This article examines the word çowlı, identified by Mahmud al-Kashgari as Kančakian, in Dīwān Luġāt at-Turk from a philological, etymological, and semantic perspective. While the study briefly addresses discussions on the origins of the Kančak people, its primary focus is the usage of this word in Turkish, its attestations in historical texts, and its origins. Kashgari defined çowlı as “a strainer made of thin bark” and stated that the term originates from the Kančak language. The word appears with similar meanings in historical sources such as Muqaddimat al-Adab, Kitāb-i Majmūʿ-ı Tarjumān-ı Turkî and Burhān-i Qāṭiʿ. Limitedly preserved in modern Turkish dialects, çowlı typically refers to a kitchen utensil used as a strainer. There are differing views on the origin of çowlı or the language from which it was borrowed into Turkish. Some researchers argue that the word derives from a Turkic root, emphasizing its forms in contemporary Turkic dialects, while others highlight its similarity to the Persian word chāvlī and claim that it was borrowed from Persian. This article posits that the word’s origin traces back to the Chinese term 笊籬 (zhào lí), meaning “a bamboo strainer.” Phonetic and semantic parallels between Chinese and Turkish support this hypothesis.

Diwan Lugat at-Turk, Kancak language, çowlı, loanword, etymology