Quán

Quán is a Vietnamese term written with diacritics to indicate tone. In everyday Vietnamese, quán functions as a common noun meaning a shop, tavern, or restaurant, particularly smaller or informal establishments. It is widely used in compound forms such as quán ăn (eatery), quán nước (drink shop), and quán cà phê (coffee shop). Beyond its generic sense, quán also appears as a component in place names and in the names of religious or historical buildings, where it can denote a hall, building, or venue associated with commerce or gathering.

The word is of Sino-Vietnamese origin, derived from Chinese characters such as 館/馆, which convey the sense of a hall, building, or establishment. In Vietnamese pronunciation, quán is spoken as quán, with the acute diacritic marking a rising pitch.

In modern Vietnamese, quán is rarely used as an independent given name. When it appears in personal or family names in Vietnamese-speaking communities or in historical records, it is typically part of a compound or a romanization of a non-Vietnamese name. In other language contexts, forms like Quan or Quán may represent different surnames or given names.

For further context, quán is frequently encountered in everyday language describing venues, such as quán ăn and quán nước, and in toponyms and historical references where the term denotes a building or establishment within a community.