# जिज्ञासा (jijñāsā)

Canonical page: https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/jijnasa

जिज्ञासा (jijñāsā) is a Sanskrit word meaning desire to know, inquiry, investigation, the desire to know or inquire, investigation, examination, or test, desire of knowing, curiosity, search, asking or inquiring. Its 11 recorded definitions are grouped into 2 contexts, among them Act of investigation or inquiry, Desire for knowledge or curiosity.

- **Root:** ज्ञा (jñā)
- **Etymology:** E. ज्ञा to know, desider. form, अङ् and टाप् affs — E. jñā to know, desider. form, aṅ and ṭāp affs
- **SLP1:** `jijYAsA`  **IAST:** jijñāsā  **Devanagari:** जिज्ञासा
- **Wikipedia:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jijnasa
- **Declensions:** 24 forms — https://sanskritlexicon.com/word/jijnasa/declensions.md

## Meanings by context

### Act of investigation or inquiry (8 definitions)
- desire to know, inquiry, investigation  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)*
  > (H2) [Printed book page 421,1] जिज्ञासा (jijñāsā) f. = ° सन (°sana), Mahābhārata (Title) ii f., xiii; Harivaṃśa (Title); Rāmāyaṇa (Title); Pāṇini (Author) i, 3, 21, Vārtt. 3 &c. ( कृत - जिज्ञास (kṛta-jijñāsa) mfn. having put to the proof any one [ gen. ] Kathāsaritsāgara (Title) cxiii, 78 ) [ ID=79299 ]
- 1. Search. 2. Investigation. 3. Examination.  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > जिज्ञासा (jijñāsā) [Printed book page 0514-b ] 2 Search, investigation, test, examination. [ ID=13952 ]
- 1. Asking or inquiring. 2. Search or investigation.  
  *Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > जिज्ञा (jñā) सा (jijñāsā) [Printed book page 349 ] जिज्ञा (jñā) सा (jijñāsā) f. ( - सा (-sā) ) 1 Asking, inquiring. 2 Search, investigation. E. ज्ञा (jñā) to know, desider. form, अङ् (aṅ) and टाप् (ṭāp) affs. [ ID=16307 ]
- Asking, search  
  *Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > जिज्ञासा (jijñāsā) [Printed book page 307-b ] जिज्ञासा (jijñāsā) ( सा ) ((sā)) 1. f. Asking; search. [ ID=15775 ]
- 1. Asking or inquiring. 2. Search or investigation.  
  *Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > जिज्ञा (jñā) सा (jijñāsā) [Printed book page 289-b ] जिज्ञा (jñā) सा (jijñāsā) f. ( - सा (-sā) ) 1. Asking, inquiring. 2. Search, investigation. E. ज्ञा (jñā) to know, desider. form, अङ् (aṅ) and टाप् (ṭāp) affs. [ ID=16279 ]
- 1. Wish to know. 2. Wish to test. 3. Examination.  
  *Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > जिज्ञासा (jijñāsā) [Printed book page 0333-a ] जिज्ञासा (jijñāsā) jijñāsā, i. e. jijñāsa (see the last), + a, f. 1. Wish to know, Rām. 1, 50, 23. 2. Wish to test, Rām. 4, 8, 6. 3. Examination, MBh. 2, 1158. [ ID=5422 ]
- investigation  
  *Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary*
  > जिज्ञासा (jijñāsā) [Printed book page 159-a ] jijñāsā, f. investigation. [‘effort to find out,’ fr. desid. of √jñā, 1149 4.] [ ID=1614 ]
- 1. The desire to know or inquire. 2. Investigation, examination, or test.  
  *Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)*
  > जिज्ञासा (jijñāsā) [Printed book page 0347-b ] Jijñāsā, f. desire of knowing or becoming ac- quainted with, inquiring; inquisitiveness; search, investigation, examination, test. [ ID=19684 ]

### Desire for knowledge or curiosity (3 definitions)
- Desire of knowing, curiosity  
  *Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > जिज्ञासा (jijñāsā) [Printed book page 0514-b ] 1 Desire of knowing, curiosity, inquisitiveness. [ ID=13952 ]
- Desire to know, curiosity.  
  *Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > जिज्ञासा (jijñāsā) [Printed book page 290-15 ] जिज्ञासा (jijñāsā) f. Desire of knowing, curiosity. [ ID=14662 ]
- a desire to know  
  *Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary*
  > जिज्ञासा (jijñāsā) [Printed book page 186 ] जिज्ञासा (jijñāsā) f. the same; ° सार्थम् (°sārtham) for information. [ ID=11348 ]

## Sources

Definitions from Apte Practical Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary; Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872); Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899); Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary; Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary.
Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon, University of Cologne.

The Sanskrit Lexicon app for iPhone, iPad and Mac: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sanskrit-lexicon-dictionary/id6746787546