Standard Lemma guide

khagan

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /kɑˈɡɑn/
  • /ˈkɑɡɑn/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A khan of khans, a ruler of a khaganate; (the holder of) an imperial rank used among certain Turkic and Mongolian peoples, equal in status to an emperor.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Ultimately from Old Turkic 𐰴𐰍𐰣 (qaɣan). Doublet of khan.

Across languages

Translations

39 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: خَاقَان (ḵāqān) — title of imperial rank
  • Armenian: խաքան (xakʻan) — title of imperial rank
  • Azerbaijani: xaqan — title of imperial rank
  • Bactrian: καγανο (kagano) — title of imperial rank
  • Bengali: খাকান (khakan) — title of imperial rank
  • Bulgarian: кага́н (kagán) — title of imperial rank
  • Bulgarian: хага́н (hagán) — title of imperial rank
  • Bulgarian: хака́н (hakán) — title of imperial rank
  • Bulgarian: кеха́н (kehán) — title of imperial rank
  • Catalan: kagan — title of imperial rank
  • Chinese Mandarin: 可汗 (kèhán) — title of imperial rank
  • Czech: kagan — title of imperial rank
  • Dutch: grootkan — title of imperial rank
  • Finnish: suurkaani — title of imperial rank
  • French: khagan — title of imperial rank
  • French: grand khan — title of imperial rank
  • German: Khagan — title of imperial rank
  • Hindi: ख़ाक़ान (xāqān) — title of imperial rank
  • Hungarian: kagán — title of imperial rank
  • Japanese: 可汗 (kakan) — title of imperial rank
  • Kashmiri: خاقان (khāqān) — title of imperial rank
  • Kazakh: қаған (qağan) — title of imperial rank
  • Mongolian: хаан (xaan) — title of imperial rank
  • Mongolian: ᠬᠠᠭᠠᠨ (qaɣan) — title of imperial rank
  • Old Turkic: 𐰴𐰍𐰣 (qaɣan) — title of imperial rank
  • Persian: خاقان (xâqân) — title of imperial rank
  • Polish: kagan — title of imperial rank
  • Portuguese: khagan — title of imperial rank
  • Punjabi: ਖ਼ਾਕ਼ਾਨ (xāqān) — title of imperial rank
  • Russian: кага́н (kagán) — title of imperial rank
  • Spanish: jaghan — title of imperial rank
  • Spanish: gran jan — title of imperial rank
  • Tajik: хоқон (xoqon) — title of imperial rank
  • Turkish: kağan — title of imperial rank
  • Turkish: hakan — title of imperial rank
  • Ottoman Turkish: خاقان (hâkan) — title of imperial rank
  • Urdu: خاقان (xāqān) — title of imperial rank
  • Uyghur: خاقان (xaqan) — title of imperial rank
  • Vietnamese: khả hãn — title of imperial rank