han
n. C / Un. the largest ethnic group in China, making up the majority of the country's population. It also refers to a famous historical period or dynasty that helped shape Chinese culture.
n. the dominant ethnic group of China, comprising approximately 92% of the population; also used to denote the imperial dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) that established the cultural foundations of the region.
Most people living in China belong to the Han ethnic group.
Historians often compare the Han dynasty to the Roman Empire because both were powerful and lasted for centuries.
The cultural identity of the Han people was solidified during the four centuries of the dynasty's rule, leading to the adoption of the term as a permanent ethnic designation.
An early romanization of the Mandarin 漢 /汉 (Hàn), later reinforced by Wade-Giles and pinyin. Originally a river within present-day Shaanxi and Hubei. As a Chinese dynasty, from the founder Liu Bang's short-lived realm in Sichuan and Shaanxi among China's Eighteen Kingdoms, named for the Qin Empire's Hanzhong Commandery, headquartered in a city which also became known as Hanzhong, named for its placement along the middle reaches of the river. The usage for the Chinese ethnicity first appeared during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, claiming the Han dynasty as one of the golden ages of Chinese history.
An early romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 韓 /韩 (Hán), an ancient Chinese placename.
Atonal form of the Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 邗 (Hán).
From Korean 한(韓) (han). Cognate with English Han (from Mandarin).