In Genesis, Ham was the father of Canaan.
Genesis 9:18 identifies Ham as one of Noah’s three sons and specifically calls Canaan his son. The passage names Ham’s four sons as Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. This genealogy appears after the Flood narrative and forms part of the family traditions that follow Noah’s survival.
The other two sons are Shem and Japheth. Genesis later presents descendants of all three in the so-called Table of Nations in chapter 10. Because Canaan is the name of both a person and a well-known biblical region, readers can sometimes confuse the genealogy with later geographical references.
The passage also contains the story of Noah’s drunkenness and Ham’s conduct toward him, followed by Noah’s curse on Canaan. Modern readers should distinguish the text’s genealogy and ancient literary context from later attempts to misuse this passage to justify racial slavery; such interpretations are historically influential but do not change the stated father-son relationship.