Girl · Sanskrit · Hindu
Janaki
जानकीSay it JAA-na-kee
- Meaning
- Daughter of Janaka; a name of Sita Monier-Williams, p. 418
- Say it
- JAA-na-kee
- Written
- जानकी
- Other spellings
- Janki, Jaanki
- First sound
- जा · Makar rashi
Janaki
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Janaki meaning
Janaki (जानकी) is a Hindu girl's name of Sanskrit origin. By its first sound, जा, it is a Makar rashi name (Uttara Ashadha nakshatra) in the North Indian table.
Daughter of Janaka; a name of Sita
Janaki (जानकी) is Sanskrit jānakī, 'daughter of Janaka', the patronymic of Sītā, the heroine of the Rāmāyaṇa, whose father was King Janaka. Monier-Williams cites the name from the Mahābhārata, the Rāmāyaṇa and Kālidāsa's Raghuvaṃśa, and also records jānakī as the name of a long metre of four lines of twenty-four syllables. It names Sītā by her father rather than directly, and families across India use it to honour her. Well-known modern bearers include the botanist E. K. Janaki Ammal, remembered for her work on sugarcane and plant chromosomes, and V. N. Janaki, the first woman to serve as chief minister of Tamil Nadu.
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 418 · entry jānakī · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Monier-Williams, jānakī, p. 418 · IIIM Herbarium, Edavaleth Kakkat Janaki Ammal · Wikipedia, V. N. Janaki
Famous namesakes
- Sita, heroine of the Ramayana
- E. K. Janaki Ammal, Indian botanist
- V. N. Janaki, first woman chief minister of Tamil Nadu
Fits your syllable
First sound जा
Uttara Ashadha nakshatra, pada 3 · Makar rashi
North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.
Spellings
Janaki · Janki · Jaanki