naan

American  

[nahn] / nɑn /

Sometimes nan

noun

• naans
  plural

1. a leavened, often tear-shaped flatbread from South Asia, baked in a tandoor.

2. Sometimes non any of various leavened, oven-baked flatbreads from Central and Southeast Asia.

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naan British  

/ nɑːn /

noun

1. another name for nan bread

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• naans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of naan

First recorded in 1820–30; from Hindi, Urdu nān, from Persian nān

Explanation

Naan is a slightly puffy flatbread. Be sure to order some extra naan when you get takeout from your favorite Indian restaurant! Naan comes from the Persian nān, "bread" or "food." This leavened flatbread is typically pulled into in a long oval or teardrop shape and cooked on a grill or in a clay oven. You can find this kind of bread in many parts of the world, but it plays an especially large role in the food of the Indian subcontinent. Naan is commonly used to scoop up curries and stews and is sometimes baked with savory fillings.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

naan naans

Order a blue spirulina-coconut whip or try some street-food mashups, like Nashville Hot tacos and naan nachos.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026

You can even eat it as a spread on naan.

From Salon ● Mar. 28, 2026

Fragrant basmati rice and a generous basket of naan rounded out the meal.

From Salon ● Mar. 7, 2026

So, how did the naan travel from royal kitchens to our plates?

From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025

With a very calm and collected look, she explains that we are making a simple chicken curry that could be eaten with rice or naan, or even by itself.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Amir Khusrau, an Indo-Persian poet who documented courtly life during the reign of Alauddin Khalji and Muhammad Bin Tughlaq, mentioned two types of naans in his writings - naan-e-tanuk and naan-i-tanuri.

From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2025

"Now we put hooks on both sides so you can hang two naans on it."

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2024

If you want to wrap your kebab in a naan with salad and chutneys, you can bake naans on the BBQ by cooking them on foil or on a baking tray over the coals.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 22, 2020

Artisan Naan Bakery also puts its own twist on the flatbread with flavored naans, including several popular versions featuring dried fruit.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 28, 2015

Steve Johnson, a frequent patron, has brought a first-timer to sample “the usual”: tandoori chicken and seekh kababs downed with airy naans.

From New York Times ● Dec. 1, 2011