Where does “-chan” come from?
-chan (English) comes from Japanese チャンネル, from English Channel, from English chainwale, from English wale, from Middle English wāle, from Old English wealh, from Old English īeġ, from Proto-West Germanic auwju — water.
-chan (English): Used in the names of imageboards, usually ones that try to emulate 4chan
Definitions
- Used in the names of imageboards, usually ones that try to emulate 4chan
Ancestry of “-chan”, step by step
-chan traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Japanese チャンネル
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | チャンネル | channel |
| 2 | English | Channel | The hollow bed of running waters; also the bed of the sea or other body of water |
| 3 | English | chainwale | Obsolete spelling of channel |
| 4 | English | wale | A ridge or low barrier; A raised rib in knit... |
| 5 | Middle English | wāle | An outsider; a guest; one from an unfamiliar land |
| 6 | Old English | wealh | foreigner; Briton or Welshman; slave |
| 7 | Old English | īeġ | island |
| 8 | Proto-West Germanic | auwju | floodplain; meadow; island |
| 9 | Proto-Germanic | awjō | floodplain; meadow; island |
| 10 | Proto-Germanic | agwjō | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ékʷeh₂ | water |