chan

See also: Appendix:Variations of "chan"

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃæn/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æn

Etymology 1

Clipping of channel.

Noun

chan (plural chans)

1. (Internet, informal) An IRC channel.
   • 1997, Dominic Donegan, “Is there a #nethack chan on IRC?”, in rec.games.roguelike.nethack (Usenet):

     I tried, but I never get anyone in the chan! I don't know how/where to advertise... maybe we should set up a meeting time or something?

   • 1999, Jonny Durango, “IMPORTANT NEWS FOR AHM IRC CHAN!!!”, in alt.hackers.malicious (Usenet):

     If you don't have your password set within a week I'll remove you from the userlist and I'll add you again next time I see you in the chan and make sure you set a pass.

Derived terms

• chanop
• chanspeak
• chantard
• mischan

Etymology 2

From 4chan, a popular imageboard; ultimately from channel.

Noun

chan (plural chans)

1. (Internet, informal) An imageboard.

   more niche chans

Related terms

• -chan

Anagrams

• Cahn, Ch*na

Antillean Creole

Etymology

From French champ.

Noun

chan

1. free space; open land

Ch'orti'

Etymology

From Proto-Mayan *kaahn.

Noun

chan

1. snake

Epigraphic Mayan

Alternative forms

• kan
• ⟨𝋤⟩

Numeral

chan

1. four

Galician

Alternative forms

• chá, chao

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese chão, from Latin plānum. Compare Portuguese chão, Spanish llano.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃaŋ/

Noun

chan m (plural chans)

1. floor

   Synonym: solo

2. ground

   Synonym: solo

3. (geography) plateau

Adjective

chan (feminine chá, masculine plural chans, feminine plural chás)

1. level; flat
2. plain

Derived terms

• Chá
• Chan
• Chao
• Chaodarcas
• Chaos

Related terms

• chaira
• chaela
• chancela
• chanzo
• chelo
• Chelo
• Chenlo

References

• Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, Ana Isabel Boullón Agrelo (2006–2022) “chao”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Xavier Varela Barreiro, Xavier Gómez Guinovart (2006–2018) “chão”, in Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “chan”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “chan”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega
• Rosario Álvarez Blanco, editor (2014–2024), “chan”, in Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega, →ISSN

Hokkien

For pronunciation and definitions of chan – see 曾 (“already; ever; once; previously; etc.”). (This term is the pe̍h-ōe-jī form of 曾).

Irish

Etymology 1

From Middle Irish nocon, nochon, from Old Irish nícon, nacon, from ní con.

Pronunciation

• (before a, o, u, fha, fho, fhu) IPA^(key): [xan̪ˠ]
• (before e, i, fhe, fhi) IPA^(key): [xanʲ]

Particle

chan

1. (Ulster) not

   Chan ólann sé. ― He does not drink.

   Chan fhanann sé. ― He will not wait.

Usage notes

Used only in some varieties of Ulster Irish. Used only before a vowel sound.

Synonyms

• ní (used in Munster Irish, Connacht Irish, and some varieties of Ulster Irish)

Related terms

• cha (used before a consonant)
• char (used with the past tense)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [xan̪ˠ]

Verb

chan

1. past analytic of can

Related terms

• chanas (1st person sing. synthetic, nonstandard)
• chanais (2d person sing. synthetic, nonstandard)
• chanamar (1st person pl. synthetic)
• chanabhar (2d person pl. synthetic, nonstandard)
• chanadar (3d person pl. synthetic, nonstandard)
• canadh (autonomous)

References

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “nícon”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• MacBain, Alexander, Mackay, Eneas (1911) “chan”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language‎, Stirling, →ISBN

Japanese

Romanization

chan

1. Rōmaji transcription of ちゃん

Ladino

Noun

chan m

1. bell

Mandarin

Romanization

chan

1. Nonstandard spelling of chān.
2. Nonstandard spelling of chán.
3. Nonstandard spelling of chǎn.
4. Nonstandard spelling of chàn.

Usage notes

• Transcriptions of Mandarin into the Latin script often do not distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without indication of tone.

Nafaanra

Noun

chan

1. vagina

References

• Nafaanra Dictionary

Old Occitan

Etymology

Deverbal of chantar.

Noun

chan m (oblique plural chans, nominative singular chans, nominative plural chan)

1. song

Related terms

• chantador
• chantar
• chanso
• chansoneta
• enchantar
• enchantamen

Pipil

Etymology

From Proto-Nahuan *chaːn-. Compare Classical Nahuatl chāntli (“home”).

Pronunciation

• (standard) IPA^(key): /t͡ʃaŋ/

Noun

-chan

1. at or to one's home or house

   Tiajket ka nuchan pal titakwat

   We went to my house to eat

Declension

Person	Number
	singular	plural
first	nuchan	tuchan
second	muchan	anmuchan
third	ichan	inchan

Declension of -chan

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish خان (han, “prince, lord”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxan/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -an
• Syllabification: chan

Noun

chan m pers

1. khan (ruler)

Declension

	singular	plural
nominative	chan	chanowie/chany (deprecative)
genitive	chana	chanów
dative	chanowi	chanom
accusative	chana	chanów
instrumental	chanem	chanami
locative	chanie	chanach
vocative	chanie	chanowie

Declension of chan

Further reading

• chan in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• chan in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English chan.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈʃɐ̃/

Noun

chan m (plural chans)

1. (Internet) chan, imageboard

Related terms

• channer

Romansch

Alternative forms

• chaun (Rumantsch Grischun, Puter)
• tgaun (Sursilvan)
• tgàn (Sutsilvan)
• tgang (Surmiran)

Etymology

From Latin canis, canem.

Noun

chan m (plural chans)

1. (Vallader) (male) dog

Coordinate terms

• (sex): chagna

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology 1

From Middle Irish nochan, from Old Irish nícon, from ní (“not”) + con (“toward”). Cognates include Irish chan and Manx chan.

Alternative forms

• (obsolete) cha'n

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xan̪ˠ/ (before a back vowel sound)
• IPA^(key): /xaɲ/ (before a front vowel sound)
• Hyphenation: chan

Verb

chan

1. Form of cha used before vowels and fh-

   Chan fhaca mi i. ― I haven't seen her.

   Chan eil mi fuar. ― I am not cold.

   An t-aran, chan ùr e. ― The bread, it's not fresh.

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /xan/

Verb

chan

1. inflection of can:
   1. negative dependent future
   2. past (rare, usually thuirt)

References

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “nícon”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• MacBain, Alexander, Mackay, Eneas (1911) “cha, cha’n”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language‎, Stirling, →ISBN, page 81
• Colin Mark (2003) “chan”, in The Gaelic-English dictionary, London: Routledge, →ISBN, page 129

Spanish

Etymology

From Classical Nahuatl chian, obsolete spelling of chiyan (“chia”). This is the same source as chía, which lost the final n in Mexican dialects.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃan/ [ˈt͡ʃãn]
• Rhymes: -an
• Syllabification: chan

Noun

chan m (plural chanes)

1. (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras) Alternative form of chía
   • 2002, Rodrigo Crespo A., Comiendo pura vida, page 135:

     Los aderezos de semillas y nueces se preparan licuando semillas remojadas de linaza, girasol, chan...

     Seasonings from seeds and nuts are prepared by blending soaked linseed, sunflower seeds, chia seeds...

References

• Ayerca, Ricardo & Coates, Wayne (2005: Chia: Rediscovering a Forgotten Crop of the Aztecs, p. 64

Further reading

• “chan”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10

Tzeltal

Etymology

From Proto-Mayan *kaahn.

Noun

chan

1. snake

Tzotzil

Verb

chan

1. (transitive) to learn

References

• Laughlin, Robert M. [et al.] (1988) The Great Tzotzil Dictionary of Santo Domingo Zinacantán, vol. I. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.

Vietnamese

Pronunciation

• (Hà Nội) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕaːn˧˧]
• (Huế) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕaːŋ˧˧]
• (Saigon) IPA^(key): [caːŋ˧˧]

Verb

chan • (滇, 𬉌)

1. to pour sauce, soup or broth over solid food

   chan canh/mắm ― to pour broth/nước mắm

Derived terms

• chan chứa
• chan hoà

Welsh

Noun

chan

1. Aspirate mutation of can.

Mutation

Mutated forms of can

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
can	gan	nghan	chan

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Yucatec Maya

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /t͡ʃan/

Adjective

chan

1. small

   Synonyms: chichan; mejen