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Chinese Element Names

Hanzi for the Chemical Elements

Posted: Mar 8th, 2022

Only a few pure chemical elements were known to people in ancient times. Then starting in the late 1700s, there was an explosion of chemical discoveries. These new elements required a bevy of new names, and many of these elements were named after people or places involved in their discovery.

Peter van de Krogt has a wonderful website with details about the origins of each element’s English and international names.

But in the 1800s, when people set out to translate such discoveries for global audiences, they found that translating the names of these new elements into Chinese required additional care.

Some early attempts involved direct transliteration, so that a word like “Magnesium” might be translated as “美合尼西恩” (“Měihéníxīēn”), which is a sequence of five characters which by themselves mean: beautiful, together, female monk, west, and favor. That kind of phonetic pileup might work fine for a proper noun (looking at you, “施瓦辛格”), but it looks silly and confusing when placed alongside svelte classically-known element names like “金” and “汞”.

The approach settled on by Xu Shou and John Fryer was to choose a singular character for each element. In those cases where there wasn’t already a widely-used character for an element, the pair invented a new one. The vast majority of these invented characters are phono-semantic compounds, meaning that one component of the character indicates that it is a chemical element, while the other part of the character gives a hint about the pronunciation of the element’s name. This approach eventually became the standard one, and has been used as recently as 2017 to coin Chinese terms for newly-synthesized elements.

The semantic radicals used are 石 (stone), 钅or 金 (metal), and 气 (gas). Bromine uses 氵(water), and mercury uses 水 (also water).

List of Element Names in Mainland Mandarin Chinese

H (Hydrogen) = 氢/氫 (qīng)
Modern term. Homophonic with 轻/輕, meaning ‘lightweight’.
Short for 轻气/氢气 (qīngqì), lightweight gas.
Another early translation of hydrogen into Chinese was 水母气 (shuǐmǔqì), where 水 means ‘water’ and 母 means ‘mother’. It’s clear that the translator intended this to be a literal translation of the term (hydro-gen = water-producer), but 水母 means ‘jellyfish’, so it’s a rather awkward translation.
He (Helium) = 氦 (hài)
Loanword. Homophonic with 亥, which is one of the ‘Earthly Branches’, used in old-timey timekeeping. 亥 corresponds roughly to the time of 9pm to 11pm, the last period of time in a day, and can also refer to the zodiac pig, who is last of the animals in the zodiac.
The character was chosen not because helium has anything to do with late-night activities nor astrological pork, but rather because “hài” sounds a bit like “helium”. This is indicative of the typical pattern for these element names.
Li (Lithium) = 锂/鋰 (lǐ)
Loanword. Homophonic with 里, meaning ‘village’.
Be (Beryllium) = 铍/鈹 (pí)
Loanword. Homophonic with 皮, meaning ‘feather’.
B (Boron) = 硼 (péng)
Classic term. Homophonic with 朋, meaning ‘friend’.
Originally used to mean borax, 硼砂 (péngshā).
C (Carbon) = 碳 (tàn)
Classic term. Modified version of 炭 (tàn), meaning coal.
N (Nitrogen) = 氮 (dàn)
Modern term. Homophonic with 淡, meaning ‘bland’ or ‘dilute’.
Short for 淡气 (dànqì).
淡 is composed of one 氵water radical and two 火 fire radicals. Confusingly, the character for nitrogen drops the water radical, making ‘氮’ appear to be composed of ‘炎气’ (yánqì), where 炎 means ‘blazing hot’ or ‘inflammation’, neither of which makes sense to describe nitrogen.
Another early translation of nitrogen was 硝气 (xiāoqì), where 硝 means ‘niter’.
O (Oxygen) = 氧 (yǎng)
Modern term. Homophonic with 养, meaning ‘life-nurturing’.
Short for 养气 (yǎngqì). The phrase ‘养气’ is still in use nowadays, but typically in a more spiritual sense; 气 (qì) can also refer to the traditional notion of life energy, and so 养气 is basically self-care.
The character 氧 actually contains ‘羊’ (yáng), meaning ‘goat’. This substitution is easier to write, and works on multiple levels. 羊 and 养 look similar, they’re pronounced similarly, and goats 羊 happen to be an example of the lifeforms which are nourished 养 by oxygen.
F (Fluorine) = 氟 (fú)
Loanword. Homophonic with 弗, meaning ‘negative’.
Ne (Neon) = 氖 (nǎi)
Loanword. Homophonic with 乃, meaning ‘indeed’.
Na (Sodium) = 钠/鈉 (nà)
Loanword. Homophonic with 纳, meaning ‘offer’.
Mg (Magnesium) = 镁/鎂 (měi)
Loanword. Homophonic with 美, meaning ‘beautiful’.
Al (Aluminium) = 铝/鋁 (lǚ)
Loanword. Homophonic with 吕, meaning ‘Lu’ (it’s a surname).
吕 can also refer to a musical note in a very old system of tones.
Other early translations include: 矾精 (fánjīng), meaning ‘alum essence’; 钒 (fán), which could be interpreted as ‘alum metal’, but which is now used as the symbol for vanadium; and the transliteration 哀卢弥尼恩 (āilúmíníēn).
Si (Silicon) = 硅 (guī)
Modern term. Homophonic with 圭, which refers to a special piece of jade.
Other early attempts to translate ‘silicon’ included: 玻精 (bōjīng), meaning ‘glass essence’; 矽 (xī), homophone of 夕, meaning ‘dusk’; and the very silly full transliteration ‘夕里西恩 (xīlǐxīēn)’.
矽 is still used by some, but is homophonic with 硒, which means selenium.
P (Phosphorus) = 磷 (lín)
Classic term for phosphorus. Modified version of 燐 or 粦 (same pronunciation).
The origin of the character 粦 is likely related to the phenomenon of ghost flame, will-o’-the-wisp, which is sometimes produced when decaying organic matter releases phosphine gas.
S (Sulfur) = 硫 (liú)
Classic term for sulfur.
Homophonic with 旒, meaning ‘tassel’.
㐬 itself can be interpreted as an alternate version of 荒 (huāng), meaning ‘wasteland’.
Cl (Chlorine) = 氯 (lǜ)
Modern term. Homophonic with 绿, meaning ‘green’.
Short for 绿气 (lǜqì).
Same origin as ‘chlorine’, which comes from χλωρός, an ancient greek term for the color.
Ar (Argon) = 氩/氬 (yà)
Loanword. Homophonic with 亚/亞, meaning ‘next’.
亚 is also used as a symbol for the continent of Asia.
K (Potassium) = 钾/鉀 (jiǎ)
Loanword. Homophonic with 甲, meaning ‘shell’, among other things.
How does one get ‘jiǎ’ from ‘potassium’? It’s actually a transliteration from the latin name for the element, ‘kalium’.
Okay then. How does one get ‘jiǎ’ from ‘kalium’? I couldn’t find a definitive source, but I suspect the reason lies in the same dialect variations that led early translators to write 北京 as ‘Peking’ instead of ‘Běijīng’.
Other early translations or potassium: 灰精 (huījīng), meaning ‘ash essence’; or a full transliteration 卜对斯恩 (bǔduìsīēn).
Ca (Calcium) = 钙/鈣 (gài)
Loanword. Homophonic with 丐, meaning ‘beggar’.
Sc (Scandium) = 钪/鈧 (kàng)
Loanword. Homophonic with 亢, meaning ‘proud’.
Ti (Titanium) = 钛/鈦 (tài)
Loanword. Homophonic with 太, meaning ‘very big’.
V (Vanadium) = 钒/釩 (fán)
Loanword. Homophonic with 凡, meaning ‘mundane’.
Cr (Chromium) = 铬/鉻 (gè)
Loanword. Homophonic with 各, meaning ‘each’.
Mn (Manganese) = 锰/錳 (měng)
Loanword. Homophonic with 猛, meaning ‘ferocious’.
Fe (Iron) = 铁/鐵 (tiě)
Classic term for iron.
The traditional character has a radical resembling 戜 (dié), meaning ‘scrape’. the simplified character has a radical resembling 失 (shī), meaning ‘miss’ or ‘misplace’.
Co (Cobalt) = 钴/鈷 (gǔ)
Loanword. Homophonic with 古, meaning ‘ancient’.
Ni (Nickel) = 镍/鎳 (niè)
Loanword. Homophonic with 臬, meaning ‘benchmark’.
Cu (Copper) = 铜/銅 (tóng)
Classic term for copper. Homophonic with 同, meaning ‘together’.
Zn (Zinc) = 锌/鋅 (xīn)
Loanword. Homophonic with 辛, meaning ‘acrid’.
Ga (Gallium) = 镓/鎵 (jiā)
Loanword. Homophonic with 家, meaning ‘domestic’.
Ge (Germanium) = 锗/鍺 (zhě)
Loanword. Homophonic with 者, meaning ‘person of’.
As (Arsenic) = 砷 (shēn)
Loanword. Homophonic with 申, meaning ‘explain’.
Se (Selenium) = 硒 (xī)
Loanword. Homophonic with 西, meaning ‘west’.
Br (Bromine) = 溴 (xiù)
Modern term. Homophonic with 臭, meaning ‘smell’.
Kr (Krypton) = 氪 (kè)
Loanword. Homophonic with 克, meaning ‘conquering’.
Rb (Rubidium) = 铷/銣 (rú)
Loanword. Homophonic with 如, meaning ‘like such as’.
Sr (Strontium) = 锶/鍶 (sī)
Loanword. Homophonic with 思, meaning ‘ponder’.
Y (Yttrium) = 钇/釔 (yǐ)
Loanword. Homophonic with 乙, meaning ‘2nd’.
Zr (Zirconium) = 锆/鋯 (gào)
Loanword. Homophonic with 告, meaning ‘sue’.
Nb (Niobium) = 铌/鈮 (ní)
Loanword. Homophonic with 尼, meaning ‘nun’.
Niobium is also known as ‘columbium’. For this reason, niobium also has the obselete translations of 鈳 (kē) and 鎶(gē), the latter of which is now used for copernicium.
Mo (Molybdenum) = 钼/鉬 (mù)
Loanword. Homophonic with 目, meaning ‘eye’.
Tc (Technetium) = 锝/鍀 (dé)
Loanword. Homophonic with 得, meaning ‘get’.
Ru (Ruthenium) = 钌/釕 (liǎo)
Loanword. Homophonic with 了, meaning ‘finish’.
The character 钌 can also be used to mean ‘hasp’, though when used that way, the tone is different (liào).
Rh (Rhodium) = 铑/銠 (lǎo)
Loanword. Homophonic with 老, meaning ‘elderly’.
Pd (Palladium) = 钯/鈀 (bǎ)
Loanword. Homophonic with 把, meaning ‘cling to’.
Ag (Silver) = 银/銀 (yín)
Classic term for silver.
艮 (gèn) by itself refers to ☶, one of the eight trigrams.
Cd (Cadmium) = 镉/鎘 (gé)
Loanword. Homophonic with 鬲, which is a name.
In (Indium) = 铟/銦 (yīn)
Loanword. Homophonic with 因, meaning ‘because of’.
Sn (Tin) = 锡/錫 (xī)
Classic term for tin.
By itself, 易 (yì) means ‘change’, as in the title of the ancient divination manual, the 易經 Yi Jing, the Book of Changes..
Sb (Antimony) = 锑/銻 (tī)
Loanword. Sounds similar to 弟 (dì/tì), meaning ‘little brother’/’brotherly respect’.
When pronounced tì, 弟 is short for 悌.
Some dictionaries online give tì as an alternate pronunciation for 锑, making it an exact homophone.
Te (Tellurium) = 碲 (dì)
Loanword. Homophonic with 帝, meaning ‘god emperor’.
I (Iodine) = 碘 (diǎn)
Loanword. Homophonic with 典, meaning ‘classic’.
Xe (Xenon) = 氙 (xiān)
Loanword. Homophonic with 仙, meaning ‘fairy’.
Cs (Cesium) = 铯/銫 (sè)
Loanword. Homophonic with 色, meaning ‘tint’.
Ba (Barium) = 钡/鋇 (bèi)
Loanword. Homophonic with 贝, meaning ‘cowry’.
La (Lanthanum) = 镧/鑭 (lán)
Loanword. Homophonic with 阑, meaning ‘railing’.
Ce (Cerium) = 铈/鈰 (shì)
Loanword. Homophonic with 市, meaning ‘marketplace’.
Pr (Praseodymium) = 镨/鐠 (pǔ)
Loanword. Homophonic with 普, meaning ‘universal’.
Nd (Neodymium) = 钕/釹 (nǚ)
Loanword. Homophonic with 女, meaning ‘female’.
Pm (Promethium) = 钷/鉕 (pǒ)
Loanword. Homophonic with 叵, meaning ‘improbable’.
Sm (Samarium) = 钐/釤 (shān)
Loanword. Homophonic with 彡, meaning ‘hair’.
Eu (Europium) = 铕/銪 (yǒu)
Loanword. Homophonic with 有, meaning ‘have’.
Gd (Gadolinium) = 钆/釓 (gá)
Loanword. Homophonic with 轧, meaning ‘grind’ or ‘squeeze together’.
The initial version of the character had the full 轧 as a radical instead of only 乚, but that was too complex.
Tb (Terbium) = 铽/鋱 (tè)
Loanword. Homophonic with 忒, meaning ‘excessive’.
Dy (Dysprosium) = 镝/鏑 (dī)
Loanword. Homophonic with 滴, meaning ‘drip’.
Ho (Holmium) = 钬/鈥 (huǒ)
Loanword. Homophonic with 火, meaning ‘fire’.
Er (Erbium) = 铒/鉺 (ěr)
Loanword. Homophonic with 耳, meaning ‘ear’.
Tm (Thulium) = 铥/銩 (diū)
Loanword. Homophonic with 丢, meaning ‘lost’.
Yb (Ytterbium) = 镱/鐿 (yì)
Loanword. Homophonic with 意, meaning ‘intention’.
Lu (Lutetium) = 镥/鑥 (lǔ)
Loanword. Homophonic with 鲁, meaning ‘vulgar’.
Hf (Hafnium) = 铪/鉿 (hā)
Loanword. Homophonic with 哈, meaning ‘ha!’.
Ta (Tantalum) = 钽/鉭 (tǎn)
Loanword. Homophonic with 坦, meaning ‘composed’.
W (Tungsten) = 钨/鎢 (wū)
Loanword. Homophonic with 乌, meaning ‘raven’.
Re (Rhenium) = 铼/錸 (lái)
Loanword. Homophonic with 来, meaning ‘incoming’.
Os (Osmium) = 锇/鋨 (é)
Loanword.
By itself, 我 (wǒ) is the first person pronoun.
锇 is homophonic with 鹅, meaning ‘goose’.
Other homophones with the same radical: 哦, which can be pronounced ó as an interjection or é to mean ‘chant’; and 俄, meaning ‘suddenly’ or short for 俄罗斯 (Éluósī), meaning ‘Russia’.
Ir (Iridium) = 铱/銥 (yī)
Loanword. Homophonic with 衣, meaning ‘clothing’.
Pt (Platinum) = 铂/鉑 (bó)
Repurposed character. 铂 used to mean gold foil.
In every day language, platinum is colloquially called 白金/铂金 (báijīn/bójīn), literally meaning ‘white gold’ or ‘white metal’.
Compare this to the etymology of ‘platinum’, which means ‘little silver’. Similarly, the alchemical symbol for platinum was simply a combination of the symbols for gold and silver.
Au (Gold) = 金 (jīn)
Classic term for gold, money, and metal in general.
In very ancient times, it was a symbol for copper or its alloys.
Hg (Mercury) = 汞 (gǒng)
Classic term for mercury. Homophonic with 工, meaning ‘labor’.
In everyday speech, mercury is more commonly called 水银 (shuǐyín), meaning ‘water silver’, akin to how it is called ‘quicksilver’ in English or ‘hydrargyrum’ in latin.
The planet Mercury is called 水星 (Shuǐxīng), ‘water planet’, and it feels likely to me that the convergent names are both in reference to the planet’s speed.
Several interesting linguistic coincidences here.
Tl (Thallium) = 铊/鉈 (tā)
Loanword. Homophonic with 它, meaning ‘it’.
Pb (Lead) = 铅/鉛 (qiān)
Classic term for lead.
By itself, 㕣 yǎn is an old term for a marshy valley.
The character 铅 can also be pronouced yán when used as a proper noun.
Bi (Bismuth) = 铋/鉍 (bì)
Loanword. Homophonic with 必, meaning ‘necessarily’.
Po (Polonium) = 钋/釙 (pō)
Loanword. I’m unsure of the etymology.
By itself, 卜 (bǔ) refers to divination. It is also used in 萝卜 (luóbo), meaning ‘radish’. I had an inlaw call me 萝卜 as a nickname because it sounds similar to ‘Robert’.
Although 卜 is pronounced differently, I’m guessing it was just a standard character used for transliterating the ‘po’ sound, at least among the people that came up with these element translations. ‘Potassium’ was initially transliterated as ‘卜对斯恩’, for example. Looking at other transliterations, however, it seems more common to use 波 (bō), as in 波兰 (Bōlán), meaning Poland.
At (Astatine) = 砹 (ài)
Loanword. Homophonic with 艾, meaning ‘mugwort’.
Rn (Radon) = 氡 (dōng)
Loanword. Homophonic with 冬, meaning ‘winter’.
Fr (Francium) = 钫/鈁 (fāng)
Loanword. Homophonic with 方, meaning ‘square’.
Ra (Radium) = 镭/鐳 (léi)
Loanword. Homophonic with 雷, meaning ‘thunder’.
Ac (Actinium) = 锕/錒 (ā)
Loanword. Homophonic with 阿, meaning ‘ā (name prefix)’.
Th (Thorium) = 钍/釷 (tǔ)
Loanword. Homophonic with 土, meaning ‘earth’.
Pa (Protactinium) = 镤/鏷 (pú)
Loanword. Homophonic with 菐, meaning ‘cumbersome’.
U (Uranium) = 铀/鈾 (yóu)
Loanword. Homophonic with 由, meaning ‘from’.
Np (Neptunium) = 镎/鎿 (ná)
Loanword. Homophonic with 拿, meaning ‘seize’.
Pu (Plutonium) = 钚/鈈 (bù)
Loanword. Homophonic with 不, meaning ‘not’.
Am (Americium) = 镅/鎇 (méi)
Loanword. Homophonic with 眉, meaning ‘eyebrow’.
Cm (Curium) = 锔/鋦 (jú)
Loanword. Homophonic with 局, meaning ‘narrow’.
Bk (Berkelium) = 锫/錇 (péi)
Loanword. Homophonic with 赔, meaning ‘idemnify’ or 陪, meaning ‘accompany’.
Berkely, the namesake of Berkelium is commonly transliterated as 伯克利 (Bókèlì).
The mainland uses 锫, but in Taiwan, it is more common to use 鉳 (běi), which is homophonic to 北, meaning ‘north’.
Cf (Californium) = 锎/鐦 (kāi)
Loanword. Homophonic with 開, meaning ‘open’.
Es (Einsteinium) = 锿/鎄 (āi)
Loanword. Homophonic with 哀, meaning ‘grief’.
Fm (Fermium) = 镄/鐨 (fèi)
Loanword. Homophonic with 费, meaning ‘expenditure’.
Md (Mendelevium) = 钔/鍆 (mén)
Loanword. Homophonic with 门, meaning ‘door’.
No (Nobelium) = 锘/鍩 (nuò)
Loanword. Homophonic with 诺, meaning ‘assent’.
Lr (Lawrencium) = 铹/鐒 (láo)
Loanword. Homophonic with 劳, meaning ‘toil’.
Rf (Rutherfordium) = 𬬻/鑪 (lú)
Loanword. Homophonic with 卢, meaning ‘rice bowl’.
Db (Dubnium) = 𬭊/𨧀 (dù)
Loanword. Homophonic with 杜, meaning ‘stop’.
Sg (Seaborgium) = 𬭳/𨭎 (xǐ)
Loanword. Homophonic with 喜, meaning ‘happy’.
Bh (Bohrium) = 𬭛/𨨏 (bō)
Loanword. Homophonic with 波, meaning ‘wave’.
Hs (Hassium) = 𬭶/𨭆 (hēi)
Loanword. Homophonic with 黑, meaning ‘black’.
Mt (Meitnerium) = 鿏/䥑 (mài)
Loanword. Homophonic with 麦, meaning ‘wheat’.
Ds (Darmstadtium) = 𫟼/鐽 (dá)
Loanword. Homophonic with 达, meaning ‘eminent’.
Rg (Roentgenium) = 𬬭/錀 (lún)
Loanword. Homophonic with 侖, meaning ‘orderly’.
Cn (Copernicium) = 鿔/鎶 (gē)
Loanword. Homophonic with 哥, meaning ‘older brother’.
Copernicus is transliterated as 哥白尼 (Gēbáiní)
Nh (Nihonium) = 鿭/鉨 (nǐ)
Loanword. Homophonic with 你, meaning ‘thou’.
Fl (Flerovium) = 𫓧/鈇 (fū)
Loanword. Homophonic with 夫, meaning ‘husband’.
Mc (Moscovium) = 镆 (mò)
Loanword. Homophonic with 莫, meaning “don’t”.
Lv (Livermorium) = 𫟷/鉝 (lì)
Loanword. Homophonic with 立, meaning ‘erect’.
Ts (Tennessine) = 鿬 (tián)
Loanword. Homophonic with 田, meaning ‘farm’ or ‘field’.
Tennesine uses the stone radical 石 because it is part of the halogen group. However, it is speculated that if it were possible to have a sample of the stuff, it would be metallic.
Og (Oganesson) = 鿫 (ào)
Loanword. Homophonic with 奥, meaning ‘mysterious’.
Oganesson uses the gas radical 气 because it is in the noble gas group. However, physicists predict that if it were possible to have a stable sample of the stuff, it would be solid at STP.

Resources I referenced when making this page:

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