Definitions for koan
ˈkoʊ ɑnkoan

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. koannoun

   a paradoxical anecdote or a riddle that has no solution; used in Zen Buddhism to show the inadequacy of logical reasoning

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. koannoun

   A story about a Zen master and his student, sometimes like a riddle, other times like a fable, which has become an object of Zen study, and which, when meditated upon, may unlock mechanisms in the Zen student's mind leading to satori.

2. koannoun

   A riddle with no solution, used to provoke reflection on the inadequacy of logical reasoning, and to lead to enlightenment.

3. Etymology: From (), which was from 公案.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. koan

   A koan is a paradoxical anecdote, riddle or story used in Zen Buddhism as a meditation object to provoke contemplation and attempt to transcend rational, logical thinking towards direct realization or enlightenment. It is often in the form of a dialogue between a Zen master and a student, often ending with a statement or answer that appears paradoxical or nonsensical.

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Kōan

   A kōan; 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.

The New Hacker's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. koan

   A Zen teaching riddle. Classically, koans are attractive paradoxes to be meditated on; their purpose is to help one to enlightenment by temporarily jamming normal cognitive processing so that something more interesting can happen (this practice is associated with Rinzai Zen Buddhism). Defined here because hackers are very fond of the koan form and compose their own koans for humorous and/or enlightening effect. See Some AI Koans, has the X nature, hacker humor.

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. KOAN

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Koan is ranked #120187 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Koan surname appeared 144 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Koan.
   
   72.9% or 105 total occurrences were White.
   22.2% or 32 total occurrences were Asian.

Matched Categories

1. • Problem

Anagrams for koan »

1. kaon

2. KAON

3. NKAO

How to pronounce koan?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say koan in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of koan in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of koan in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=koan
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Koan
3. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
4. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=koan
5. ^ The New Hacker's Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3008/3008-h/3008-h.htm#Koan
6. ^ Surnames Frequency by Census Records
   https://www.census.gov/topics/population/genealogy/data/2010_surnames.html