jann, janni, djinn, djinni, aaaigh!

[ryryguy]

I just cannot figure out / keep straight the usage of the singular and plural forms of the genie races. This is bugging me because I'm running a fairly genie-centric campaign.

First of all, according to the SRD, "djinni" is singular and "djinn" is plural, while it's the other way around for efreet and jann: "efreeti" and "janni" singular, "efreet" and "jann" plural. Is this a mistake, or are they really reversed like that? (I guess I should check to see if the printed MM has the same way but I don't have it handy right now.)

Ok, if confusion over that was not bad enough, I'm never sure how to use these as adjectives. For example, if you have an "elvish wizard" and and "orcish barbarian", what do you call a janni who is a fighter? "Janni fighter"? I guess that would be right - compare "elf wizard" and "orc barbarian"...

Then how do you refer to the whole race? "The efreet live mostly on the Plane of Fire" - is that correct?

 

[jdrakeh]

First of all, according to the SRD, "djinni" is singular and "djinn" is plural, while it's the other way around for efreet and jann: "efreeti" and "janni" singular, "efreet" and "jann" plural. Is this a mistake, or are they really reversed like that?

It might just be me, but I'm not seeing a reversal there. It seems that the singular versions of all three words end in an "i" while the plural versions drop it.

 

[ryryguy]

Bah, I got it wrong in my post... I think, let me double check...

Oh noes, you are right! "The djinn (singular djinni)..." "The efreet (singular efreeti)..."

Well I guess that proves how much trouble I have keeping this straight.

But seriously, I'm not sure where I got that notion that "djinn" had a different usage than the others. Knowing that is not the case may help me a bit, so thanks.

 

[Desdichado]

That's the kind of problems you can expect when D&D designers took multiple transliterations of the same two arabic words and tried to create distinct D&D critters out of them. You see the same problems when you try to have demons and daemons be distinct creatures, for example.

If you're worried that you're using it "wrong" check out the real-world etymology of the D&D efreet and genies and relax. Not only is everything you've probably said "correct", at least according to someone, but so are half a dozen other transliterations.

 

[Pbartender]

I just cannot figure out / keep straight the usage of the singular and plural forms of the genie races. This is bugging me because I'm running a fairly genie-centric campaign.

First of all, according to the SRD, "djinni" is singular and "djinn" is plural, while it's the other way around for efreet and jann: "efreeti" and "janni" singular, "efreet" and "jann" plural. Is this a mistake, or are they really reversed like that? (I guess I should check to see if the printed MM has the same way but I don't have it handy right now.)

It depends. According to Webster...

Singular: jinni, jinn, djinni or djinn

Plural: jinn or jinns, djinn or djinns

Webster lists "efreet", "afrit", and "afreet", as alternate spellings of "ifrit" and simply adds an -s for the plural.

So... nothing or -i for singular, and nothing or -s for plural.


As suggested above, Wikipedia has a descent article on Genies, and all their mythological variations.

 

[kenobi65]

Sounds like you could use a djinn and tonic.

 

[jaerdaph]

Sounds like you could use a djinn and tonic.

Yes, master!

 

[moritheil]

Well, they had to djinn up sales . . .

 

[Djinnblade]

Djinn

Hi,

I believe that Djinn (or Jinn) is the transliteration of the Arabic. The Word Genie, on the other hand, is the English adoption of the French adaptation of the Latin genius (or individual guardian spirit).

Honestly, I'd go with whatever you are comfortable using.

 

[Oryan77]

I believe that Djinn

Wait...wait...hold on a second...

You believe or you know? Cause seeing as how you're using the word in your name, I'd hope you'd be the guy in this thread to give us the answer! Or do the Djinn even get confused about their own name?