Gyan

Gyan, also transliterated as gyān or jñāna, is a term from Sanskrit used in many Indian languages to mean knowledge, wisdom, or understanding. It derives from the verb root jñā-, “to know,” and appears in everyday speech as well as in formal discourse across Hindi, Marathi, Nepali, and other languages.

In Hindu philosophical and religious contexts, jnana (gyan) denotes knowledge with a possible emphasis on spiritual or metaphysical insight. It can refer to general knowledge or to the experiential knowledge sought in various schools of yoga and Vedanta, where jnana yoga is described as the path of knowledge. The concept also appears in other Indian religious and philosophical traditions, often signifying awareness of truth or reality.

The word is commonly used as a personal name in South Asia and the diaspora. It appears both as a standalone given name and as part of compound names such as Gyanendra or Gyanesh, reflecting a wish that the bearer possess or reveal knowledge. In contemporary contexts, gyan is widely heard in educational, cultural, and media settings, including publishers, magazines, and online platforms that emphasize learning or information.

Spelling and pronunciation vary with script and language. The diacritic form gyān indicates a long vowel in Sanskrit-based transliteration, while common English renderings include gyan and jnana, depending on linguistic tradition and transliteration conventions.