Boy · Sanskrit · Hindu · Sikh
Karan
करणSay it KUH-run
- Meaning
- Ear; Karṇa, king of Aṅga in the Mahabharata Monier-Williams, p. 256
- Say it
- KUH-run
- Written
- करण
- Other spellings
- Karn
Karan
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Karan meaning
Karan (करण) is a Hindu and Sikh boy's name of Sanskrit origin.
Ear; Karṇa, king of Aṅga in the Mahabharata
Karan is the everyday form of Karṇa (कर्ण), the tragic hero of the Mahabharata. Monier-Williams gives karṇa first as "ear", and tells Karṇa's story under the same headword: the son of the sun god Sūrya and of Kuntī before her marriage, set adrift in a river, raised by the charioteer Adhiratha and his wife Rādhā, and later king of Aṅga and elder half-brother of the Pāṇḍavas. In Hindi the name is usually written करण, which in Sanskrit is a different word, karaṇa, meaning doing or an instrument, and also a helper or someone skilful. Name lists mix the two, offering "ear", "Karna" and "skilful". The name is used by Hindu and Sikh families.
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 256 · entry karṇa · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Monier-Williams, karṇa, p. 256 · Monier-Williams, karaṇa, p. 254 · Platts, karaṇ / karan, p. 827 · Wikipedia, Karan (given name)
Famous namesakes
- Karṇa, king of Aṅga and tragic hero of the Mahabharata
Fits your syllable
First sound क
Mrigashira nakshatra, pada 3 · Mithun rashi
This exact sound isn't in the table; the closest is का, which differs only in vowel length. North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.
Spellings
Karan · Karn