What is the meaning of the words Kahn and Kahnum?
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posted04/21/2015 06:56 AM (UTC)by
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Zidane_FF
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01/23/2005 12:32 PM (UTC)
Thats new in MK saga. Is it used in to name a King or Queen?

Shao Kahn, Kotal Kahn, Mileena Kahnum...
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KungLaodoesntsuck
04/20/2015 05:12 PM (UTC)
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Kahn = King

Kahnum = Kingdom?

At least that's how I interpreted it.
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ImperatrixSindel
04/20/2015 05:13 PM (UTC)
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It's Mongolian for Emperor/Empress. Like Genghis Khan. 'Kahn' is an alternative transliteration and Kahnum/Khanum is the female version.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khan_(title)

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04/20/2015 07:11 PM (UTC)
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ImperatrixSindel Wrote:
It's Mongolian for Emperor/Empress. Like Genghis Khan. 'Kahn' is an alternative transliteration and Kahnum/Khanum is the female version.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khan_(title)




KHAN and KaHN.


A khanate or kaganate (and not khanum or kahnum) is ran by a khan. Basically a warlord title for the steppe dwelling uygurs, mongols, tartars etc. in Central Asia.

KaHN however is an entirely different animal. It is a proper noun/speaking name that is quite common in Southeastern Asia, like Malaysia, Indonesia etc. They simply ran with that name and NRS DOES KNOW THE DIFFERENCE...


case in point, Hsu Hao's preliminary development name was Kublai Khan, an they changed it, because it sounded too much like Kahn. Apparently we are muppets or undercultured plebs that does not perceive switched consonants.




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ImperatrixSindel
04/20/2015 07:20 PM (UTC)
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Khanum is the female version of Khan, though, so even if it's a made-up variant (which would make sense, since Outworld's not Mongolia) they are following that model with Shao Kahn/Mileena Kahnum.

D'Vorah refers to Mileena as "the Kahnum" in her chapter, as a title. It doesn't refer to the kingdom, which I presume is a Kahnate.

Sidenote, 'Kahn' as a surname is often a Germanization of 'Cohen'/'Kohen' -- Hebrew for "priest". Hebrew's clearly also in use in Outworld -- D'Vorah (Dvora, Deborah) is 'bee' in Hebrew.

The South Asian surname (common in Pakistan, especially) is spelled Khan.
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SaurienDeity
04/20/2015 11:05 PM (UTC)
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ImperatrixSindel Wrote:
Khanum is the female version of Khan, though, so even if it's a made-up variant (which would make sense, since Outworld's not Mongolia) they are following that model with Shao Kahn/Mileena Kahnum.

D'Vorah refers to Mileena as "the Kahnum" in her chapter, as a title. It doesn't refer to the kingdom, which I presume is a Kahnate.

Sidenote, 'Kahn' as a surname is often a Germanization of 'Cohen'/'Kohen' -- Hebrew for "priest". Hebrew's clearly also in use in Outworld -- D'Vorah (Dvora, Deborah) is 'bee' in Hebrew.

The South Asian surname (common in Pakistan, especially) is spelled Khan.


Kotal is referred to as Kahnum in the comic tie-in, so it's not gender exclusive.

I'm still not entirely sure on the idea behind Kahn and Kahnum, because Kotal/Ko'atal seems like he had that title prior to his role as emperor. It almost seems like Kahn is his name, seeing as both he and his father had the name Kotal.
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ImperatrixSindel
04/20/2015 11:10 PM (UTC)
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I think the game supersedes the comic on this. Those sound like mistakes, like Scorpion's family having different names or Kotal Kahn's skin actually being green.
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Wanderer
04/21/2015 01:46 AM (UTC)
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It's entirely possible it has nothing at all to do with gender and Kahnum is a term indicating a challenger to the Kahn title.
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Gillbob316
04/21/2015 02:25 AM (UTC)
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Real Answer:

It was Shao Kahn's last name, but then while they were developing this game and came up with the concept for Kotal, they decided it would sound cool to make it a title, so they did.

Despite the fact that The Dragon King, who ruled before Shao, was never known as "Onaga Kahn" to anyone's knowledge (And no one really seems to refer to Mileena as Mileena Kahn or Mileena Kahnum while she's ruling for that matter... come to think of it)
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Coltess
04/21/2015 02:56 AM (UTC)
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Think of it like Caesar. When Gaius Octavius situated himself as imperator, he renamed himself Caesar Augustus to maintain favor with all of those who loved his great uncle Julius Caesar. It also helped to establish his connection to that lineage, which resulted in Caesar becoming a title. It's actually the root of Czar snd Kaiser, as well.

Kotal Kahn took the name Kahn as a sign to Outworlders that he is the legitimate heir to Kahn's Empire, called the Kahnum (I'd've gone with Kahnate, but whatever).
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ImperatrixSindel
04/21/2015 06:56 AM (UTC)
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No, 'Kahnum' is specifically the title Mileena has as empress. In D'Vorah's chapter she says to Reptile and Koa'tal that she is 'not happy with Mileena as Kahnum'. We can likely assume she was 'Mileena Kahnum' during that time.
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Ardabas34
10/17/2019 08:49 AM (UTC)
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Move aside I am Turkish.

Khan means king/emperor in Turkic/Mongolian societies.

Khanum means wife of Khan so queen but in modern Turkish we use it in the meaning of lady.

Note: Both Turkic languages and Mongolian have Khan but according to wiki Khanum is used only by Turks.

For the game's context, Shao Kahn resembles both by look and character steppe emperors a lot also dont forget wrestling have been the ancestral sport of steppe people. So four arms and their grabby fighting technic is probably related to that.

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