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Glite Dictionary
jati

jati

1 9.9
Traditional social group in India linked to a family's job and passed down
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒɑːti/
  • Indian
: jati
  • In India, each jati has specific customs and rituals that its members follow.

Examples

  • Many people believe that being part of a certain jati affects their opportunities in life.

  • The concept of jati is central to understanding social organization in traditional Hindu society.

  • There is no "caste," there is class, there is Varna, and there is Jati; only the first one has anything to do with the social divisions you imagine.

    Blog text (1)

  • Caste, of the varna variety, appears in the earliest Indian texts and oral compositions, but jati is a bit different.

    Blog text (25)

  • Jati is the community group into which you were born, and your Varna is the profession that you chose based on your individual strengths and weaknesses.

    Blog text (1)

Synonyms

caste
vsjati
58 7.2

A social group people are born into with higher or lower status

is a specific Hindu group defined by hereditary occupation

Surface Forms

jati singular
jatis plural

Etymology

Jati comes from the Sanskrit word jāti, which means 'birth' or 'born group', so think of a jati as the social group you are born into, often linked to a traditional job and family rules.