فن

See also: فت, قب, and قن

Arabic

Etymology

From Classical Persian پَنْد (pand, “knack, trick”). Semantic development resembles Ancient Greek τέχνη (tékhnē) and Latin ars.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fann/

Noun

فَنّ • (fann) m (plural فُنُون (funūn) or أَفْنَان (ʔafnān) or أَفَانِين (ʔafānīn))

1. genre

   اَلْغَزَلُ فَنٌّ مِنْ فُنُونِ الشِّعْرِ

   al-ḡazalu fannun min funūni aš-šiʕri

   The ghazal is a genre of poetry.

   (literally, “The ghazal is a genre from among the genres of poetry.”)

2. art
3. (archaic) knack, trick, artifice
4. (obsolete) quarrel, ruffle, trouble
   • a. 800, أبو زيد سعيد بن أوس الأنصاري [ʔabū zayd saʕīd ibn ʔaws al-ʔanṣārīy], كتاب النوادر [Buch der Seltenheiten]:
     Fleischer, Heinrich Leberecht (1888), Kleinere Schriften‎^[1] (in German), volume 3, Leipzig: S. Hirzel, →DOI, pages 483–484:

     لَأَجْعَلَنْ لِإْبْنَةِ عَمْرٍو فَنَّا … حَتَّى يَكُونَ مَهْرُهَا دُهْدُنَّا

     laʔajʕalan liʔibnati ʕamrin fannā … ḥattā yakūna mahruhā duhdunnā

     Verily I will cause a dispute about ʕamr’s daughter … so her marriage portion will be vain

5. (obsolete) adornment, decoration, embellishment
   • a. 1229, ابن دنينير, ولى ولم يقض منكم وطره‎^[2]:

     يا حبّذا نظرة تعود بها
     أفنان عيشي بعد التوى نضره

     How bright a gaze on which return
     the gauds of my life, whose gleam ceased!

6. (archaic) sort, species, type
7. (obsolete) state, condition, case

Declension

Declension of noun فَنّ (fann)

singular	basic singular triptote
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	فَنّ fann	الْفَنّ al-fann	فَنّ fann
nominative	فَنٌّ fannun	الْفَنُّ al-fannu	فَنُّ fannu
accusative	فَنًّا fannan	الْفَنَّ al-fanna	فَنَّ fanna
genitive	فَنٍّ fannin	الْفَنِّ al-fanni	فَنِّ fanni
dual	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	فَنَّيْن fannayn	الْفَنَّيْن al-fannayn	فَنَّيْ fannay
nominative	فَنَّانِ fannāni	الْفَنَّانِ al-fannāni	فَنَّا fannā
accusative	فَنَّيْنِ fannayni	الْفَنَّيْنِ al-fannayni	فَنَّيْ fannay
genitive	فَنَّيْنِ fannayni	الْفَنَّيْنِ al-fannayni	فَنَّيْ fannay
plural	basic broken plural triptote‎; basic broken plural diptote
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	فُنُون‎; أَفْنَان‎; أَفَانِين funūn‎; ʔafnān‎; ʔafānīn	الْفُنُون‎; الْأَفْنَان‎; الْأَفَانِين al-funūn‎; al-ʔafnān‎; al-ʔafānīn	فُنُون‎; أَفْنَان‎; أَفَانِين funūn‎; ʔafnān‎; ʔafānīn
nominative	فُنُونٌ‎; أَفْنَانٌ‎; أَفَانِينُ funūnun‎; ʔafnānun‎; ʔafānīnu	الْفُنُونُ‎; الْأَفْنَانُ‎; الْأَفَانِينُ al-funūnu‎; al-ʔafnānu‎; al-ʔafānīnu	فُنُونُ‎; أَفْنَانُ‎; أَفَانِينُ funūnu‎; ʔafnānu‎; ʔafānīnu
accusative	فُنُونًا‎; أَفْنَانًا‎; أَفَانِينَ funūnan‎; ʔafnānan‎; ʔafānīna	الْفُنُونَ‎; الْأَفْنَانَ‎; الْأَفَانِينَ al-funūna‎; al-ʔafnāna‎; al-ʔafānīna	فُنُونَ‎; أَفْنَانَ‎; أَفَانِينَ funūna‎; ʔafnāna‎; ʔafānīna
genitive	فُنُونٍ‎; أَفْنَانٍ‎; أَفَانِينَ funūnin‎; ʔafnānin‎; ʔafānīna	الْفُنُونِ‎; الْأَفْنَانِ‎; الْأَفَانِينِ al-funūni‎; al-ʔafnāni‎; al-ʔafānīni	فُنُونِ‎; أَفْنَانِ‎; أَفَانِينِ funūni‎; ʔafnāni‎; ʔafānīni

Derived terms

• اِسْتَْفَنَّ (istafanna, “to incite; to cause to be dispersed”)
• اِفْتَنَّ (iftanna, “to produce various groups of, to expatiate”)
• تَفَنَّنَ (tafannana, “to make various sorts”)
• فَنَن (fanan, “branch of a tree”)
• فَنَّ (fanna)
• فَنَّنَ (fannana, “to make various sorts, to medley”)
• فَنّاء (fannāʔ), فَنْوَاء (fanwāʔ, “branched”)
• فَنّان (fannān, “who performs various sorts; artist”)
• فَيْنَان (faynān, “having abundant hairlocks”)
• مِفَنّ (mifann, “who performs various sorts”)

Descendants

• Egyptian Arabic: فن (fann)
• → Bashkir: фән (fän)
• → Hausa: fannī̀
• → Old Anatolian Turkish: فَنّ (fenn)
  • Azerbaijani: fənn
  • Ottoman Turkish: فن (fenn)
    • Turkish: fen
• → Persian: فن (fann)
  • → Chagatai: فن (fn)
    • Uyghur: پەن (pen)
    • Uzbek: fan
  • → Hindustani:

    Hindi: फ़न (fan)

    Urdu: فَن (fan)

  • → Kazakh: пән (pän)
• → Swahili: fani

Verb

فَنَّ • (fanna) I (non-past يَفُنُّ (yafunnu), verbal noun فَنّ (fann)) (obsolete)

1. to cheat, to defraud, to finesse
2. to cause trouble to, to weary, to embarrass
3. to adorn, to decorate, to embellish

Conjugation

Conjugation of فَنَّ (I, geminate, a ~ u, full passive (?), verbal noun فَنّ)

verbal noun الْمَصْدَر						فَنّ fann
active participle اِسْم الْفَاعِل						فَانّ fānn
passive participle اِسْم الْمَفْعُول						مَفْنُون mafnūn
active voice الْفِعْل الْمَعْلُوم
		singular الْمُفْرَد				dual الْمُثَنَّى			plural الْجَمْع
		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب
past (perfect) indicative الْمَاضِي	m	فَنَنْتُ fanantu	فَنَنْتَ fananta	فَنَّ fanna		فَنَنْتُمَا fanantumā	فَنَّا fannā		فَنَنَّا fanannā	فَنَنْتُمْ fanantum	فَنُّوا fannū
	f		فَنَنْتِ fananti	فَنَّتْ fannat			فَنَّتَا fannatā			فَنَنْتُنَّ fanantunna	فَنَنَّ fananna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أَفُنُّ ʔafunnu	تَفُنُّ tafunnu	يَفُنُّ yafunnu		تَفُنَّانِ tafunnāni	يَفُنَّانِ yafunnāni		نَفُنُّ nafunnu	تَفُنُّونَ tafunnūna	يَفُنُّونَ yafunnūna
	f		تَفُنِّينَ tafunnīna	تَفُنُّ tafunnu			تَفُنَّانِ tafunnāni			تَفْنُنَّ tafnunna	يَفْنُنَّ yafnunna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أَفُنَّ ʔafunna	تَفُنَّ tafunna	يَفُنَّ yafunna		تَفُنَّا tafunnā	يَفُنَّا yafunnā		نَفُنَّ nafunna	تَفُنُّوا tafunnū	يَفُنُّوا yafunnū
	f		تَفُنِّي tafunnī	تَفُنَّ tafunna			تَفُنَّا tafunnā			تَفْنُنَّ tafnunna	يَفْنُنَّ yafnunna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أَفُنَّ, أَفُنِّ, أَفْنُنْ ʔafunna, ʔafunni, ʔafnun	تَفُنَّ, تَفُنِّ, تَفْنُنْ tafunna, tafunni, tafnun	يَفُنَّ, يَفُنِّ, يَفْنُنْ yafunna, yafunni, yafnun		تَفُنَّا tafunnā	يَفُنَّا yafunnā		نَفُنَّ, نَفُنِّ, نَفْنُنْ nafunna, nafunni, nafnun	تَفُنُّوا tafunnū	يَفُنُّوا yafunnū
	f		تَفُنِّي tafunnī	تَفُنَّ, تَفُنِّ, تَفْنُنْ tafunna, tafunni, tafnun			تَفُنَّا tafunnā			تَفْنُنَّ tafnunna	يَفْنُنَّ yafnunna
imperative الْأَمْر	m		فُنَّ, فُنِّ, اُفْنُنْ funna, funni, ufnun			فُنَّا funnā				فُنُّوا funnū
	f		فُنِّي funnī							اُفْنُنَّ ufnunna
passive voice الْفِعْل الْمَجْهُول
		singular الْمُفْرَد				dual الْمُثَنَّى			plural الْجَمْع
		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب
past (perfect) indicative الْمَاضِي	m	فُنِنْتُ funintu	فُنِنْتَ funinta	فُنَّ funna		فُنِنْتُمَا funintumā	فُنَّا funnā		فُنِنَّا funinnā	فُنِنْتُمْ funintum	فُنُّوا funnū
	f		فُنِنْتِ funinti	فُنَّتْ funnat			فُنَّتَا funnatā			فُنِنْتُنَّ funintunna	فُنِنَّ funinna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أُفَنُّ ʔufannu	تُفَنُّ tufannu	يُفَنُّ yufannu		تُفَنَّانِ tufannāni	يُفَنَّانِ yufannāni		نُفَنُّ nufannu	تُفَنُّونَ tufannūna	يُفَنُّونَ yufannūna
	f		تُفَنِّينَ tufannīna	تُفَنُّ tufannu			تُفَنَّانِ tufannāni			تُفْنَنَّ tufnanna	يُفْنَنَّ yufnanna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أُفَنَّ ʔufanna	تُفَنَّ tufanna	يُفَنَّ yufanna		تُفَنَّا tufannā	يُفَنَّا yufannā		نُفَنَّ nufanna	تُفَنُّوا tufannū	يُفَنُّوا yufannū
	f		تُفَنِّي tufannī	تُفَنَّ tufanna			تُفَنَّا tufannā			تُفْنَنَّ tufnanna	يُفْنَنَّ yufnanna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أُفَنَّ, أُفَنِّ, أُفْنَنْ ʔufanna, ʔufanni, ʔufnan	تُفَنَّ, تُفَنِّ, تُفْنَنْ tufanna, tufanni, tufnan	يُفَنَّ, يُفَنِّ, يُفْنَنْ yufanna, yufanni, yufnan		تُفَنَّا tufannā	يُفَنَّا yufannā		نُفَنَّ, نُفَنِّ, نُفْنَنْ nufanna, nufanni, nufnan	تُفَنُّوا tufannū	يُفَنُّوا yufannū
	f		تُفَنِّي tufannī	تُفَنَّ, تُفَنِّ, تُفْنَنْ tufanna, tufanni, tufnan			تُفَنَّا tufannā			تُفْنَنَّ tufnanna	يُفْنَنَّ yufnanna

Egyptian Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic فَنّ (fann). Ultimately from پَنْد (pand, “knack, trick”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fann/

Noun

فن • (fann) m (plural فنون (funūn))

1. art

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic فَنّ (fann, “art”), itself from Classical Persian پَنْد (pand, “knack, trick”).

Noun

فن • (fenn) (definite accusative فنی (fenni), plural فنون (fünun) or افنان (efnân))

1. kind, sort, type, variety

   Synonyms: جنس (cins), چشید (çeşid), صنف (sınf, sınıf), صوی (soy), نوع (nevʼ)

2. art

   Synonyms: صنعت (sanʼat, zanʼat), هنر (hüner)

Derived terms

• فنی (fennî, “related to art”)

Descendants

• Turkish: fen

Further reading

click to expand

• Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007), “fen”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 1, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 1558
• Devellioğlu, Ferit (1962), “fenn”, in Osmanlıca-Türkçe Ansiklopedik Lûgat‎ [Ottoman–Turkish Encyclopedic Dictionary]‎^[3] (in Turkish), Istanbul: Türk Dil Kurumu, page 306
• Kélékian, Diran (1911), “فن”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎^[4] (in French), Constantinople: Mihran, page 911
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1687), “Ars”, in Complementum thesauri linguarum orientalium, seu onomasticum latino-turcico-arabico-persicum, simul idem index verborum lexici turcico-arabico-persici, quod latinâ, germanicâ, aliarumque linguarum adjectâ nomenclatione nuper in lucem editum‎^[5], Vienna, column 86
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1680), “فن”, in Thesaurus linguarum orientalium, Turcicae, Arabicae, Persicae, praecipuas earum opes à Turcis peculiariter usurpatas continens, nimirum Lexicon Turkico-Arabico-Persicum‎^[6], Vienna, column 3548
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–), “fen”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
• Redhouse, James W. (1890), “فن”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[7], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 1397

Persian

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Arabic فَنّ (fann), from Persian پند (pand, “knack, trick”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): /ˈfan/, /ˈfann/

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [fän], [fän(ː)]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [fän], [fän(ː)]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [fän], [fän(ː)]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [fän], [fän(ː)]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [fæn], [fæn(ː)]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [fän], [fän(ː)]

• Rhymes: -an, -ann

Readings
Classical reading?	fan, fann
Dari reading?	fan, fann
Iranian reading?	fan, fann
Tajik reading?	fan, fann

Noun

فن • (fann) (plural فن‌ها (fann-hā / fann-hâ), or فنون, Tajik spelling фан)

1. technique; method

   Synonym: تکنیک (teknik)

   فنون روایت ― fonun-e revâyat ― narrative techniques

   فنون نفوذ ― fonun-e nofuz ― infiltration methods

   فنون ماهیگیری ― fonun-e mâhigiri ― fishing methods

2. trick; ruse
   • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume I, verse 379:

     موش تا انبار ما حفره زده ست
     وز فنش انبار ما ویران شده ست

     mūš tā anbār-i mā hufra zada-st
     w-az fan-aš anbar-i mā wērān šuda-st

     Since the mouse has made a hole in our barn, and our barn has been ravaged by its guile […]

     (Classical Persian transliteration)

Descendants

• → Chagatai: فن (fn)
  • Uyghur: پەن (pen)
  • Uzbek: fan
• → Hindustani:

  Hindi: फ़न (fan)

  Urdu: فَن (fan)

• → Kazakh: пән (pän)

Etymology 2

Borrowed from English fan.

Pronunciation

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [fæn]

Readings
Iranian reading?	fan

Noun

فن • (fan) (plural فن‌ها (fan-hā / fan-hâ))

1. industrial fan; blower
2. synonym of پنکه (panke, “electrical fan (used in houses)”)

Etymology 3

Borrowed from English fan, short for fanatic.

Pronunciation

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [fæn]

Readings
Iranian reading?	fan

Noun

فن • (fan) (plural فن‌ها (fan-hā / fan-hâ), Tajik spelling фан)

1. fan (strong supporter)

   Synonym: هوادار (havâdâr)

Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian فَن (fan), from Arabic فَنّ (fann), from earlier Persian پند (pand).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /fən/

Noun

فَن • (fan) m (Hindi spelling फ़न)

1. art, craft, skill
2. trick, deception, artifice

References

• “فن”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
• “فن”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2026.