जान (jaan)
noun
Primarily 'life, life-force' (जान (jaan)) and, by warm extension, a term of endearment for a beloved person; also appears widely inside idioms about vitality, effort, and danger.
Sense
1
:
life, life-force, vitality
noun, feminine
Synonyms: जीवन (jiivan, more formal/literary), प्राण (praan, literary)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: You'll hear जान है तो जहान है (jaan hai to jahaan hai, 'if there is life, there is the world') as a common piece of folk wisdom about prioritizing health over everything else. जान (jaan) and ज़िंदगी (zindgii) overlap a lot in casual speech, but जान (jaan) leans toward the raw, physical 'life-force' sense, which is why it shows up in so many idioms about danger and effort.
Common Mistakes: 1) जान (jaan) means life as vital force/existence, not 'life' in the sense of a biography or lifetime story -- that's ज़िंदगी (zindgii) or जीवन (jiivan) in most everyday contexts, though the two overlap heavily and are often interchangeable. 2) Learners sometimes miss that जान (jaan) is feminine, which affects adjective and verb agreement.
Sample Sentences:
जान है तो जहान है।
If there is life, there is the world.
(jaan hai to jahaan hai।)
डॉक्टर ने किसी तरह उसकी जान बचा ली।
The doctor somehow managed to save his life.
(doktar ne kisii tarah uskii jaan bachaa lii।)
हादसे में उसकी जान चली गई।
He lost his life in the accident.
(haadse men uskii jaan chalii gaii।)
सैनिक देश के लिए अपनी जान देने से नहीं डरते।
Soldiers are not afraid to give their lives for the country.
(sainik desh ke lie apnii jaan dene se nahiin darte।)
अगर वह समय पर अस्पताल न पहुँचता तो उसकी जान न बचती।
If he had not reached the hospital on time, his life would not have been saved.
(agar vah samay par asptaal n pahunchtaa to uskii jaan n bachtii।)
भगवान से यही दुआ है कि सबकी जान सलामत रहे।
The only prayer to God is that everyone's life stays safe.
(bhagvaan se yahii duaa hai ki sabkii jaan salaamat rahe।)
अपनी जान की परवाह मत कर, पहले बच्चों को बाहर निकाल!
Don't worry about your own life, get the children out first!
(apnii jaan kii parvaah mat kar, pahle bachchon ko baahar nikaal!)
युद्ध में हज़ारों निर्दोष लोगों की जान चली जाती है।
In war, thousands of innocent people lose their lives.
(yuddh men hazaaron nirdosh logon kii jaan chalii jaatii hai।)
उसने अपनी जान जोखिम में डालकर बच्चे को डूबने से बचाया।
He put his own life at risk and saved the child from drowning.
(usne apnii jaan jokhim men daalkar bachche ko doobne se bachaayaa।)
क्या इंसान की जान से बढ़कर भी कुछ हो सकता है?
Can anything be more precious than a human life?
(kyaa insaan kii jaan se badhkar bhii kuchh ho saktaa hai?)
इस बीमारी से हर साल लाखों जानें जाती हैं।
Millions of lives are lost to this disease every year.
(is biimaarii se har saal laakhon jaanen jaatii hain।)
पुल गिरने से कई मासूम जानें बेवजह चली गईं।
Several innocent lives were needlessly lost when the bridge collapsed.
(pul girne se kaii maasoom jaanen bevjah chalii gaiin।)
Sense
2
:
term of endearment (darling, my love, my life)
noun, feminine Used vocatively, often attached to a name or on its own, addressing someone the speaker loves -- romantic partners, but also affectionately with children.
Synonyms: जानम (jaanam, more intimate/poetic), जानू (jaanoo, colloquial)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: मेरी जान (merii jaan, 'my darling') is a classic term of endearment you'll hear constantly in Hindi film songs and dialogues between lovers, and also from parents to small children. It literally frames the beloved as one's own life -- a nice example of Hindi's tendency toward intense, embodied metaphors of affection.
Common Mistakes: 1) This sense is quite intimate -- using जान (jaan) with a casual acquaintance or colleague would sound odd or presumptuous, unlike English 'dear' which is more neutral. 2) मेरी जान (merii jaan, 'my life/darling') is the most common frame; learners sometimes drop मेरी (merii) and lose some of the warmth.
Sample Sentences:
मेरी जान, तुम कहाँ थीं इतनी देर?
My darling, where were you for so long?
(merii jaan, tum kahaan thiin itnii der?)
जान, प्लीज़ मुझसे नाराज़ मत हो।
Darling, please don't be angry with me.
(jaan, pliiz mujhse naaraaz mat ho।)
आ जाओ, मेरी जान, खाना ठंडा हो रहा है।
Come on, my darling, the food is getting cold.
(aa jaao, merii jaan, khaanaa thandaa ho rahaa hai।)
वो हमेशा उसे 'मेरी जान' कहकर बुलाता था।
He always used to call her 'my darling'.
(vo hameshaa use 'merii jaan' kahkar bulaataa thaa।)
माँ बच्चे को गोद में लेकर बोली, "मेरी जान, सो जा अब।"
The mother, holding the child in her lap, said, "My darling, go to sleep now."
(maan bachche ko god men lekar bolii, "merii jaan, so jaa ab।")
अगर तुम मेरी जान हो, तो मुझसे झूठ मत बोलो।
If you are my darling, then don't lie to me.
(agar tum merii jaan ho, to mujhse jhooth mat bolo।)
इस गाने में हीरो बार-बार अपनी प्रेमिका को 'जान' कहकर पुकारता है।
In this song, the hero repeatedly calls his beloved 'darling'.
(is gaane men hiiro baar-baar apnii premikaa ko 'jaan' kahkar pukaartaa hai।)
काश मैं भी अपनी जान से यह बात कह पाता।
I wish I could also say this to my darling.
(kaash main bhii apnii jaan se yah baat kah paataa।)
उसने चिट्ठी में लिखा था, "मेरी जान, तुम्हारे बिना दिन नहीं कटता।"
He had written in the letter, "My darling, the day doesn't pass without you."
(usne chitthii men likhaa thaa, "merii jaan, tumhaare binaa din nahiin kattaa।")
जान, मुझे यकीन है कि सब ठीक हो जाएगा।
Darling, I'm sure everything will be fine.
(jaan, mujhe yakiin hai ki sab thiik ho jaaegaa।)
Sense
3
:
effort, energy (as in 'putting one's life into something')
noun, feminine Occurs mainly inside set phrases like जान लगाना (jaan lagaanaa, 'to put one's life/all effort into something') and जान लड़ाना (jaan ladaanaa, 'to strive with everything one has').
Synonyms: मेहनत (mehnat, effort/hard work, broader meaning), ज़ोर (zor, force/strength)
Frequency: high
Cultural Note: जान लगा दी (jaan lagaa dii, 'gave it my all') is what a student might say after an exam, or a worker after finishing a big task -- it dramatizes ordinary effort as something life-and-death, which is very characteristic of how Hindi talks about hard work.
Common Mistakes: 1) This is a figurative extension of the 'life' sense, but it's so idiom-bound that learners should learn it as part of fixed phrases (जान लगाना (jaan lagaanaa), जान लड़ाना (jaan ladaanaa)) rather than trying to use जान (jaan) alone to mean 'effort.'
Sample Sentences:
मैंने इस काम में अपनी पूरी जान लगा दी।
I put my whole heart and soul into this work.
(mainne is kaam men apnii poorii jaan lagaa dii।)
परीक्षा की तैयारी में उसने जान लगा दी थी।
She had given it her all in preparing for the exam.
(pariikshaa kii taiyaarii men usne jaan lagaa dii thii।)
इस प्रोजेक्ट को पूरा करने में पूरी जान लगा दो।
Put your whole effort into finishing this project.
(is projekt ko pooraa karne men poorii jaan lagaa do।)
वह हर काम में अपनी जान लगा देता है।
He puts all his effort into every task.
(vah har kaam men apnii jaan lagaa detaa hai।)
अगर तुम जान लगा दोगे, तो सफलता ज़रूर मिलेगी।
If you give it your all, you will definitely succeed.
(agar tum jaan lagaa doge, to saphaltaa zaroor milegii।)
काश मैंने उस इंटरव्यू में पूरी जान लगा दी होती।
If only I had given that interview my absolute all.
(kaash mainne us intravyoo men poorii jaan lagaa dii hotii।)
यह मुमकिन है कि वह इस मैच में अपनी पूरी जान लगा दे।
It's possible that he will pour his entire effort into this match.
(yah mumkin hai ki vah is maich men apnii poorii jaan lagaa de।)
मज़दूरों ने पुल बनाने में अपनी जान लगा दी।
The laborers put everything they had into building the bridge.
(mazdooron ne pul banaane men apnii jaan lagaa dii।)
इस व्यापार को खड़ा करने में उनकी सारी जान लगी है।
Their entire effort has gone into building this business.
(is vyaapaar ko khadaa karne men unkii saarii jaan lagii hai।)
टीम ने जीत के लिए पूरी जान लगा दी, फिर भी हार गए।
The team gave it their all for the win, but still lost.
(tiim ne jiit ke lie poorii jaan lagaa dii, phir bhii haar gae।)
इस गाने को रिकॉर्ड करने में गायिका ने अपनी पूरी जान लगा दी।
The singer poured her entire energy into recording this song.
(is gaane ko rikord karne men gaayikaa ne apnii poorii jaan lagaa dii।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.f.direct):
जान
(jaan)
(sg.f.oblique):
जान
(jaan)
(pl.f.direct):
जानें
(jaanen)
(pl.f.oblique):
जानों
(jaanon)