As of 2021, I’m a programmer (ex-programmer?) who’s spent 7 years dealing with bizarre health issues. I miss code, but cooking is fun too. I took down chani.ca because I don’t have the spoons to keep up with security stuff (I’d never even used https!) but I still hope I might revive it one day.
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ChaniBlog 
I was actually just curious about your name. My wife and I are adopting a little girl from China this year and picked the name Chani, but haven’t found a whole lot of people familiar with the name. I actually picked the name from one of my favorite novels (Dune, by Frank Herbert), but my wife has concerns that it may confuse people. We pronounce it like our vice president’s last name (which was actually my one reservation about the name). Any idea where you got your name (other than from you parents, of course) and how it’s pronounced?
I got my name from the book Dune also! In my name (Chani) the ‘a’ makes a short ‘o’ sound and the ‘i’ sounds like you’re saaying the letter ‘e’. The rest sounds like it’s spelled.
My parents got my name from the book too! I like it because it’s unique. It takes a lot of correcting in the states. Only because I’ve learned there are a lot of people who don’t follow the grammar rules. My name is pronounced the same as above. Cha (like the cha-cha) ni (like knee). I love my name. Those who aren’t familiar with the name love the uniqueness.
Also searching for “How to pronounce Chani” and found this blog… I present to you, Frank Herbert’s own pronunciation: http://www.usul.net/books/sounds.htm
my name’s from dune too. totally different pronunciation! it’s hard to describe… kinda with an ‘english’ a sound. like when the dentist asks you to ‘say ahh’. the ‘ni’ part is pronounced just like ‘knee’.
there are so many zillions of mispronunciations of my name (including really awful ones like ‘charlie’) that I’ve mostly stopped caring; I correct people a couple of times at first, then say ‘close enough’ if they haven’t got it.
still, I love my name :) when I was a kid playing make-believe games I always wanted to keep my own name. the only alternative I would accept was ‘inahc’.
its best name in the world for me………………… really.
According to some websites (including Wikipedia’s entry for the Dune
character Chani! ^_^), Chani can be a pet name for Chana/Chanah
(Hebrew name, origin of Hannah). If so, it should be pronounced
with the “ch” soft as in the Scottish “loch” and the last part
“ahnee”. The 1984 TV version of Dune and the 2000 TV version of
Dune pronounced it two different ways (“Chaney” and “Chahnee”)
(I suspect that both are wrong…especially since Frank Herbert
seems to have been into Hebrew names generally…although it IS
possible that he COULD have meant entirely another ancient name,
from an entirely different place, such as India, in which case
“Chaney” or “Chahnee” with a hard “ch” could be correct/accurate!).
I prefer to think of the Dune character Chani’s name as being
pronounced like the pet name for the Hebrew name Chana/Chanah
(with a soft “ch”)…but it seems that I am in the minority
in thinking so (perhaps that’s partly because of the huge, huge
popularity of the TV versions, which are great but which do not
necessarily or automatically present everything accurately! ^_~).
(Actually, I wish I knew how Frank Herbert himself pronounced it,
or thought it should be pronounced, or whatever. No one seems to
know. Or maybe his son knows. Hmmm.)
But anyway, I think that naming someone after the Dune character Chani
is special…however you pronounce it! ^_^
=^___^=
As I posted to another reply above, here’s Herbert’s own reading and pronunciation: http://www.usul.net/books/sounds.htm Yay!
My name is also Chani, and my parents also got the idea from reading “Dune”. Just wanted to say, it ‘s nice to find that someone else also pronounces it the same way as I do. I wouldn’t want to change my name either. :)
Hey, found your blog randomly.. I used to be into Creatures too but didn’t bother upgrading to Creatures2 :P
I noticed on an older entry you mentioned you were the official Google Pizza Ambassador.. that sounds awesome! How did you get it? I looked on the official website and I can’t figure out how to apply.
Oh and I also love the look of the blog.. spiffy!
-Priyesh
priyesh: I emailed the pizza people at google… umm… try pizza_ambassador at google dot com
Thanks, I’ll give that a try!
I now know how to say “Chani”, good :)
Nice blog, like the “flowered” background :)
yep. thats the proper way to do it. i found this blog searching for “chani`s theme” . wicked and rare song from a rare album called “dune spice opera” :D
i was playing dune 1 . which is completely different to the rest of the dune games. more of old skool 1992 adventure game. nonetheless, the characters themeselves talk, and they pronounce it unline dick`s surname :D. in any case. peace be upon you!
Chani is a common name for boys and girls in Punjabi, India. There it is pronounced as “Chun-ni”. It is a common nickname for Punjabi names Charanjit or Charanjeet. There are several Punjabi folk songs with lyrics about Chani, typically denoting a young maiden.
that explains why I’ve had people on msn and jabber trying to speak indian-looking languages at me… maybe I should try learning a bit :)
I haven’t had people jabber at me. But it is really nice to know that there are other people out there with the same name as me. I thought only my parents were the ones obsessed with the dune series. lol. I’ve had a load of misspellings as well the most recent was chante? i had trouble acceptimg my name when i was younger but now i think it’s nice to be unique
Hi Chani,
I am helping out with WICS at SFU (you used to be a member, right?). Unfortunately I don’t have your email so I hope you get this!
We are thinking about doing a Google Summer of Code project for this summer, and I was told you might have some information about this. If you could email me back that would be great.
Thanks,
Kate
Just be careful if you go to Brazil(and maybe other portuguese-speaking countries), Chaninha is a diminutive for Chana, or Xana.
The diminutive is often used to name female cats, but the original means pussy/vagina, so little pussy might sound awkward.
So, don’t worry if you hear someone giggling when you say your name.
Wow! Someone with my name as well! Not to many of us out there but love my name. The older I grow the more I like it.
Hello! I found your blog a few days ago when I began reading some rss on Akregator. I like it much. It really is a blog, not a bunch of funny movies and stuff.
Are there any pictures of you on the web? I’m really curious :P
Hi Chani(s)!
I’m pregnant and due any day with a girl who will be named Chani. I love the name and love how special and unique it is, as well. Glad to hear that you all like your name- we were worried that she might not love it as much as we do. Now i just need to choose the middle name!
Take care, all.
Pam
Hey, just curious…. is your name pronounced “shahn-EE” or “SHAHN-ee?” I love the name. ;)
Hi everyone
Thank god for this blog! I’ve always had issues with my name and how to pronounce it! I pronounce it Shar-Nee, the R is because I come from Oxford (UK) and they add Rs to everything!
I’m surprised no one wants to change their name, I was thinking of changing it to something similar like Charlie but it is going to take a lot of thought.
x
grace: no. ;) it’s something like CHAHN-ee.
Chani LM: funny, one of my aunts (in england) insists on pronoucing my name that way.
I’d never want to change my name… I love being the only Chani in the area. :)
My 2 year old is named Chani. I also chose it due to a love for the Dune novels. We also pronounce it “CHAHN-ee”.
I am actually looking for another name equally unique and cool.
I have always named my children with the following criteria:
1-strong male or female character found in literature (sci-fi/fantasy usually)
2-must exhibit an ability to love or have a great love
3-must exhibit a strong faith
4-must be strong/unique and memorable in their own right
I don’t know the gender of the new baby yet, but I’m looking for ideas for the next name. Any suggestions?
Oh! I forgot to mention that I’ve been thinking about Eowynn, but it’s a bugger to pronounce and the “proper spelling” requires some strange apostrophe thing over the “e” which would be torture to type or put on a bubble test sheet. So, ideally I’d like a name that uses the standard 26 English alphabet.
I came across your blog and twitter page from some KDE related things, and thought you were a fellow Sri Lankan. Chani (pronounced Chaani) or Chanika (pronounced chaanikaa) are is a common Sri Lankan female name. While the latter is the more common while the other being a shorten or a pet version. I don’t know about the background of the name though. Just stopped by to check the blog. Never knew it was a popular name outside SL (which apparently seems to be the case according to the comments.). Good luck
mmh inane fascination with your name…I’m trying to figure this out. It is lovely but is that all anyone has to discuss? You have posted some interesting thoughts and I like the randomness. My mind follows the same pattern structure. How did you end up with such a following…
Hi, Chani, this is Lefty. Thanks for the previous entry, and especially for the comment, “you’re thinking about this too literally, and missing the context. talking about relieving women of their virginity casts women in a submissive role, with men in a dominant role, and brings up thoughts of oppression and (indirectly) rape. (yes, thinking about a roomful of guys thinking about taking womens’ virginity does eventually lead me to wondering how many of them would take it by force.) it becomes less about the non-sexual meaning of “virgin” and more about all the crazy ideas societies have had about virgin women. and thinking about that stuff would make any woman uncomfortable.”
Yes. This.
Please drop me a note when you get a chance, I have a couple of comments on the religion thing, if you’re interested.
Hi ya,
I’m another Chani and just came across this page when I googled my name. I often wonder if there is any origin to it other than Dune. It’s interesting to see that it’s a common name in Sri Lanka and I love the longer version too (Chanika). It sounds like the pet version of the name even though there it’s the other way around. I pronounce my name Chah nee (the ‘a’ being the same as in cat). It’s actually quite a harsh version. People used to call me shaanee and some still do and I like that too. Anyway, nice to see I have some name compatriots out there. I’ve never met another Chani.
All the best :-)
Oh, I saw this comment after I post a comment below.. Chani is very kommon.. I prefer Chanika too. Now Chani knows her name is common on our land fo lions….. :)
Wow! I thought I was the only one named Chani!
No No No, Come to Sri Lanka and see others…. :P
This is waaayyy cool!
I think it’s hilarious that people name their children after Dune characters. If i ever have kids they’ll suffer an equal fate.
I lilke the name Chani. I was considering it for my childs name – if it’s a girl of course.
ZU … Zhejiang University? In Hangzhou?
yes.
Chah-nee is the original movie pronunciation. Dune names are great, as long as people don’t go naming their kids Thufir or Tleilaxu!
I Like Linux.. I like Freedom to use what ever I want. I admire ur work here.. great stuff. keep them coming.. :)
I’m Sri Lankan. So, I’m familiar with ur name.. :)
Hi Chani, I saw last year’s post about wanting synchronized text and audio. I have that same compulsion :) I created the DingLabs Reader as a way to view synchronized audio and text in your browser: http://dinglabs.com
And I also created LRHub to author this content in the browser, and share it online: http://lrhub.com
It’s a work-in-progress, but I can create an account for you, feel free to send me an email.
neat. :)
I was getting kinda worried that I was the only Chani in this freakin country.
By the way I’m America^^^^^
Wow, look at all the Chanis! Mine is also from Dune. It’s pronounced like Herbert does but with a soft “ch” like “sh”. I have Jewish clients who pronounce it “hani” all the time. I named my oldest daughter Alia ;) Anyway, fun! Thanks!
Too much studying of old Israel here, it’s pronounced Han as in hand, and ni as in night.
Han – ni.
hai My name is Chanil…… does anybdy have a clue about the origin and meaning of my name….. I would really love to know
I am from Peru SA – my middle name is Chani – pro. ‘chanee’ , so it has some Spanish origin. Still doing more research.
No offense to all the other Chani(s) out there, I’m a little disappointed I’m not the only one! Haha.
I totally agree! I thought I was unique in that way!
I’m a Chani too…. soft ch like scottish “loch” but I gave up years ago anf most people call me Connie just spelled awesome.
My daughters name,Chani,was chosen by me primarily because the character in Dune has such a great personality but a close second was because it looks so good on the page.We decided on the sharni pronounciation as it was our favourite