Girl · Sanskrit · Hindu
Kumkum
कुमकुमSay it KUM-kum
- Meaning today
- Vermilion, red powder for the tilak
- Original meaning
- "saffron" Monier-Williams, p. 287
- Say it
- KUM-kum
- Written
- कुमकुम
- Other spellings
- Kumkuma, Kunkum
- First sound
- कु · Mithun rashi
Kumkum
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Kumkum meaning
Kumkum (कुमकुम) is a Hindu girl's name of Sanskrit origin. By its first sound, कु, it is a Mithun rashi name (Ardra nakshatra) in the North Indian table.
Meaning today
Vermilion, red powder for the tilak
Original Sanskrit meaning
"saffron"
Source: Monier-Williams, Sanskrit–English Dictionary (1899), p. 287 · entry kuṅkuma · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
Kumkum (कुमकुम) comes from Sanskrit kuṅkuma, which Monier-Williams gives as saffron, the crocus plant and the pollen of its flowers. Today the word usually means the red powder used to make the auspicious mark on the forehead, offered at temples and worn by married women, and name lists give that sense. The two meanings are linked by colour and by ritual use, but the dictionary sense is saffron. The name has an old-fashioned charm and was carried by the Hindi film actress Kumkum.
References: Monier-Williams, kuṅkuma, p. 287 · Wikipedia, Kumkum (actress)
Famous namesakes
- Kumkum, Hindi film actress
Fits your syllable
First sound कु
Ardra nakshatra, pada 1 · Mithun rashi
North Indian table. Tables vary by region and family tradition, so confirm with your priest.
Spellings
Kumkum · Kumkuma · Kunkum