chanyu

C3H4A1N1Y4U1

noun

A supreme ruler of one or more nomadic tribes of Inner Asian peoples, at some point between the 4th century BCE and the 4th century CE; most notably a ruler of the Xiongnu.

Similar
shanyu
OriginMandarin 單于 →
Scrabble 14
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Meanings

nounchanyu (plural chanyu or chanyus)

plural chanyus

  1. historicalA supreme ruler of one or more nomadic tribes of Inner Asian peoples, at some point between the 4th century BCE and the 4th century CE; most notably a ruler of the Xiongnu.

    Synonyms: shanyu

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA supreme ruler of one or more nomadic tribes of Inner Asian peoples, at some point between the 4th century BCE and the 4th century CE; most notably a ruler of the Xiongnu.

Similar
shanyu

Origin

  1. Mandarin單于
  2. Englishchanyu

Borrowed from Mandarin 單于 (chányú); ultimately from Xiongnu.

More words from Mandarin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Cantonese 單于
  • 單于 (sim⁴ jyu⁴)Translations
Chinese Mandarin 單于
  • 單于 (chányú)Translations
Finnish chanyu
  • chanyuTranslations
French chanyu
  • chanyuTranslations
German Chanyu
  • ChanyuTranslations
Japanese 単于
  • 単于 (zen'u)Translations
Korean 선우
  • 선우 (seonu)Translations
Polish chanyu
  • chanyuTranslations
Russian шанью́й
  • шанью́й (šanʹjúj)Translations
Vietnamese thiền vu
  • thiền vuTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

chanyu. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chanyu

MLA

“chanyu.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chanyu. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chanyu,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chanyu.

Source: chanyu on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.