English word origin

Etymology of Chai

Borrowed from Mandarin 柴 (Chái), Mandarin 翟 (Zhái), Hakka 蔡 (Chhai), etc.

1 source sectionBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

name

A surname.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Mandarin 柴 (Chái), Mandarin 翟 (Zhái), Hakka 蔡 (Chhai), etc.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "^柴"
      },
      "expansion": "柴 (Chái)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cmn",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Mandarin"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "翟",
        "tr": "Zhái"
      },
      "expansion": "翟 (Zhái)"
    },
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "hak",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Hakka"
    },
    {
      "name": "zh-l",
      "args": {
        "1": "蔡",
        "tr": "Chhai"
      },
      "expansion": "蔡 (Chhai)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "柴",
      "柴#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "翟",
      "翟#Chinese"
    ],
    [
      "蔡",
      "蔡#Chinese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A surname."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "68a20d2c9e18b33f0c2197e979dbf635ff8f658c1b38527b4f3f26ec575a0578",
      "rawRecordSha256": "86409dbf4f38b7ad29e19ca6fcd22222e0bb0e8978d94771c5c16a73fad23166",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4876803
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Chai →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-Q2hhaQ