Look up koan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

A kōan is a type of text or utterance in Zen Buddhism.

Koan may also refer to:

Japan

• Kōan (Kamakura period), a Japanese era (1278-1288)
• Kōan (Muromachi period), a Japanese era (1361-1362)
• Emperor Kōan, the 6th emperor of Japan
• Kōan (公安), an abbreviation for any of the following public security agencies:
  • Public Security Intelligence Agency
  • Public Security Examination Commission, part of the Ministry of Justice
  • National Public Safety Commission (Japan)

Music

• Koan (program), an algorithmic music software package
• KOAN Sound, a glitch-hop duo
• Koan, an album by Stephan Micus
• Koan, a musical composition by James Tenney

Radio and television stations

• KOAN-LP, a television station in Anchorage, Alaska
• KOAN (AM), a radio station in Anchorage, Alaska
• KVNT, a radio station (1020 AM) licensed to serve Eagle River, Alaska, which held the call sign KOAN from 2009 to 2013

Other uses

• Hacker koan, a humorous anecdote written by hackers about computer science
• Koan or Coan, demonym of the island Kos
• Ministry of Public Security (China)
• White Koan, a modern sculpture at the University of Warwick
• Koan, a software program that works with Cobbler (software)
• Kōan, a member of the Black Moon Clan from Sailor Moon R