ج-ن-ن Arabic Root

A1noun

جَنَّةٌ

jannah

paradise / garden

Example

وَبَشِّرِ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أَنَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ

wa-bashshiri alladhīna āmanū wa-ʿamilū aṣ-ṣāliḥāti anna lahum jannāt

And give good tidings to those who believe and do righteous deeds that they will have gardens (2:25)

Root: ج-ن-ن Quranic

Grammar

Feminine noun. Plural: جَنَّاتٌ (jannāt). The root ج-ن-ن means 'to conceal/cover,' so jannah literally means 'a garden so lush it covers the ground.'

Culture

Jannah is described in the Quran with flowing rivers, eternal bliss, and the ultimate reward: seeing God's face. It has multiple levels, with Firdaws as the highest.

B1noun

جِنٌّ

jinn

jinn (invisible beings)

Example

قُلْ أُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ أَنَّهُ اسْتَمَعَ نَفَرٌ مِنَ الْجِنِّ

qul ūḥiya ilayya annahū istamaʿa nafarun mina al-jinn

Say: It has been revealed to me that a group of the jinn listened (72:1)

Root: ج-ن-ن Quranic

Grammar

Collective noun. From the root ج-ن-ن meaning 'to conceal/hide.' Same root as جَنَّةٌ (garden) and جُنُونٌ (madness). An entire surah is named Al-Jinn (72).

Culture

Jinn are a separate creation from humans and angels, made from smokeless fire. Like humans, they have free will and will be judged. Some are Muslim, others are not.