English word origin

Etymology of chan

Clipping of channel.

3 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 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 1

Original entry ↗

noun

An IRC channel.

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

Clipping of channel.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "channel"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of channel"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "channel",
      "channel#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An IRC channel."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Internet",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "38a26002d637c556537d4300ce0e904f7baf7b53736b2518645f7e0d01cb0741",
      "rawRecordSha256": "6b6e83cae1bc69b3b0d5637bb7c0ffe05582418e012248873ac95540ea3a003a",
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

An imageboard.

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

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "channel",
      "channel#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An imageboard."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Internet",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "0b14f48695067725dce6cb06c83a0f71aaf500623bfa16d34ca36de7981368a4",
      "rawRecordSha256": "53f3c23877ee4b172f57ad946e52ee4203c3d6dc739e9b82e69c2bbe58ffcef4",
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  ],
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  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

noun

Fanwork depicting sexual relationships betwen an adult and a minor; · or between two underage characters.

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

From the Japanese familiar suffix ちゃん (-chan).

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ja",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Japanese"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ちゃん",
      "ちゃん#Japanese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Fanwork depicting sexual relationships betwen an adult and a minor;",
        "or between two underage characters."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dated",
        "slang",
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      ],
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}

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 chan →

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-Y2hhbg