Ablative	ज्ञातेः / ज्ञात्यः² jñātéḥ / jñātyàḥ²	ज्ञातिभ्याम् jñātíbhyām	ज्ञातिभ्यः jñātíbhyaḥ
Genitive	ज्ञातेः / ज्ञात्यः² jñātéḥ / jñātyàḥ²	ज्ञात्योः jñātyóḥ	ज्ञातीनाम् jñātīnā́m
Locative	ज्ञातौ jñātaú	ज्ञात्योः jñātyóḥ	ज्ञातिषु jñātíṣu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Less common

Descendants

• Ashokan Prakrit: 𑀜𑀸𑀢𑀺 (ñāti, Girnar), 𑀦𑀸𑀢𑀺 (nāti, Kalsi)
  • Niya Prakrit: 𐨙𐨟𐨁‎ (ñati)
  • Prakrit: 𑀡𑀸𑀇 (ṇāi)
• Pali: ñāti
• ⇒ *ज्ञातिक (jñātika)
  • Ashokan Prakrit: 𑀜𑀸𑀢𑀺𑀓 (ñātika, Girnar), 𐨙𐨟𐨁𐨐‎ (ñatika, Shahbazgarhi)

Further reading

• Monier Williams (1899), “ज्ञाति”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 425, column 3.
• Hellwig, Oliver (2010-2023), “jñāti”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.
• Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893), “ज्ञाति”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press, page 103
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985), “jñātí”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 290