Kuan
/kwɑːn/noun
A historical Chinese unit of account traditionally representing a string of cash coins, often reckoned as one thousand coins.
Did you know?The unit was tied to the traditional practice of threading Chinese cash coins through their central square holes, turning money into portable strings.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese, 1st millennium BCE
Old Chinese
貫 (*kˤons)
“To string or thread together; a string of objects, especially coins”
Han Dynasty
Classical Chinese
貫 (guàn)
“A string of cash coins and a monetary unit of account”
Middle Chinese, c. 600–900 CE
Middle Chinese
kwɑnH
“A string of coins; a counted monetary sum”
16th–19th Century
Mandarin Chinese
guàn
“A traditional monetary unit, commonly associated with one thousand cash coins”
19th Century
English
kuan
“An English transcription of the Chinese monetary unit, using an older romanization system”
Modern English
English
kuan
“A historical Chinese unit of account or string of cash coins”