ਨਹੁੰ

Meaning

What does nahun mean in Punjabi? Nahun (ਨਹੁੰ) is the Punjabi word for a fingernail or toenail: the hard, curved plate that covers and protects the tip of a finger or toe. Wiktionary's Punjabi entry gives nahun as the word for nail, and SikhiWiki describes the nail as a horn-like structure at the end of a finger or toe.

Where does nahun come from?

Nahun comes from Sanskrit nakha, the ancient word for nail. Wiktionary traces it through Old Punjabi nahu to the modern forms nahun, nahoon and nahi, and further back to the ancient root that also gives English nail, Latin unguis and Greek onyx. The word is therefore very old, older than Punjabi itself, and it has kept its meaning across thousands of years: a nail has always been a nail.

Is nahun the same as nakhun?

Yes, they name the same thing. Nakhun (ਨਾਖੁਨ, Shahmukhi ناخُن) is the Persian-derived form, borrowed into Punjabi through Urdu, and Wiktionary lists it as the Punjabi word for fingernail and toenail too. Nahun is the older native form, from Sanskrit, while nakhun is the form heard most where Urdu is spoken alongside Punjabi. Either word is correct, and a listener in Punjab will understand both.

What does Gurbani say about nails?

SikhiWiki records two mentions of nails in Gurbani. In the story of Bhagat Prahlad, Nar Singh saved the devotee and killed Harnakashyap with his nails, using them as a weapon because the demon was blessed against every other weapon. Guru Nanak also speaks of nails, saying the nails of the king's officials are like a dog's nails, used to wound the poor.

Why do Sikhs cut their nails but keep their hair?

SikhiWiki takes up this question directly. It quotes Sant Singh Maskeen's answer: we cut the dead part of the nail, not the living part, just as the dead are buried or cremated while the living are cared for. Nails, it says, are not associated with spirituality the way hair is, and cutting them is a matter of hygiene, since long nails get in the way of daily work. Sikhism itself says nothing directly about cutting nails, only that one should take care of the body.