# zen
## Translingual
### Symbol

zen
* (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Zenaga.

## English
### Alternative forms

* Zen

### Etymology

From Zen. In more general use, popularized by Eugen Herrigel's 1948 Zen in the Art of Archery and Robert M. Pirsig's 1974 Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈzɛn/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛn

### Noun

zen (uncountable)
* (religion) Synonym of enlightenment, particularly the kind acquired through Zen meditation.
* An approach to instruction, understanding, or an activity similarly emphasizing simplicity and intuition rather than conventional thinking or fixation on goals.
    the zen of cooking
    the zen of passing the bar exam
    the zen of C++

#### Synonyms

* (a simple & intuitive method reflecting supposed Eastern wisdom): tao

### Adjective

zen (comparative more zen, superlative most zen)
* (religion) Alternative letter-case form of Zen: of or related to Zen Buddhism, particularly its focus on indirect teaching of wisdom through riddles and stories.
** 2006 Oct. 1, Dennis Lehane, "Refugees", The Wire, 00:37:10:
    Greggs: You hung over? Just sayin', you look like shit. Moreland: You know what you need at a crime scene? Greggs: Rubber glove? Moreland: Soft eyes. Greggs: Like I'm s'posed to cry an' shit? Moreland: You got soft eyes, you can see the whole thing. You got hard eyes? You starin' at the same tree, missin' the forest. Greggs: Ah. Zen shit. Moreland: Soft eyes, grasshopper.
* (colloquial) Wise, displaying enlightenment or similar wisdom, insightful, unburdened and free of worries, extremely relaxed and capable.

### References

* “zen”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

### Anagrams

* Enz, NZE

## Antillean Creole
### Noun

zen
* fishhook

## Äynu
### Etymology

Related to Persian زن (zan).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /zɛn/

### Noun

zen
* woman

### References

* Otto Ladstätter, Andreas Tietze, Die Abdal (Äynu) in Xinjiang (1994)

## Basque
### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)
* IPA: /s̻en/ [s̻ẽn]
* IPA: (most dialects) /s̻en/ [s̻ẽn]
* IPA: (Biscayan) /s̺en/ [s̺ẽn]
* Rhymes: -en
* Hyphenation: zen

### Verb

zen (masculine allocutive zuan, feminine allocutive zunan)
* Third-person singular (hura) past indicative form of izan.

## Danish
### Etymology

From Japanese 禅(ぜん) (zen), from Middle Chinese 禪 (MC dzyen), an abbreviation of 禪那 (MC dzyen na), from Sanskrit ध्यान (dhyāna, “a type of meditation”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈsɛn], [ˈdsɛn]

### Noun

zen
* zen
    Synonym: zenbuddhisme
** (figuratively) serenity, tranquillity, calm state of mind (in your everyday life)

#### Derived terms

* zenbuddhist
* zenbuddhistisk

### References

* “zen” in Den Danske Ordbog

## Finnish
### Etymology

From Japanese 禅(ぜん) (zen).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈzen/, [ˈze̞n]
* IPA: /ˈtsen/, [ˈts̠e̞n]
* Rhymes: -en
* Hyphenation: zen

### Noun

zen
* zen

#### Declension

Possessive forms of zen (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation) :
first-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
zenini
zenini
accusative
nom.
zenini
zenini
gen.
zenini
genitive
zenini
zenieni
partitive
zeniäni
zenejäni
inessive
zenissäni
zeneissäni
elative
zenistäni
zeneistäni
illative
zeniini
zeneihini
adessive
zenilläni
zeneilläni
ablative
zeniltäni
zeneiltäni
allative
zenilleni
zeneilleni
essive
zeninäni
zeneinäni
translative
zenikseni
zeneikseni
abessive
zenittäni
zeneittäni
instructive
comitative
—zeneineni
second-person singular possessor
singular
plural
nominative
zenisi
zenisi
accusative
nom.
zenisi
zenisi
gen.
zenisi
genitive
zenisi
zeniesi
partitive
zeniäsi
zenejäsi
inessive
zenissäsi
zeneissäsi
elative
zenistäsi
zeneistäsi
illative
zeniisi
zeneihisi
adessive
zenilläsi
zeneilläsi
ablative
zeniltäsi
zeneiltäsi
allative
zenillesi
zeneillesi
essive
zeninäsi
zeneinäsi
translative
zeniksesi
zeneiksesi
abessive
zenittäsi
zeneittäsi
instructive
comitative
—zeneinesi
first-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
zenimme
zenimme
accusative
nom.
zenimme
zenimme
gen.
zenimme
genitive
zenimme
zeniemme
partitive
zeniämme
zenejämme
inessive
zenissämme
zeneissämme
elative
zenistämme
zeneistämme
illative
zeniimme
zeneihimme
adessive
zenillämme
zeneillämme
ablative
zeniltämme
zeneiltämme
allative
zenillemme
zeneillemme
essive
zeninämme
zeneinämme
translative
zeniksemme
zeneiksemme
abessive
zenittämme
zeneittämme
instructive
comitative
—zeneinemme
second-person plural possessor
singular
plural
nominative
zeninne
zeninne
accusative
nom.
zeninne
zeninne
gen.
zeninne
genitive
zeninne
zenienne
partitive
zeniänne
zenejänne
inessive
zenissänne
zeneissänne
elative
zenistänne
zeneistänne
illative
zeniinne
zeneihinne
adessive
zenillänne
zeneillänne
ablative
zeniltänne
zeneiltänne
allative
zenillenne
zeneillenne
essive
zeninänne
zeneinänne
translative
zeniksenne
zeneiksenne
abessive
zenittänne
zeneittänne
instructive
comitative
—zeneinenne
third-person possessor
singular
plural
nominative
zeninsä
zeninsä
accusative
nom.
zeninsä
zeninsä
gen.
zeninsä
genitive
zeninsä
zeniensä
partitive
zeniään zeniänsä
zenejään zenejänsä
inessive
zenissään zenissänsä
zeneissään zeneissänsä
elative
zenistään zenistänsä
zeneistään zeneistänsä
illative
zeniinsä
zeneihinsä
adessive
zenillään zenillänsä
zeneillään zeneillänsä
ablative
zeniltään zeniltänsä
zeneiltään zeneiltänsä
allative
zenilleen zenillensä
zeneilleen zeneillensä
essive
zeninään zeninänsä
zeneinään zeneinänsä
translative
zenikseen zeniksensä
zeneikseen zeneiksensä
abessive
zenittään zenittänsä
zeneittään zeneittänsä
instructive
comitative
—zeneineen zeneinensä :

#### Derived terms

* zenbuddhalainen
* zenbuddhismi

### Further reading

* “zen”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎ (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-04

## French
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /zɛn/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛn

### Noun

zen m (plural zen)
* zen

### Adjective

zen (invariable)
* (relational) zen
* (colloquial) extremely relaxed and collected

### Further reading

* “zen”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

### Anagrams

* nez

## Haitian Creole
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /zɛ̃/

### Noun

zen
* fishhook

## Indonesian
### Etymology

From Japanese 禅 (ぜん, zen), from Middle Chinese 禪 (MC dzyen) (compare Mandarin 禅 (chán), an abbreviation of 禪那 (MC dzyen na), from Sanskrit ध्यान (dhyāna, “a type of meditation”). Akin to dhyana.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /zɛn/
* Hyphenation: zèn

### Noun

zen
* (religion) A denomination of Buddhism.

### Further reading

* “zen” in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia, Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016.

## Japanese
### Romanization

zen
* Rōmaji transcription of ぜん

## Mandarin
### Romanization

zen
* Nonstandard spelling of zēn.
* Nonstandard spelling of zěn.
* Nonstandard spelling of zèn.

#### Usage notes

* Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

## Middle English
### Noun

zen
* (Kent) Alternative form of synne

## Polish
### Etymology

Borrowed from Japanese 禅, from Middle Chinese 禪 (MC dzyen).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈzɛn/
* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -ɛn
* Syllabification: zen

### Noun

zen m inan or zen n (indeclinable)
* zen (denomination of Buddhism)

#### Declension

Masculine inanimate:
This word is indeclinable when used as a neuter noun.

### Further reading

* zen in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
* zen in Polish dictionaries at PWN

## Portuguese
### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /ˈzẽj̃/ [ˈzẽɪ̯̃]
* (Portugal) IPA: /ˈzɛn/
* Rhymes: (Brazil) -ẽj̃

### Noun

zen m (uncountable)
* Zen
** (religion) denomination of Buddhism
** (informal) philosophy

### Adjective

zen (invariable)
* zen
** (religion) pertaining to the Zen denomination of Buddhism
** (informal) extremely relaxing
* (informal, of a person) calm, peaceful, not easily angered

## Spanish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Spain) /ˈθen/ [ˈθẽn]
* IPA: (Latin America, Philippines) /ˈsen/ [ˈsẽn]
* Rhymes: -en
* Syllabification: zen

### Adjective

zen (invariable)
* zen

### Noun

zen m (uncountable)
* zen

### Further reading

* “zen”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

## Volapük
### Etymology

Borrowed from German Zinder, French cendre and English cinder.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /t͡sen/

### Noun

zen (nominative plural zens)
* ash, cinder
** 1952, Epistle to the Hebrews, 9.13,14, translated by Arie de Jong.
    If ya blud toras e hikaparas, e zen kunüla, kel pagifülon ad klinükön koapi, saludükon profenanis, vio mödikumo blud Kristusa, kel ededietom oki dub Lanal laidüpik nenmiotädiko Gode, oklinükon konsieni obsik de vobots deadik, ad kultön Godi liföl.If the blood of bulls and billies, and the ashes of heifers, which is sprinkled to clean the body, already sanctifies profane people, how much more will the blood of Christ, who gave himself unblemished to God because of the eternal Spirit, clean our conscience from dead deeds to worship the living God.

#### Declension

$^1$ status as a case is disputed $^2$ in later, non-classical Volapük only