A kōan (公案) (/ˈkoʊæn, -ɑːn/; Chinese: 公案; pinyin: gōng'àn, [kʊ́ŋ ân]; Korean: 화두, hwadu; Vietnamese: công án) is a story, dialogue, question, or statement which is used in Zen practice to provoke the "great doubt" and to practice or test a student's progress in Zen.
