Koan (disambiguation)

Kōan is a case, story, dialog, question, or statement in the history and lore of Zen Buddhism.

Kōan may also refer to:

• Kōan (Kamakura period), a Japanese era (1278-1288)
• Kōan (Muromachi period), a Japanese era (1361-1362)
• Emperor Kōan, the 6th emperor of Japan
• Kōan, a member of the Black Moon Clan from Sailor Moon R
• Kōan (公安), an abbreviation for any of the following public security agencies:
  • In Japan:
    • Public Security Intelligence Agency
    • Public Security Examination Commission
    • National Public Safety Commission (Japan)
    • Maritime Public Safety Agency
    • former Railway police of Japan, currently known as the Railway Police Force
  • Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China

Koan may also refer to:

• Koan (program), an algorithmic music software package
• Hacker koan, a humorous anecdote written by hackers about computer science
• KOAN-LP, a television station in Anchorage, Alaska
• The Koan, a modern sculpture at the University of Warwick
• Koan, a software program that works with Cobbler (software)
• Koan, a musical composition by James Tenney