गङ्गा

Pali

Alternative forms

Alternative forms

• gaṅgā (Latin script)
• 𑀕𑀗𑁆𑀕𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• গঙ্গা (Bengali script)
• ගඞ‍්ගා (Sinhalese script)
• ဂင်္ဂါ or ၷင်္ၷႃ or ၷင်ၷႃ (Burmese script)
• คงฺคา or คังคา (Thai script)
• ᨣᩘᨣᩤ (Tai Tham script)
• ຄງ຺ຄາ or ຄັງຄາ (Lao script)
• គង្គា (Khmer script)
• 𑄉𑄋𑄴𑄉𑄂 (Chakma script)

Proper noun

गङ्गा f

1. Devanagari script form of gaṅgā (“Ganges”)

Declension

Declension table of "गङ्गा" (feminine)

Case \ Number	Singular
Nominative (first)	गङ्गा (gaṅgā)
Accusative (second)	गङ्गं (gaṅgaṃ)
Instrumental (third)	गङ्गाय (gaṅgāya)
Dative (fourth)	गङ्गाय (gaṅgāya)
Ablative (fifth)	गङ्गाय (gaṅgāya)
Genitive (sixth)	गङ्गाय (gaṅgāya)
Locative (seventh)	गङ्गाय (gaṅgāya) or गङ्गायं (gaṅgāyaṃ)
Vocative (calling)	गङ्गे (gaṅge)

Sanskrit

Alternative forms

• गंगा (gaṃgā)

Alternative scripts

Alternative scripts

• গঙ্গা (Assamese script)
• ᬕᬗ᭄ᬕᬵ (Balinese script)
• গঙ্গা (Bengali script)
• 𑰐𑰒𑰿𑰐𑰯 (Bhaiksuki script)
• 𑀕𑀗𑁆𑀕𑀸 (Brahmi script)
• ဂင်္ဂါ (Burmese script)
• ગઙ્ગા (Gujarati script)
• ਗਙ੍ਗਾ (Gurmukhi script)
• 𑌗𑌙𑍍𑌗𑌾 (Grantha script)
• ꦒꦔ꧀ꦒꦴ (Javanese script)
• 𑂏𑂑𑂹𑂏𑂰 (Kaithi script)
• ಗಙ್ಗಾ (Kannada script)
• គង្គា (Khmer script)
• ຄງ຺ຄາ (Lao script)
• ഗങ്ഗാ (Malayalam script)
• ᡤᠠᢛᡤᠠᢇ (Manchu script)
• 𑘐𑘒𑘿𑘐𑘰 (Modi script)
• ᠺᠠᢊᠺᠠ᠎ᠠ (Mongolian script)
• 𑦰𑦲𑧠𑦰𑧑 (Nandinagari script)
• 𑐐𑐒𑑂𑐐𑐵 (Newa script)
• ଗଙ୍ଗା (Odia script)
• ꢔꢖ꣄ꢔꢵ (Saurashtra script)
• 𑆓𑆕𑇀𑆓𑆳 (Sharada script)
• 𑖐𑖒𑖿𑖐𑖯 (Siddham script)
• ගඞ‍්ගා (Sinhalese script)
• 𑩞𑩠 𑪙𑩞𑩛 (Soyombo script)
• 𑚌𑚎𑚶𑚌𑚭 (Takri script)
• க³ங்க³ா (Tamil script)
• గఙ్గా (Telugu script)
• คงฺคา (Thai script)
• ག་ངྒཱ (Tibetan script)
• 𑒑𑒓𑓂𑒑𑒰 (Tirhuta script)
• 𑨍𑨏𑩇𑨍𑨊 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

Probably from the root गम् (gam, “to go, move”), literally meaning "swift-goer". If a folk etymology, perhaps alternatively of substrate origin.

Pronunciation

• (Vedic) IPA^(key): /ɡɐŋ.ɡɑː/
• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɐŋ.ɡɑː/

Proper noun

गङ्गा • (gaṅgā) stem, f

1. the river Ganges
2. Ganges river personified as the goddess, Ganga
   • c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda 10.75.5:

     इ॒मं मे॑ गङ्गे यमुने सरस्वति॒ शुतु॑द्रि॒ स्तोमं॑ सचता॒ परु॒ष्ण्या।
     अ॒सि॒क्न्या म॑रुद्वृधे वि॒तस्त॒यार्जी॑कीये शृणु॒ह्या सु॒षोम॑या॥

     imáṃ me gaṅge yamune sarasvati śútudri stómaṃ sacatā páruṣṇyā́.
     asiknyā́ marudvṛdhe vitástayā́rjīkīye śṛṇuhyā́ suṣómayā.

     Accept this my praise, Gaṅgā, Yamunā, Sarasvatī, Śutudri, Paruṣṇi, Asiknī, Marudvṛdha and Vitastā; listen, Ārjikīya with Suṣomā.

Declension

Feminine ā-stem declension of गङ्गा (gaṅgā)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	गङ्गा gaṅgā	गङ्गे gaṅge	गङ्गाः gaṅgāḥ
Vocative	गङ्गे gaṅge	गङ्गे gaṅge	गङ्गाः gaṅgāḥ
Accusative	गङ्गाम् gaṅgām	गङ्गे gaṅge	गङ्गाः gaṅgāḥ
Instrumental	गङ्गया / गङ्गा¹ gaṅgayā / gaṅgā¹	गङ्गाभ्याम् gaṅgābhyām	गङ्गाभिः gaṅgābhiḥ
Dative	गङ्गायै gaṅgāyai	गङ्गाभ्याम् gaṅgābhyām	गङ्गाभ्यः gaṅgābhyaḥ
Ablative	गङ्गायाः / गङ्गायै² gaṅgāyāḥ / gaṅgāyai²	गङ्गाभ्याम् gaṅgābhyām	गङ्गाभ्यः gaṅgābhyaḥ
Genitive	गङ्गायाः / गङ्गायै² gaṅgāyāḥ / gaṅgāyai²	गङ्गयोः gaṅgayoḥ	गङ्गानाम् gaṅgānām
Locative	गङ्गायाम् gaṅgāyām	गङ्गयोः gaṅgayoḥ	गङ्गासु gaṅgāsu
Notes	¹Vedic ²Brāhmaṇas

Descendants

• → Ancient Greek: Γάγγης (Gángēs)
  • Greek: Γάγγης (Gángis)
  • → Latin: Ganges
    • → English: Ganges
    • → Old English: Gandis
    • → Old Irish: Gand
    • French: Gange
• Ardhamagadhi Prakrit: 𑀕𑀁𑀕𑀸 (gaṃgā)
  • Old Awadhi: 𑂏𑂰𑂀𑂏
• → Assamese: গংগা (goṅga)
• → Bengali: গঙ্গা (goṅga)
• → Czech: Ganga
• → Dhivehi: ގަންގާ (gan̊gā)
• → Gujarati: ગંગા (gaṅgā)
• → Hindi: गंगा (gaṅgā)
• → Kannada: ಗಂಗಾ (gaṅgā)
• Magadhi Prakrit:
  • Early Assamese: গাঙ্গ (gaṅgo)
    • Assamese: গাং (gaṅ)
  • Bengali: গাং (gaṅ)
  • Chakma: 𑄉𑄧𑄋 (gaṅā)
  • Sylheti: ꠉꠣꠋ (gaṅ)
• → Malayalam: ഗംഗ (gaṅga)
• → Marathi: गंगा (gaṅgā)
• → Middle Chinese: 恆伽 (MC hong gja)
  • Chinese: 恆伽／恒伽 (Hénggā)
  • → Japanese: 恒河 (こうが, kōga)
  • → Korean: 항하 (hangha) (恒河)
  • → Vietnamese: Hằng
• → Middle Persian:
  • Persian: گنگ (gang)
  • → Arabic: الْغَانْج (al-ḡānj)
    • → Turkish: Ganj
• → Old Javanese:
  • Javanese: ꦒꦁꦒ (gangga)
• → Old Tamil:
  • Tamil: கங்கை (kaṅkai)
• → Odia: ଗଙ୍ଗା (gôṅga)
• Pali: gaṅgā
  • → Burmese: ဂင်္ဂါ (gangga)
  • → Khmer: គង្គា (kŭəngkiə)
  • → Lao: ກັງກາ (kang kā)
  • → Thai: คงคา (kong-kaa)
• → Punjabi: ਗੰਗਾ (gaṅgā)
• → Sinhalese: ගංගා (gaṁgā)
• → Telugu: గంగ (gaṅga)

References

• Monier Williams (1899) “गङ्गा”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 341/2.
• Mayrhofer, Manfred (1992) Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎^[1] (in German), volume 1, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 457