Manchu

noun

Man·​chu ˈman-(ˌ)chü How to pronounce Manchu (audio)
man-ˈ
plural Manchu or Manchus
1
: a member of an indigenous people of Manchuria who conquered China and established a dynasty there in 1644
2
: the Tungusic language of the Manchu people
Manchu adjective

Examples of Manchu in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Jane Manchu Wong, who gained online notoriety for reverse-engineering incoming features for social media platforms before they were announced, joined Meta last year to work on its newest platform, Threads. Kali Hays, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2024 Vought film The Curse of Fu Manchu, our sister site Variety reports. Vlada Gelman, TVLine, 16 Oct. 2024 In this view, for example, people who are Manchu, Miao, or Tibetan are still Chinese. Odd Arne Westad, Foreign Affairs, 1 June 2021 The only major exception is over the Russian Far East, which Tsarist Russia took from the Manchu Qing Empire in 1860. Steve Tsang, TIME, 11 May 2024 In 1912, the British novelist Sax Rohmer, a white man, invented a character who epitomized the West’s fears and fantasies about the Orient: Dr. Fu Manchu. WIRED, 9 Aug. 2023 She was born in Beijing into the family of a Manchu prince who, after the violent 1911 collapse of the Qing Dynasty, sent her to be raised by his friend, a Japanese ultranationalist in Tokyo, who changed her name from Dongzhen. Scott Martelle, Washington Post, 3 May 2023 Certain Manchu customs were indeed imposed on the Han. Ian Buruma, Harper’s Magazine , 18 Jan. 2022 But the Manchu elite gradually absorbed Han culture. Ian Buruma, Harper's Magazine, 11 Jan. 2022

Word History

Etymology

ultimately from Manchu manju, a self-designation

First Known Use

1697, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Manchu was in 1697

Dictionary Entries Near Manchu

Cite this Entry

“Manchu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Manchu. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

Manchu

noun
Man·​chu ˈman-chü How to pronounce Manchu (audio)
man-ˈchü
1
: a member of an Indigenous people of Manchuria who conquered China and established a dynasty there in 1644
2
: the language of the Manchu people
Manchu adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on Manchu

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!