Quan
/kwɑːn/noun
A former Vietnamese monetary unit, traditionally equal to ten tiền.
Did you know?The monetary term ultimately connects to the Sino-Vietnamese tradition of counting coins in strings, reflecting how premodern Chinese currency was physically organized and counted.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Chinese
貫 (guàn)
“A string or thread of coins, and by extension a monetary unit.”
Classical Chinese
Chinese
貫 (guàn)
“A counted string of cash coins, commonly associated with a thousand coins.”
Medieval Period
Sino-Vietnamese
quán
“A monetary unit derived from the Chinese financial term.”
18th–19th Century
Vietnamese
quan
“A unit of currency used in historical Vietnam, conventionally reckoned as ten tiền.”
Modern English
English
quan
“A former Vietnamese monetary unit.”