From Japanese観音(Kannon かんのん orKan'onかんおん), from Middle Chinese 觀音 (kwan-ʔim) (compare MandarinGuānyīn 观音), an abbreviation of 觀世音 (kwan-ʃjèj-ʔim "Observer of the world's cries") (compare MandarinGuān-shì-yīn 观世音), from 觀 ("observe") + 世 ("world") + 音 ("sounds", "cries"), a translation of Sanskrit अवलोकितेश्वर (Avalokiteśvara).
