ਕੰਨ

Kan (ਕੰਨ), pronounced like sun with a k at the start, is the Punjabi word for ear. It names the organ on either side of the head that gathers sound and carries it inward. In Punjabi grammar kan is a masculine noun, and it sits at the centre of everyday talk about hearing, listening and paying attention.

Meaning

In its plain sense, kan is the ear on your head. Dictionaries give kan as the direct Punjabi equivalent of the English word ear. The word is masculine, and it turns up everywhere from medical talk to songs to daily complaints. An earache is kan dard, said the same plain way as sirr dard for a headache.

How is kan used in everyday speech?

Listening is where kan does its heaviest work. Kan dharna means to give ear, to listen with full attention. Kan vich kehna means to speak into the ear, to tell something privately. Kan launa means to set the ears to work, to listen carefully. And kan bharna, to fill someone's ears, means to poison their mind against another person with gossip; the Kosh carries a full entry for that phrase under kann bharna.

What does kan dharna mean?

Kan dharna means to lend the ear, to listen carefully and with respect. A teacher may ask a noisy class to put their ears to the lesson, kan dhar ke suno. It is the Punjabi way of saying pay full attention with your ears.