Hari

Hari is a name and term with multiple meanings across languages and cultures. In Hinduism, Hari is an epithet of Vishnu and Krishna, used in devotional literature and liturgy to denote the preserver aspect of the divine. It appears in mantras and bhajans as a reference to God and is also found in compound names such as Hariharan or Harihara, reflecting the tradition of associating the divine with names.

In onomastics, Hari is a common masculine given name in India and among South Asian diaspora communities. It can be used alone or as part of longer names (for example Hariharan, Harihar). It is also found as a surname in some regions. The name is often chosen for cultural or religious reasons and is used across generations and communities.

In Indonesian and Malay, hari means “day” and is widely used in everyday speech and calendar expressions, such as hari ini for “today” and hari esok for “tomorrow.” This linguistic usage is unrelated to the religious epithet or to the given name, illustrating how the same string of letters can bear different meanings in different languages.

Notable people named Hari include the American comedian Hari Kondabolu, the British author Hari Kunzru, and the American actress and model Hari Nef. The name is used in various cultures and languages beyond these examples, reflecting a wide-ranging presence in personal names and everyday speech.