Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

mahayana

/ˌmɑːhəˈjɑːnə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.44 in modern English

Syllables: ma-hayana
IPA: /ˌmɑːhəˈjɑːnə/

16

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

4

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

name

One of the two primary branches of Buddhism that emerged around the 1st century BCE, which accepts non-Pali canon scriptures, and emphasizes the path of bodhisattva.

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit महायान (mahāyāna, literally “great vehicle”).

Derived Forms

Mahayanic Mahayanism Mahayanist Mahayanistic

Frequently Paired Words

Madhyamika Theravada

Synonyms

Great Vehicle mahayana buddhism

Rhymes With

gonna wanna marijuana ana donna madonna rihanna nirvana mana guyana botswana haryana

Questions

How do you pronounce mahayana?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌmɑːhəˈjɑːnə/.
What does mahayana mean?: One of the two primary branches of Buddhism that emerged around the 1st century BCE, which accepts non-Pali canon scriptures, and emphasizes the path of bodhisattva.
Where does mahayana come from?: Borrowed from Sanskrit महायान (mahāyāna, literally “great vehicle”).

How to pronounce mahayana

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “mahayana”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌmɑːhəˈjɑːnə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “mahayana”.
Repeat and practice — Say “mahayana” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.