Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Harijan

Harijan

9.9
A word for a person from the lowest caste in India that is now seen as offensive
  • noun
  • /ˈhɑːrɪˌdʒɑːn/
  • Slur
translation icon : Harijan (ofensivo, arcaico)
  • In the past, many harijans faced significant discrimination and poverty in India.

Examples

  • Gandhi's movement aimed to uplift the harijans and integrate them into society.

  • Mahatma Gandhi referred to the untouchables as harijans, meaning 'Children of God'.

  • The millions of illiterate harijans will not listen to him.

    Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar (2000)

  • The nuns taught us English—even though we were harijans—we belong to a caste that is supposedly untouchable.

    Fiction book (2000)

Synonyms

untouchable
vsHarijan
  • Slur
4 9.6

A person in the lowest social group who faces unfair treatment

is Gandhi's older label that is now seen as outdated and offensive
Dalit
vsHarijan
1 9.5

A person from the lowest caste in India who faces discrimination

is an older Gandhi-era term now seen as outdated and sometimes offensive

Compounds

Harijan rights
  • Offensive
9.9

Laws and social protections for people from the lowest social group in India once called Harijans

Surface Forms

Harijan singular
Harijans plural

Etymology

Harijan comes from two Hindi parts, Hari 'God' and jan 'people', and Gandhi used it to mean 'children of God'. Today many people say the word is outdated or offensive and prefer the term 'Dalit', so Harijan is often avoided.