# यक्ष
## Sanskrit
### Alternative scripts

* যক্ষ (Assamese script)
* ᬬᬓ᭄ᬱ (Balinese script)
* যক্ষ (Bengali script)
* 𑰧𑰎𑰿𑰬 (Bhaiksuki script)
* 𑀬𑀓𑁆𑀱 (Brahmi script)
* ယက္ၑ (Burmese script)
* યક્ષ (Gujarati script)
* ਯਕ੍ਸ਼ (Gurmukhi script)
* 𑌯𑌕𑍍𑌷 (Grantha script)
* ꦪꦏ꧀ꦰ (Javanese script)
* 𑂨𑂍𑂹𑂭 (Kaithi script)
* ಯಕ್ಷ (Kannada script)
* យក្ឞ (Khmer script)
* ຍກ຺ຩ (Lao script)
* യക്ഷ (Malayalam script)
* ᠶᠠᡬᢢᠠ (Manchu script)
* 𑘧𑘎𑘿𑘬 (Modi script)
* ᠶ᠋ᠠᢉᢔᠠ᠋ (Mongolian script)
* 𑧇𑦮𑧠𑧌 (Nandinagari script)
* 𑐫𑐎𑑂𑐲 (Newa script)
* ଯକ୍ଷ (Odia script)
* ꢫꢒ꣄ꢰ (Saurashtra script)
* 𑆪𑆑𑇀𑆰 (Sharada script)
* 𑖧𑖎𑖿𑖬 (Siddham script)
* යක්‍ෂ (Sinhalese script)
* 𑩻𑩜 𑪙𑪀 (Soyombo script)
* 𑚣𑚊𑚶 (Takri script)
* யக்ஷ (Tamil script)
* యక్ష (Telugu script)
* ยกฺษ (Thai script)
* ཡ་ཀྵ (Tibetan script)
* 𑒨𑒏𑓂𑒭 (Tirhuta script)
* 𑨪𑨋𑩇𑨯 (Zanabazar Square script)

### Etymology

From the root यक्ष् (yakṣ, “to appear, show oneself”), related to Persian نشان (nešân, “sign, mark”); see there for more on the Indo-Iranian root.
Various other proposals have been suggested, such as an s-extension of यजति (yajati, “to worship; to sacrifice”), or a connection to याशु (yāśu, “sexual effusion, embrace”); these are phonetically and/or semantically unconvincing.

### Pronunciation

* (Vedic) IPA: /jɐk.ʂɐ́/
* (Classical Sanskrit) IPA: /ˈjɐk.ʂɐ/

### Noun

यक्ष • (yakṣá) stem, n
* (Hinduism, Buddhism) a yaksha; a supernatural being, spiritual apparition, spirit, ghost
** c. 1700 BCE – 1200 BCE, Ṛgveda
** c. 1200 BCE – 1000 BCE, Atharvaveda

#### Derived terms

* यक्षि (yakṣi) (a female yaksha)
* यक्षिणी (yakṣiṇī) (a female yaksha)

### Noun

यक्ष • (yakṣá) stem, m
* a class of semi-divine beings (attendants of Kubera, exceptionally also of Vishṇu; described as sons of Pulastya, of Pulaha, of Kaśyapa, of Khasā or Krodhā.)

#### Descendants

* → Chinese: 夜叉 (yècha)
** → Japanese: やしゃ (yasha)
** → Korean: 야차 (yacha)
** → Vietnamese: dạ-xoa
* Dardic:
** Kalasha: ǰ̣ač̣
* → English: yaksha
* → Kannada: ಯಕ್ಷ (yakṣa)
* Maharastri Prakrit: 𑀚𑀓𑁆𑀔 (jakkha)
* → Manchu: ᠶᠠᡴᠴᠠ (yakca)
* Paisaci Prakrit:
** Punjabi: ਜੱਖ (jakkha)
* Pali: yakkha
* Sauraseni Prakrit: 𑀚𑀓𑁆𑀔 (jakkha)
** Old Gujarati: जाख (jākha)
** Old Hindi: जाक (jāka)
* → Lü: ᦍᧅ (yak)
* → Old Javanese: yakṣa
** > Javanese: ꦪꦏ꧀ꦱ (yaksa), ꦪꦼꦏ꧀ꦱ (yeksa) (inherited)
* → Telugu: యక్షుడు (yakṣuḍu)
* → Thai: ยักษ์ (yák)
* → Tocharian B: yākṣe
* → Proto-Turkic: *jAkšɨ (“good”) (perhaps)

### References

* Monier Williams (1899) “यक्ष”, in A Sanskrit–English Dictionary, […], new edition, Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 838/2.
* Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “yákar - YAKṢ-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume II, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 391
* Mayrhofer, Manfred (1996) “yā́śu- — yugá-”, in Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen [Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan]‎ (in German), volume II, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 412
* Mayrhofer, Manfred (1976) Kurzgefasstes Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindischen [A Concise Etymological Sanskrit Dictionary]‎ (in German), volume III, Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, page 1
* Cheung, Johnny (2007) Etymological Dictionary of the Iranian Verb (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 2), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 213-214