Sanj says that the Khoshuds are one of the largest ethno-territorial units in Kalmykia. When the Khoshuds came to Kalmykia, they were small in number. In 150 years they grew in number and even set up their own aimak. Today the majority of Khoshuds live in China. There are several explanations regarding the origin of the ethnonym khoshud. In the written language there is a word khoshigun, which has three meanings: (1) ‘a muzzle, the head of something’, (2) ‘a military formation’ and (3) ‘an administrative unit’. The Khoshuds are people who are originally from different khoshigun or administrative units. Sanj explains in detail all the four meanings of the word khoshud/khoshigun. He personally supports a hypothesis that the ethnonym khoshud emerged in the 15th century during the reign of Togon Taidzhi, although the origin of the Khoshuds themselves can be traced back to earlier periods as based on historical chronicles and the family trees of the nobility.