चन
Sanskrit
Alternative scripts
- চন (Assamese script)
- ᬘᬦ (Balinese script)
- চন (Bengali script)
- 𑰓𑰡 (Bhaiksuki script)
- 𑀘𑀦 (Brahmi script)
- စန (Burmese script)
- ચન (Gujarati script)
- ਚਨ (Gurmukhi script)
- 𑌚𑌨 (Grantha script)
- ꦕꦤ (Javanese script)
- 𑂒𑂢 (Kaithi script)
- ಚನ (Kannada script)
- ចន (Khmer script)
- ຈນ (Lao script)
- ചന (Malayalam script)
- ᢜᠠᠨᠠ (Manchu script)
- 𑘓𑘡 (Modi script)
- ᢋᠠᠨᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
- 𑦳𑧁 (Nandinagari script)
- 𑐔𑐣 (Newa script)
- ଚନ (Odia script)
- ꢗꢥ (Saurashtra script)
- 𑆖𑆤 (Sharada script)
- 𑖓𑖡 (Siddham script)
- චන (Sinhalese script)
- 𑩡𑩯 (Soyombo script)
- 𑚏𑚝 (Takri script)
- சந (Tamil script)
- చన (Telugu script)
- จน (Thai script)
- ཙ་ན (Tibetan script)
- 𑒔𑒢 (Tirhuta script)
- 𑨣𑨝 (Zanabazar Square script)
Etymology
From Proto-Indo-Iranian *čana and cognate with Old Avestan 𐬗𐬌𐬥𐬁 (cinā), Younger Avestan 𐬗𐬌𐬥𐬀 (cina). Further derived (as *kʷe-na (“somehow”)[1] or *kʷe-ne(h₁) (instr.sg.?)[2][3]) from Proto-Indo-European *kʷís. Compare Proto-Germanic *-gin ~ *-hun.
Dunkel additionally suggests syncretism with *-ča (“and”) + *ná (“not”) starting in Proto-Indo-Iranian, explaining the preference for negative sentences and the Vedic accent.[1]
Pronunciation
- (Vedic) IPA(key): /t͡ɕɐ.nɐ́/
- (Classical Sanskrit) IPA(key): /t͡ɕɐ.n̪ɐ/
Particle
चन • (caná)
- emphasizing particle, mostly in negative sentences[2]
Usage notes
This particle is placed after the word to which it gives force.
A preceding verb is accentuated (Pāṇ. viii, 1, 57); in Vedic language it is generally, but not always, found without any other neg. particle, whereas in the later language another negative is usually added, e.g. āpaś canapra minanti vrataṃ vāṃ, ‘not even the waters violate your ordinance’, RV. ii, 24, 12; nāha vivyāca pṛthivī canainaṃ, ‘the earth even does not contain him’, iii, 36, 4; in classical Sanskrit it is only used after the interrogatives क (ká), कतर (katará), कतम (katamá), कथम् (kathám), कद् (kád), कदा (kadā́), किम् (kím), कुतस् (kútas) and क्व (kvà), making them indefinite.[4]
Derived terms
- क चन (ka cana)
- कतम चन (katama cana)
- कतर चन (katara cana)
- कथम् चन (katham cana)
- कदा चन (kadā cana)
- कद् चन (kad cana)
- किम् चन (kim cana)
- कुतस् चन (kutas cana)
- क्व चन (kva cana)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Dunkel, George E. (2014), Lexikon der indogermanischen Partikeln und Pronominalstämme [Lexicon of Indo-European Particles and Pronominal Stems] (in German), volume 2: Lexikon, Heidelberg: Universitätsverlag Winter, →ISBN, pages 482-4
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992), “caná”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan][1] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 528
- ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959), “ku̯ene”, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 2, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 641
- ^ Monier Williams (1899), “चन”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 386, column 2.
Further reading
- Wackernagel, Jakob (1896-1964), Altindische Grammatik [Grammar of Ancient Indian] (Indogermanische Bibliothek. 2. Reihe: Wörterbücher)[2] (in German), Vol. III: Nominalflexion – Zahlwort – Pronomen, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, published 1930, pages 562, 570-1
- Arthur Anthony Macdonell (1893), “चन”, in A practical Sanskrit dictionary with transliteration, accentuation, and etymological analysis throughout, London: Oxford University Press, page 91
- Hellwig, Oliver (2010–2025), “cana”, in DCS - The Digital Corpus of Sanskrit, Berlin, Germany.