Janu (Knee): Meaning and Definition

What does Janu mean in Sanskrit?

Janu is the Sanskrit noun for the knee. Depending on context, it can indicate the knee generally or the knee joint more specifically. “Knee” is therefore a complete and reliable English translation in most yoga settings.

Grammatically, Janu is normally classified as a neuter noun ending in u. Major dictionaries also record occasional masculine usage in older literature, but neuter is the standard classification for students learning the term.

• Primary meaning: knee
• Usual grammatical gender: neuter
• Common context in yoga: part of a compound asana name

How is Janu used in yoga pose names?

In modern yoga, Janu is best known from Janu Sirsasana. The name combines Janu, “knee,” Sirsa, “head,” and Asana, “posture” or “seat.” The complete name is commonly rendered as Head-to-Knee Pose.

The English pose name describes the general relationship between the head and the extended leg. It should not be treated as an instruction to force the forehead onto the knee. A Sanskrit asana name identifies the posture, while safe alignment depends on the practitioner’s mobility, proportions, and the teaching method being used.

Janu also appears in Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana, the revolved form of the posture. Recognizing Janu as “knee” makes longer Sanskrit pose names easier to interpret one component at a time.

• Janu Sirsasana: Head-to-Knee Pose
• Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana: Revolved Head-to-Knee Pose
• In compound names, Janu identifies the knee as a defining anatomical reference

How do you pronounce and spell Janu?

Janu is pronounced approximately “JAH-noo.” The first vowel is long, so it receives slightly more duration than a short a. The final u remains short. A common plain-English spelling is Jaanu, which makes the long first vowel more visible.

Vowel length distinguishes Sanskrit words. जानु is Janu, “knee,” while जनु is a separate word recorded with meanings related to birth or production. Both may appear as “janu” when transliteration marks are removed, so the yoga context and the Devanagari spelling are important.

• Correct Devanagari for “knee”: जानु
• Stress approximation for English speakers: JAH-noo
• The first vowel is long; the final vowel is short

Is Janu an ancient Sanskrit word?

Janu is attested in Vedic Sanskrit as an ordinary word for the knee. One example occurs in Rig Veda 10.15.6 in a description of sitting with a bent knee. This shows that the word long predates its use in modern yoga posture names.

Janu is historically related to words for “knee” in other Indo-European languages, including English “knee” and Latin genu. These are cognates inherited from an older shared language rather than English words borrowed from Sanskrit.

How should yoga teachers explain Janu?

A clear teaching definition is: “Janu means knee and appears in posture names such as Janu Sirsasana.” This gives students the usable meaning without assigning philosophical symbolism that the word does not ordinarily carry.

When teaching the pronunciation, emphasize the long first vowel. When teaching the posture, keep the translation separate from the physical cue. “Head-to-Knee Pose” is the conventional English name, but reaching the head to the knee is not required for every body or every stage of practice.

• Use “knee” as the primary translation
• Identify Janu as anatomical vocabulary
• Avoid presenting the pose name as a demand to reach a fixed shape