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Where does the word "ganja" come from? It comes from Sanskrit ganjika, passing through Hindi before entering English (1800s).
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Where does the word "ganja" come from? It comes from Sanskrit ganjika, passing through Hindi before entering English (1800s).
Ganja’s story begins in Sanskrit: ganjika meant “cannabis plant.” An early name for the cannabis plant. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Hindi as ganja. Kept as the common name for the plant and its dried flowers. It reached English by 1800s as ganja. Indentured Indian workers brought the word to Jamaica in the 1800s. Today, ganja means marijuana, especially in its dried, smokable form.
- Stage 1 · Sanskrit · ancient ganjika "cannabis plant", an early name for the cannabis plant.
- Stage 2 · Hindi · medieval ganja "cannabis", kept as the common name for the plant and its dried flowers.
- Stage 3 · English · 1800s ganja "marijuana", indentured Indian workers brought the word to Jamaica in the 1800s.