Great Khan
imperial title of Turco-Mongol societies
Great Khan, also known as Khagan or Qaghan (Middle Mongol:ᠬᠠᠭᠠᠨ; Khaan or Khagan; Old Turkic: 𐰴𐰍𐰣 Qaɣan; Kazakh: Қаған/Qağan). is a title of imperial rank in Mongolic, Turkic, and some other languages, equal to the status of emperor and someone who rules a khaganate (empire). The female equivalent is Khatun. The common western rendering of Great Khan (or Grand Khan), notably in the case of the Mongol Empire, is a translation of Yekhe Khagan (Great Emperor or Их Хаан).
It may also be translated as "Khan of Khans", equivalent to King of Kings. In modern Mongolic, Khagan became Khaan with the g sound becoming almost silent or non-existent; the ğ in modern Turkish Kağan is also silent. After the division of the Mongol Empire, monarchs of the Yuan dynasty and the Northern Yuan held the title of Khagan. Kağan, Hakan and Kaan, Turkish equivalents of the title are common Turkish names in Turkey.
Etymology
The term is of unknown origin and might be a loanword from the Rouran language. Canadian sinologist Edwin G. Pulleyblank first suggested that a Xiongnu title, transcribed as 護于 (Old Chinese: *hʷaʔ-hʷaʰ) might have been the original behind Turkic qaɣan ~ xaɣan.
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