پچھان

Punjabi

Etymology

Verbal noun of پَچھاݨنا (pachāṇnā, “to recognize”), from inherited from Prakrit 𑀧𑀘𑁆𑀘𑀳𑀺𑀬𑀸𑀡𑀇 (paccahiyāṇaï), from Sanskrit प्रत्यभिजानाति (pratyabhijānāti). Cognate with Urdu پَہْچان (pahcān).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Punjabi) IPA^(key): /pə.t͡ʃʰäːɳ/, [pɐ.t͡ʃʰä̃ːɳᵊ]

• Audio (India):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: پَ‧چھاݨ

Noun

پَچھاݨ • (pachāṇ) f (Gurmukhi spelling ਪਛਾਣ)

1. identity; recognition
   • 2023, Dr.Yusra Sikandar, “Language & Punjabi Language”, in چَھتْنار [chatnār]‎^[1], volume 7, Lahore, page 80:

     زبان مخصوص قوم تے علاقے دی پچھان تے مان اے۔

     zabān maxṣūṣ qaum te ʻilāqe dī pachāṇ te māṇ ai.

     Language is the identity and pride of a particular nation and region.

2. acquaintance, familiarity

Declension

Declension of پچھان
dir. sg.	پَچھاݨ (pachāṇ)
dir. pl.	پَچھاݨاں (pachāṇāṉ)
	singular	plural
direct	پَچھاݨ (pachāṇ)	پَچھاݨاں (pachāṇāṉ)
oblique	پَچھاݨ (pachāṇ)	پَچھاݨاں (pachāṇāṉ)
vocative	پَچھاݨے (pachāṇe)	پَچھاݨو (pachāṇo)
ablative	پَچھاݨوں (pachāṇoṉ)	پَچھاݨاں (pachāṇāṉ)
locative	پَچھاݨی (pachāṇī)	پَچھاݨِیں (pachāṇīṉ)
instrumental	پَچھاݨِیں (pachāṇīṉ)	پَچھاݨے (pachāṇe)

Further reading

• Iqbal, Salah ud-Din (2002) “پچھان”, in vaḍḍī panjābī lughat‎ (in Punjabi), Lahore: ʻAzīz Pablisharz
• “پچھان”, in پنجابی لغت (in Punjabi), Pakistan: Center for Language Engineering, (Can we date this quote?).
• “ਪਛਾਣ”, in Punjabi-English Dictionary, Patiala: Punjabi University, 2025
• Turner, Ralph Lilley (1969–1985) “pratyabhijānāti”, in A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages, London: Oxford University Press, page 487