यक्ष

Sanskrit

Alternative scripts

যক্ষ (Assamese script)
ᬬᬓ᭄ᬱ (Balinese script)
যক্ষ (Bengali script)
𑰧𑰎𑰿𑰬 (Bhaiksuki script)
𑀬𑀓𑁆𑀱 (Brahmi script)
ယက္ၑ (Burmese script)
યક્ષ (Gujarati script)
ਯਕ੍ਸ਼ (Gurmukhi script)
𑌯𑌕𑍍𑌷 (Grantha script)
ꦪꦏ꧀ꦰ (Javanese script)
𑂨𑂍𑂹𑂭 (Kaithi script)
ಯಕ್ಷ (Kannada script)
យក្ឞ (Khmer script)
ຍກ຺ຩ (Lao script)
യക്ഷ (Malayalam script)
ᠶᠠᡬᢢᠠ (Manchu script)
𑘧𑘎𑘿𑘬 (Modi script)
ᠶ᠋ᠠᢉᢔᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
𑧇𑦮𑧠𑧌 (Nandinagari script)
𑐫𑐎𑑂𑐲 (Newa script)
ଯକ୍ଷ (Odia script)
ꢫꢒ꣄ꢰ (Saurashtra script)
𑆪𑆑𑇀𑆰 (Sharada script)
𑖧𑖎𑖿𑖬 (Siddham script)
යක්‍ෂ (Sinhalese script)
𑩻𑩜 𑪙𑪀 (Soyombo script)
𑚣𑚊𑚶 (Takri script)
யக்ஷ (Tamil script)
యక్ష (Telugu script)
ยกฺษ (Thai script)
ཡ་ཀྵ (Tibetan script)
𑒨𑒏𑓂𑒭 (Tirhuta script)
𑨪𑨋𑩇𑨯 (Zanabazar Square script)

Etymology

From the root यक्ष् (yakṣ, “to appear, show oneself”), related to Persian (nešân, “sign, mark”); see there for more on the Indo-Iranian root.

Various other proposals have been suggested, such as an s-extension of यजति (yajati, “to worship; to sacrifice”), or a connection to याशु (yāśu, “sexual effusion, embrace”); these are phonetically and/or semantically unconvincing.

Pronunciation

(Vedic) IPA^(key): /jɐk.ʂɐ́/
(Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈjɐk.ʂɐ/

Noun

यक्ष • (yakṣá) stem, n

(Hinduism, Buddhism) a yaksha; a supernatural being, spiritual apparition, spirit, ghost
- c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda
- c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda

Declension

Neuter a-stem declension of यक्ष (yakṣá)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	यक्षम् yakṣám	यक्षे yakṣé	यक्षाणि / यक्षा¹ yakṣā́ṇi / yakṣā́¹
Vocative	यक्ष yákṣa	यक्षे yákṣe	यक्षाणि / यक्षा¹ yákṣāṇi / yákṣā¹
Accusative	यक्षम् yakṣám	यक्षे yakṣé	यक्षाणि / यक्षा¹ yakṣā́ṇi / yakṣā́¹
Instrumental	यक्षेण yakṣéṇa	यक्षाभ्याम् yakṣā́bhyām	यक्षैः / यक्षेभिः¹ yakṣaíḥ / yakṣébhiḥ¹
Dative	यक्षाय yakṣā́ya	यक्षाभ्याम् yakṣā́bhyām	यक्षेभ्यः yakṣébhyaḥ
Ablative	यक्षात् yakṣā́t	यक्षाभ्याम् yakṣā́bhyām	यक्षेभ्यः yakṣébhyaḥ
Genitive	यक्षस्य yakṣásya	यक्षयोः yakṣáyoḥ	यक्षाणाम् yakṣā́ṇām
Locative	यक्षे yakṣé	यक्षयोः yakṣáyoḥ	यक्षेषु yakṣéṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Derived terms

यक्षि (yakṣi) (a female yaksha)
यक्षिणी (yakṣiṇī) (a female yaksha)

Noun

यक्ष • (yakṣá) stem, m

a class of semi-divine beings (attendants of Kubera, exceptionally also of Vishṇu; described as sons of Pulastya, of Pulaha, of Kaśyapa, of Khasā or Krodhā.)

Declension

Masculine a-stem declension of यक्ष (yakṣá)
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	यक्षः yakṣáḥ	यक्षौ / यक्षा¹ yakṣaú / yakṣā́¹	यक्षाः / यक्षासः¹ yakṣā́ḥ / yakṣā́saḥ¹
Vocative	यक्ष yákṣa	यक्षौ / यक्षा¹ yákṣau / yákṣā¹	यक्षाः / यक्षासः¹ yákṣāḥ / yákṣāsaḥ¹
Accusative	यक्षम् yakṣám	यक्षौ / यक्षा¹ yakṣaú / yakṣā́¹	यक्षान् yakṣā́n
Instrumental	यक्षेण yakṣéṇa	यक्षाभ्याम् yakṣā́bhyām	यक्षैः / यक्षेभिः¹ yakṣaíḥ / yakṣébhiḥ¹
Dative	यक्षाय yakṣā́ya	यक्षाभ्याम् yakṣā́bhyām	यक्षेभ्यः yakṣébhyaḥ
Ablative	यक्षात् yakṣā́t	यक्षाभ्याम् yakṣā́bhyām	यक्षेभ्यः yakṣébhyaḥ
Genitive	यक्षस्य yakṣásya	यक्षयोः yakṣáyoḥ	यक्षाणाम् yakṣā́ṇām
Locative	यक्षे yakṣé	यक्षयोः yakṣáyoḥ	यक्षेषु yakṣéṣu
Notes	¹Vedic

Descendants

→ Chinese: 夜叉 (yècha)
- → Japanese: やしゃ (yasha)
- → Korean: 야차 (yacha)
- → Vietnamese: dạ-xoa
Dardic:
- Kalasha: ǰ̣ač̣
→ English: yaksha
→ Kannada: ಯಕ್ಷ (yakṣa)
Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀚𑀓𑁆𑀔 (jakkha)
→ Manchu: ᠶᠠᡴᠴᠠ (yakca)
Paisaci Prakrit:
- Punjabi: ਜੱਖ (jakkha)
Pali: yakkha
Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀚𑀓𑁆𑀔 (jakkha)
- Old Gujarati: जाख (jākha)
- Old Hindi: जाक (jāka)
→ Lü: ᦍᧅ (yak)
→ Telugu: యక్షుడు (yakṣuḍu)
→ Thai: ยักษ์ (yák)
→ Tocharian B: yākṣe
→ Proto-Turkic: *jAkšɨ (“good”) (perhaps)

References

Monier Williams (1899) “यक्ष”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 838/2.
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “yákar - YAKṢ-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume II, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 391
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “yā́śu- — yugá-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume II, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 412
Mayrhofer, Manfred (1976) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary] (in German), volume III, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 1
Cheung, Johnny (2007) Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 213-214

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