હરિજન

Gujarati

Etymology

હરિ (hari) +‎ જન (jan), literally “Children of God”. Coined by Narsinh Mehta, a Gujarati Bhakti poet in the 15th century and popularized by Mahatma Gandhi as an alternative to the term Dalit.

Pronunciation

• (Standard Gujarati) IPA^(key): /ˈɦə.ɾi.d͡ʒən/
• Hyphenation: હ‧રિ‧જન

Noun

હરિજન • (harijan) m

1. (derogatory, now proscribed) Harijan
2. (literally) devotee of Vishnu

Usage notes

Now considered offensive to Dalits, as the term is considered patronising, ignorant, and seeking to assimilate them into Hindu nationalism.