{{Short description|Turco-Mongolian honorific title}} {{use dmy dates|date=March 2026}} {{use british english|date=March 2026}} {{About||3=Hanım (disambiguation)}}
'''Khanum'''{{efn|Also spelled '''Khanam''', '''Qanysham''', '''Kanysham''', '''Khanym''', '''Hanum''', '''Hanım''', '''Hanem''', '''Khanom''', or '''Khanoum''' ({{langx|uz|Xonim/Хоним}}, Kyrgyz: Канышам/Qanysham ''and'' Каныш/Qanysh ''or'' Каныша/Qanysha, {{langx|kk|Ханым/Hanym}}, {{langx|mn|Ханым}}; {{langx|az|Xanım}}; {{langx|tr|Hanım}}; {{langx|arz|هانم}}; Levantine Arabic, Persian, Urdu: {{langx|fa|خانم}}; {{langx|hi|ख़ानुम}}; {{langx|bn|খাঁনম or খানম}})}} is a female royal and aristocratic title that was originally derived through a Central Asian title, and later used in the Middle East and South Asia. It is the feminine equivalent of the title ''Khan'' for a sovereign or military ruler, widely used by medieval nomadic Turkic peoples living in Asia and Europe and also Mongol tribes living north and northwest of modern-day China.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Illustrated Weekly of India, Volume 90 |date=1969 |publisher=Times of India Press|page=4 |language=English |quote=In the original meaning “begum” and “khanum” are the feminine equivalents or counterparts of “beg” and “khan”—like the English “lord” and “lady”.}}</ref> In the construction of words in the Turkic languages, the suffix "-''um'' or ''-ım''" adds "''my''". This means the word "Khanum" can be transliterated as "my Khan". This arises from the tale, depicting a Khan announcing to his subjects ''I am your Khan, and She is my Khan (Khanum)''.<ref name="Henning, W. B. p501-522">Henning, W. B., 'A Farewell to the Khagan of the Aq-Aqataran',"Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African studies – University of London", Vol 14, No 3, p 501–522</ref> The Rourans were the first people who used the titles Khagan and Khan for their emperors, replacing the Chanyu of the Xiongnu, whom René Grousset and others assume to be Turkic.<ref name="Grousset">{{cite book | author = René Grousset | title = The Empire of the Steppes: A History of Central Asia now | publisher = Rutgers University Press | year = 1988 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/empireofsteppesh00prof/page/61 61, 585, n. 92.] | isbn = 0-8135-1304-9 | url = https://archive.org/details/empireofsteppesh00prof/page/61}}</ref>
In Modern Turkish, it is spelled ''Hanım'' and is used similarly to the titles of "lady" or "mrs." or "miss" in the English language''.'' The title of ''Hanımefendi'' is a combination of the words Khanum, ''Hanım'' in Turkish, and efendi, and is a more formal title to address women in the modern age.{{cn|date=March 2026}}
Today, the term is used as a way to respectfully address women of any social rank. "Khanum" can be understood as equivalent of "madam", or more colloquially, "ma'am" in some Ottoman and Turkic influenced countries.{{cn|date=March 2026}}
In South Asia, particularly in Afghanistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Baluchistan and North India, ''Khanum'' has been adapted for use as an honorific for Muslim women of high social status.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}
==See also== *Begum *Hanım *Khatun
==Explanatory notes== {{efnlist}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
Category:Noble titles Category:Women's social titles Category:Royal titles Category:Turkish words and phrases Category:Bengali words and phrases Category:Bengali Muslim surnames Category:History of women in Turkey