Jan (Persian name)

Jan (Persian: جان, romanized: jān, pronounced [dʒɑːn]) or jaan is the Persian or Kurmanji Kurdish word for 'soul' or 'life'. It is notably used in Persian/ Kurmanji Kurdish as a diminutive suffix attached to names and expressing intimacy, with a meaning roughly equivalent to "darling, dear". The word has also been borrowed in numerous languages of West, Central and South Asia where it is also used in various terms of endearment: e.g. Armenian ջան, Azerbaijani and Turkish canım, Uzbek jonim, Hindi and Urdu mērī jān (मेरी जान/میری جان), all meaning 'my life'. Jan is also used as a given name in Greater Iran, Kurdistan and it is a surname in Pashto.