Han

¹ American  

[hahn] / hɑn /

noun

1. a dynasty in China, 206 b.c.–a.d. 220, with an interregnum, a.d. 9–25: characterized by consolidation of the centralized imperial state and territorial expansion.

2. a river flowing from central China into the Yangtze at Hankow. 900 miles (1,450 km) long.

3. the Chinese people in general, especially those not of Mongol, Manchu, Tibetan, or other non-Chinese extraction.

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Han ² American  

[hahn, huhn] / hɑn, hʌn /

noun

• Hans,
  plural
• Han
  plural

1. a member of a group of Indigenous people inhabiting the Yukon River drainage basin near the Alaska-Canada border.

2. the Athabascan language of the Han.

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Han ¹ British  

/ hæn /

noun

1. the imperial dynasty that ruled China for most of the time from 206 _bc to 221 _ad , expanding its territory and developing its bureaucracy

2. the Chinese people as contrasted to Mongols, Manchus, etc

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Han ² British  

/ hæn /

noun

1. a river in E central China, rising in S Shaanxi and flowing southeast through Hubei to the Yangtze River at Wuhan. Length: about 1450 km (900 miles)

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Han
  plural
• Hans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Han

From Kutchin han-gwičin “river dwellers”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Han Hans

Ji and his new wife, expecting a bigger bonus in the coming months, are now eyeing newer apartments with scenic views of Seoul’s Han River.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

President William Lai took part in an emergency evacuation drill as part of Taiwan's annual Han Kuang military exercises that are running from August 5th to 14th.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

The annual "Han Kuang" exercise, which runs from August 5-14, stages combat scenarios for troops and reservists to practise responding to an attack on the island, defence officials say.

From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026

When McConnell was rushed to the hospital in June, she was in China having meetings with high-ranking officials, including the country’s vice president Han Zheng.

From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026

She added an eye roll and Han snickered.

From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste

“This is a soft report that I think takes some of the hike rhetoric off the table,” said Michael Hans, chief investment officer at Citizens Wealth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Hans Vanaken, a 33-year-old midfielder for Club Brugge, has never played outside Belgium domestically but has a goal and two assists to his name.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

"It is a pretty aggressive grower," Hans Paerl, a professor of marine and environmental sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, told the magazine.

From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 2026

One of her co-workers, Hans Koenigsmann, had just been hired by SpaceX as employee No. 4 and made the introduction.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026

Haupt's father, Hans, was a bricklayer and had found work as a contractor and painter.

From Nazi Saboteurs by Samantha Seiple