Download the app
educalingo
Search
The O. Henry has become lingua franca among writers for saying, 'That guy can write a story.' It's prestigious, respected, coveted, dreamed about. It's very satisfying to be included in this group of writers. Here's a koan: Could O. Henry win an O. Henry?
Tony D'Souza

Meaning of "koan" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD KOAN

From Japanese.
info
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsapp
section

PRONUNCIATION OF KOAN

koan  [ˈkəʊæn] play
facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsapp

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF KOAN

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Koan is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES KOAN MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Kōan

A kōan /ˈkoʊ.ɑːn/; Chinese: 公案; pinyin: gōng'àn; Korean: 공안; Vietnamese: công án) is a story, dialogue, question, or statement, which is used in Zen-practice to provoke the "great doubt", and test a student's progress in Zen practice.

Definition of koan in the English dictionary

The definition of koan in the dictionary is a problem or riddle that admits no logical solution.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH KOAN


Zoan
ˈzəʊæn

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE KOAN

koa
koala
koala bear
koap
kob
kobang
Kobarid
Kobe
Kobe beef
Koblenz
kobo
kobold
Koch
Kochi
kochia
Kodiak
Kodiak bear
Kodok
koekoea
koeksister

WORDS THAT END LIKE KOAN

bank loan
blue roan
eoan
groan
home loan
interlibrary loan
Joan
jumbo loan
loan
metazoan
Minoan
moan
on loan
personal loan
red roan
roan
Samoan
savings and loan
Sloan
student loan

Synonyms and antonyms of koan in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «koan» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF KOAN

Find out the translation of koan to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of koan from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «koan» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

公案
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

koan
570 millions of speakers

English

koan
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

Koan
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

KOAN
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

коан
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

koan
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

koan
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

koan
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Koan
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Koan
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

公案
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

고안
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Koan
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

công án
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

சிந்தனைகள்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

कोयन
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

öyküsünde şu
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

koan
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

koan
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

коан
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

Koan
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

koan
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

Koan
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

koan
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

koan
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of koan

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «KOAN»

The term «koan» is regularly used and occupies the 68.384 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
68
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «koan» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of koan
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «koan».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «KOAN» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «koan» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «koan» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about koan

EXAMPLES

QUOTES WITH «KOAN»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word koan.
1
Tony D'Souza
The O. Henry has become lingua franca among writers for saying, 'That guy can write a story.' It's prestigious, respected, coveted, dreamed about. It's very satisfying to be included in this group of writers. Here's a koan: Could O. Henry win an O. Henry?

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «KOAN»

Discover the use of koan in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to koan and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Love, Freedom, and Aloneness: The Koan of Relationships
A thought-provoking guide discusses how the model of the traditional family is slowly coming apart and reveals how this can be used to redefine and revitalize the basis of human existence, which will allow us to start over with ourselves, ...
Osho, 2002
2
Dogen's Genjo Koan: Three Commentaries
There can be no doubt that understanding and integrating this text will have a profound effect on anyone’s life and practice.
Eihei Dogen, 2013
3
Dogen and the Koan Tradition: A Tale of Two Shobogenzo Texts
This book has three major goals in critically examining the historical and philosophical relation between the writings of Dogen and the Zen koan tradition.
Steven Heine, 1994
4
The Archives of the Kong Koan of Batavia
The first study of the archive of the Kong Koan, the only relatively complete archive of a "diaspora" Chinese urban community in Southeast Asia, offering many new insights into Overseas Chinese life between 1780-1965.
Lâeonard Blussâe, Menghong Chen, 2003
5
The Koan : Texts and Contexts in Zen Buddhism: Texts and ...
Arguing that our understanding of the koan tradition has been severely limited, contributors to this collection examine previously unrecognized factors in the formation of this tradition, and highlight the rich complexity and diversity of ...
Steven Heine Professor and Director of the Asian Studies Program Florida International University, Dale S. Wright Professor of Religious Studies and Asian Studies Occidental College, 2000
6
The Book of Mu: Essential Writings on Zen's Most Important Koan
Examines the Zen principle of mu and presents the writings of over forty teachers on the practice of mu.
James Ishmael Ford, Melissa Myozen Blacker, 2011
7
Zen Sand:
"This impressive compendium of texts central to Zen practice offers a wealth of information not only to students of Zen or Buddhism in general, but to anyone interested in the history and culture of East Asia."--BOOK JACKET.
‎2003
8
The Koan: Texts and Contexts in Zen Buddhism
The essays collected in this volume, all previously; unpublished, argue that our understanding of the koan tradition has been severely limited.
Steven Heine, Dale S. Wright, 2000
9
Unlocking the Zen Koan: A New Translation of the Zen Classic ...
Offers a translation of Chinese Zen koans, or simple tales with surprising depth and meaning
Huikai, Thomas F. Cleary, 1997
10
Sitting with Koans: Essential Writings on Zen Koan Introspection
The Zen tradition has just two main meditative practices: shikantaza, or "just sitting"; and introspection guided by the powerful Zen teaching stories called koans.
John Daido Loori, 2012

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «KOAN»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term koan is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Grey Sweatpants - Help Me Please! | Stream & Listen [New Song]
After making his HNHH debut last week with the philosophical koan "Are Cheetos Really Chips?" Grey Sweatpants makes his return today with ... «HotNewHipHop, Jul 15»
2
You Don't Make the Grass Grow By Pulling On It - Patheos
You ought to read it if for no other reason than that he quotes both an old Zen koan and a great Suicidal Tendencies song, and that's probably ... «Patheos, Jul 15»
3
A Play That Tries to Be Deep But Is Actually Just Your Regular …
“What is time for if not to be confused?” spouts the koan-prone, eponymous, South Asian-American heroine (played by Monika Jolly) of Shiv, ... «L.A. Weekly, Jul 15»
4
Dance review: Footnote New Zealand Dance
The second work, choreographed by Jared Hemopo, with music by KOAN Sound, is titled 5IVE. Hemopo's background in hip hop and its street ... «New Zealand Herald, Jul 15»
5
Global Climate Treaty May Hinge on the Strength of Its Teeth
Perhaps that is why the emerging answer seems to resemble the old koan in which a Zen master declared that the best way to keep your ... «InsideClimate News, Jul 15»
6
Call of the wild
... journey west, Gessner received an email from environmental writer Terry Tempest Williams, who offered what Gessner called a koan of sorts. «Chico News & Review, Jul 15»
7
SAFIA - "Embracing Me"
Like a dagger crafted by a young Koan Sound, sharpened by evocative and soulful vocals, “Embracing Me” pierce the shroud that covers one's ... «NoisePorn, Jul 15»
8
Hear a Bluesy Version of Alessia Cara's 'Here'
We are all falling in love with Alessia Cara, the 19-year-old singer from Ontario whose introspective koan about going to a party and feeling ... «Vulture, Jul 15»
9
The Minnesota Twins Are Defying Everything, And It Rules
Molitor's preferred tetrameter of manager-speak—"Ninety feet is ninety feet"—starts to sound like a particularly profound koan. «VICE, Jul 15»
10
Review: 'Orange Is the New Black' Season 3: 'Trust No Bitch'
In a show that was, at its core, about a man trying to learn how to be happy, the sentiments of his toast land like a Zen koan. Life is scary and ... «Newsweek, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Koan [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/koan>. May 2024 ».
Download the educalingo app
en
English dictionary
Discover all that is hidden in the words on
index
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z