Meanings
plural Khitans · alternative Kitai · alternative Khitai · alternative Kitan · alternative K'itan
- historicalA member of the Mongolic people who ruled Manchuria, then northern China as the Liao, then Central Asia as the Qara Khitais, from the 9th to 13th century C.E.
Synonyms & antonyms
proper nounThe Khitan Empire; the state or land of the Khitan people.
Origin
- Khitan𘱿𘲫
- EnglishKhitan
Reconstruction of Khitan 𘱿𘲫 (*qid ún, small script) or 𘱿𘱤 (*qid i, small script) under influence from Middle Chinese 契丹 (MC khejH|khj+t|khet tan). Doublet of Cathay. Compare Russian Кита́й (Kitáj, “China”) and the various forms of Cathay (“legendary northern medieval China”) in European languages.
More words from Khitan
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic خَطَائِيّ, خَطَائِيَّة
- خَطَائِيّ (ḵaṭāʔiyy)member of a Mongolic people
- خَطَائِيَّة (ḵaṭāʔiyya)member of a Mongolic people
- خَطَائِيّ (ḵaṭāʔiyy)of the people, language or scripts
- اللُّغَة الْخَطَائِيَّة (al-luḡa l-ḵaṭāʔiyya)language
Chinese Mandarin 契丹人, 契丹
- 契丹人 (Qìdānrén)member of a Mongolic people
- 契丹 (Qìdān)of the people, language or scripts
- 契丹語 /契丹语 (Qìdānyǔ)language
French Khitan, Khitane
- Khitanmember of a Mongolic people
- Khitanemember of a Mongolic people
- khitanof the people, language or scripts
- khitanlanguage
Japanese 契丹人, キタン人
- 契丹人 (Kittan-jin)member of a Mongolic people
- キタン人 (Kitan-jin)member of a Mongolic people
- キタイ人 (Kitai-jin)member of a Mongolic people
- 契丹 (Kittan)of the people, language or scripts
- キタン (Kitan)of the people, language or scripts
- キタイ (Kitai)of the people, language or scripts
- 契丹語 (Kittango)language
Korean 거란, 거란어
- 거란 (Georan)of the people, language or scripts
- 거란어 (georaneo)language
Latin Kitai
- Kitaimember of a Mongolic people
Polish Kitan, Kitanka
- Kitanmember of a Mongolic people
- Kitankamember of a Mongolic people
- kitańskiof the people, language or scripts
- Kitanstate
- język kitańskilanguage
Russian кида́нь, кида́нец
- кида́нь (kidánʹ)member of a Mongolic people
- кида́нец (kidánec)member of a Mongolic people
- кида́нька (kidánʹka)member of a Mongolic people
- кида́ньский (kidánʹskij)of the people, language or scripts
- кида́ньский язы́к (kidánʹskij jazýk)language
Turkish Hıtay, Hıtaylı
- Hıtaymember of a Mongolic people
- Hıtaylımember of a Mongolic people
- Hıtaylıof the people, language or scripts
- Hıtaystate
- Hıtay dililanguage
- Hıtaycalanguage
Ukrainian кида́нь, кида́нька
- кида́нь (kydánʹ)member of a Mongolic people
- кида́нька (kydánʹka)member of a Mongolic people
- кида́ньський (kydánʹsʹkyj)of the people, language or scripts
- кида́ньска мо́ва (kydánʹska móva)language
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
Khitan. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Khitan
“Khitan.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Khitan. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Khitan,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Khitan.
Source: Khitan on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.