jivhviñña

Jivhviñña is a term that appears in a small and largely specialized body of Indic linguistic and philosophical literature. It is generally interpreted as related to tongue-based sensory-consciousness, though the precise sense is not uniform across sources. The word is usually analyzed as a compound of jihvā (tongue) and viññāṇa (consciousness or discernment), yielding a phrase often rendered as “tongue-consciousness” or “taste-consciousness.” Variants in spelling include jihvā-viññāṇa and jivhviñāṇa.

Attestations for jivhviñña are sparse, and there is no single authoritative dictionary entry or universal definition. In some commentarial or exegetical passages, the term is used to denote a specific cognitive moment associated with gustatory experience or tongue-related articulation, placing it among discussions of sense-based viññāṇa in Buddhist contexts. Other usages treat it as a morphological variant without substantial doctrinal distinction.

Because of its limited attestation, scholars caution against drawing firm conclusions about jivhviñña in isolation. When encountered, it is advisable to examine the original texts and compare glosses across manuscript traditions to determine the intended sense and transliteration.

See also: viññāṇa, jihvā, Abhidhamma, sense bases, Buddhist psychology.