Mahaan

Mahaan (Devanagari: महान) is a common South Asian adjective and honorific meaning "great", "grand", or "noble". Derived from the Sanskrit root maha, meaning "great", the word appears across several Indo-Aryan languages including Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi and Urdu. In classical Sanskrit grammar the form mahān (with final visarga/nasal) functions as the masculine nominative singular of the adjective, while related forms convey the same meaning for other genders and numbers.

Usage includes descriptive and honorific contexts—applied to persons of perceived moral, spiritual or social stature, to historical figures, or to abstract qualities and achievements. It occurs in compound names and epithets (for example in religious and philosophical literature) and is a productive element in modern naming, titles and slogans. The term is often translated into English as "great" or "mighty", with near-synonyms such as mahā or uttama depending on nuance.

In contemporary culture, the word appears in media titles, organizational names and everyday speech, where it can carry both literal and hyperbolic senses. Variants and transliterations such as "Mahan" are used in different scripts and regions and may overlap with unrelated proper names in other languages. The term retains strong cultural resonance due to its association with reverence and elevated status.