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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.


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.


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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of Han

From Kutchin han-gwičin “river dwellers”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Rhys has also been revealed as the voice of Han Solo in a new Welsh language adaptation of Star Wars.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

Attempts to reach Han and Wright weren’t successful.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Han previously told the Journal that Windrose raised $100 million in equity and was in the process of raising a further $100 million in equity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Here in Los Angeles, the task of curating L.A. artists fell heavily to Han Santana-Sayles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

Dr. Han squatted in front of Doha and wiped his tears away with a clean handkerchief.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

Hans Johnson, the commission’s chairman, heralded the court’s August ruling.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

Last month, the holding company’s CEO, Hans Dieter Pötsch, who also is chairman of Volkswagen’s supervisory board, expressed frustration.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

Asked why Hans S had provided a sample, his lawyer told German news agency DPA that the case had "weighed heavily" on him and he had wanted closure.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

“If you’re an NFL fan, I don’t think there’s a better model than the one the NFL offers,” says Hans Schroeder, the league’s executive vice president of media distribution.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

It meant delaying her plans to join her brother Hans at the University of Munich for a whole year.

From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

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