tani

Tani is a term with multiple uses across different languages and regions. It is encountered as a personal name and surname in various cultures, and it also appears in linguistic and geographic contexts. The specific meaning and origin of Tani can vary by culture and language.

In linguistics, Tani refers to a proposed subgroup of the Sino-Tibetan language family spoken by communities in northeast India and nearby regions. The Tani languages include several individual languages, such as Nyishi, Apatani, Adi, Galo, and Tagin, among others. Classifications of the group can differ among scholars, but the term is commonly used to denote this geographic–linguistic cluster.

In Japanese, tani (谷) means "valley" and is a common element in place names and family names. As a surname, it appears in Japan and among people of Japanese heritage; as a toponymic element, it often appears in compound place names referencing a valley.

Geographically, the name Tani can appear in various toponyms or local place names in different countries, reflecting transliteration and linguistic influences in those regions. The usage as a place name is typically independent of its linguistic or personal-name meanings elsewhere.

Notable people with the name Tani come from diverse backgrounds, illustrating its cross-cultural adoption. The term should not be confused with similarly spelled terms such as Tanis or Tany, which may have separate origins and usages.