chand

Chand is a term with multiple meanings in South Asia. In several Indo-Aryan languages, including Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, and Bengali, chand is the word for the Moon. It is cognate with the Sanskrit term Chandra, which also denotes the Moon. The word appears in everyday speech, poetry, and song as a reference to the lunar body.

Beyond its astronomical sense, Chand functions as a personal name. It is a common surname in India, Nepal, and among diaspora communities, and it is also found as a given name in some contexts. The name is often associated with the Moon and its symbolic qualities, such as light in the darkness. Chand frequently occurs in longer names that draw on the lunar root, including forms such as Chandra, Chandrakant, or Chandrasekhar.

In literature, film, and popular culture, the term Chand is sometimes used to evoke lunar imagery or nighttime atmosphere. It also appears in place names and family names within communities that use Chand-based spellings, reflecting regional linguistic heritage and cultural associations with the Moon.

See also: Chandra; Chandrasekhar; Chandrakant.