Carbon in Different Languages
Discover 'Carbon' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
Carbon, the sixth most abundant element in the universe, is a crucial building block of life on Earth. It is the fundamental component of all organic compounds, from the food we eat to the energy we use. Historically, carbon has played a significant role in human culture, from the first use of charcoal for tool-making during the Stone Age to the modern-day fascination with diamonds and graphite.
Moreover, carbon is a key player in climate change, as carbon dioxide emissions contribute to global warming. Understanding carbon's role in our world is essential for developing sustainable solutions to mitigate its impact on the environment.
For language enthusiasts, exploring the translation of 'carbon' in different languages can offer fascinating insights into how different cultures view and interact with this vital element. Here are a few examples:
- Spanish: carbono
- French: carbone
- German: Kohlenstoff
- Mandarin: 碳 (tàn)
- Japanese: 炭素 (tanso)
Carbon
Carbon in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | koolstof | ||
| The word "koolstof" in Afrikaans comes from the Dutch word "koolstof" which in turn comes from the Latin word "carbo" meaning "charcoal". | |||
| Amharic | ካርቦን | ||
| The word “ካርቦን” ultimately derives from the Latin word “carbo,” which means “coal.” | |||
| Hausa | carbon | ||
| Hausa has multiple words for "carbon" depending on context and usage, including "jan karfe", "kwal", and "tutin zare". | |||
| Igbo | carbon | ||
| In the Igbo language, the word 'carbon' also means 'a black substance'. | |||
| Malagasy | karbaona | ||
| Karbaona" is also used in Malagasy to refer to various types of charcoal and burnt wood. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | kaboni | ||
| Shona | kabhoni | ||
| Kabhoni's origins are unclear, although it's commonly derived from Shona's 'kupfhonora' (to burn something until it produces charcoal). | |||
| Somali | kaarboon | ||
| In Somali, "kaarboon" can also refer to "charcoal" or "blackening substance." | |||
| Sesotho | k'habone | ||
| The word "k'habone" or "carbon" in Sesotho is said to have similar meanings and a related pronunciation or spelling to the words "coal" or "charcoal" in English. | |||
| Swahili | kaboni | ||
| The word "kaboni" in Swahili can also refer to a type of charcoal used in traditional cooking. | |||
| Xhosa | ikhabhoni | ||
| The word 'ikhabhoni' shares the same root with 'ukukhaba,' which means 'to chop wood or coal,' and 'inkhabha,' which refers to firewood or coal. | |||
| Yoruba | erogba | ||
| Yoruba word "erogba" is also used to refer to "charcoal", "graphite", and "blackboard chalk", all of which are characterized by their dark color and carbonaceous composition. | |||
| Zulu | ikhabhoni | ||
| In Zulu, "ikhabhoni" also means "charcoal" or "gas used for cooking." | |||
| Bambara | karɔbɔli | ||
| Ewe | carbon | ||
| Kinyarwanda | karubone | ||
| Lingala | carbone | ||
| Luganda | kaboni | ||
| Sepedi | khapone | ||
| Twi (Akan) | carbon a wɔfrɛ no carbon | ||
Carbon in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | كربون | ||
| "كربون" is a loanword from French "carbone" which comes from Latin "carbo" (coal). | |||
| Hebrew | פַּחמָן | ||
| The word 'פַּחֲמָן' originates from the root 'פָּחַם', meaning 'to burn'. | |||
| Pashto | کاربن | ||
| The word "کاربن" is a loanword from Dari Persian which derives from Late Latin "carbone," ultimately of Gaulish origin from Proto-Celtic "*karbo-" (charcoal), cognate with German "Kohle" (coal) and Albanian "qershi" (coal, charcoal). | |||
| Arabic | كربون | ||
| "كربون" is a loanword from French "carbone" which comes from Latin "carbo" (coal). | |||
Carbon in Western European Languages
| Albanian | karboni | ||
| "Karboni" is related to the word "karbur" which means "coal" in Albanian. | |||
| Basque | karbonoa | ||
| The Basque word 'karbonoa' likely derives from its Latin counterpart 'carbo' (charcoal) or the Celtic root 'kar' (charcoal, glowing coal) | |||
| Catalan | carboni | ||
| The word "carboni" in Catalan is the plural form of carbó, which shares its etymology with "charcoal" and ultimately comes from Proto-Indo-European "ker-", meaning "to burn" | |||
| Croatian | ugljik | ||
| In Old Slavic, `ugljik` meant `fire`, and in Croatian, it was used to refer to fossil fuels (coal, charcoal, and coke). | |||
| Danish | kulstof | ||
| In Danish, "carbon" also refers to a small, square piece of confectionery | |||
| Dutch | koolstof | ||
| The Dutch word "koolstof" literally means "coal substance". | |||
| English | carbon | ||
| "Carbon" comes from the Latin "carbo," meaning "coal" | |||
| French | carbone | ||
| Carbon comes from the Latin "carbo," meaning "coal." | |||
| Frisian | koalstof | ||
| In Old Frisian texts it also sometimes appears as "kôle" which is derived from the Proto-Germanic *kula- that also appears in e.g. English coal. | |||
| Galician | carbono | ||
| In Galician, "carbono" can specifically refer to the carbon atom or to coal, and its related words include "carboneiro" (charcoal maker) and "carbonífera" (coal mining). | |||
| German | kohlenstoff | ||
| The word "Kohlenstoff" is derived from the German words "Kohle" (coal) and "Stoff" (substance). | |||
| Icelandic | kolefni | ||
| The word kolefni is also used in Icelandic to refer to "carbon paper" or "charcoal." | |||
| Irish | carbóin | ||
| The Irish word "carbóin" shares an etymological root with the Latin "carbo" (charcoal), and also colloquially refers to the fossil fuel coal. | |||
| Italian | carbonio | ||
| In Italian, "carbonio" also refers to the carbon atom or the chemical element with atomic number 6. | |||
| Luxembourgish | kuelestoff | ||
| In scientific and technical contexts, Kuelestoff also refers to any substance containing carbon. | |||
| Maltese | karbonju | ||
| The Maltese word karbonju has been borrowed from Italian and ultimately derives from Latin "carbo" (charcoal). | |||
| Norwegian | karbon | ||
| Karbon kommer fra det latinske ordet 'carbo' som betyr kull. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | carbono | ||
| In Portuguese, "carbono" also means "a person who's very stingy". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | carbon | ||
| The Scots Gaelic word carbon (carban) can also mean "charcoal" or "ember". | |||
| Spanish | carbón | ||
| "Carbón" también puede referirse al lápiz negro o al carbón vegetal para hacer barbacoas. | |||
| Swedish | kol | ||
| The word "kol" comes from the Old Norse word "kol", which also means "charcoal". | |||
| Welsh | carbon | ||
| In Welsh, "carbon" can also mean "charcoal" or "coal." | |||
Carbon in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | вуглярод | ||
| The word “вуглярод” has Proto-Indo-European origins, with cognates in Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, and other languages. | |||
| Bosnian | ugljenik | ||
| The Bosnian word 'ugljenik' also means 'charcoal'. | |||
| Bulgarian | въглерод | ||
| The Old Church Slavonic word въглеродъ, from which the Bulgarian въглерод originated, is derived from въглъ 'coal', with suffix -родъ 'material' | |||
| Czech | uhlík | ||
| "Uhlík" (carbon) is a diminutive form of "uhel" (coal), indicating its small size and its relationship to coal. | |||
| Estonian | süsinik | ||
| 'Süsinik' is related to 'söe' ('coal'), and was coined by Eduard Ahrens in his 1844 book 'Praktische Grammatik der Esthnischen Sprache' from the root 'süs-' (meaning 'coal', 'charcoal'). | |||
| Finnish | hiiltä | ||
| "Hiili" is also used to refer to coal in Finnish. | |||
| Hungarian | szén | ||
| 'Szén' is not only the Hungarian word for 'carbon', but also means 'coal'. | |||
| Latvian | ogleklis | ||
| The word "ogleklis" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *wegʰ-, meaning "to burn" or "to shine". | |||
| Lithuanian | anglies | ||
| The word "angl(i)es" in Lithuanian language, besides "carbon", also means "coals" or "charcoal" | |||
| Macedonian | јаглерод | ||
| The Macedonian word "јаглерод" (carbon) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "*jęgьlъ", which meant 'embers'. The root word also gives rise to the word "јаглен" (charcoal), further reinforcing its connection to carbon. | |||
| Polish | węgiel | ||
| The Polish word "węgiel" not only means "carbon", but also refers to coal. | |||
| Romanian | carbon | ||
| In Romanian, "carbon" also refers to the copy paper used in typewriters or carbon pencils. | |||
| Russian | углерод | ||
| The word "углерод" comes from the Old Slavic word "угль" ("coal"). | |||
| Serbian | угљеник | ||
| The term "угљеник" (ugljenik) is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *ǫglь, meaning "charcoal" or "burnt wood", and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *wegʰ-, meaning "to burn". The term can also refer to the chemical element carbon in Serbian. | |||
| Slovak | uhlík | ||
| In addition to "carbon," "uhlík" can also refer to charcoal, coal, or a cinder in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | ogljik | ||
| The word "ogljik" also shares a root with the word "oglje" (charcoal) and "žar" (fire). | |||
| Ukrainian | вуглець | ||
| The word «вуглець» in Ukrainian is a cognate of the Russian word «уголь», meaning «coal». | |||
Carbon in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | কার্বন | ||
| The word 'কার্বন' is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root '*ker-' meaning 'to burn', hence its association with charcoal and other burnt materials. | |||
| Gujarati | કાર્બન | ||
| The word 'કાર્બન' ('carbon') is derived from the Latin word 'carbo', meaning 'charcoal'. It can also refer to 'a compound of carbon with other elements', 'a solid allotrope of carbon', or 'a substance containing carbon'. | |||
| Hindi | कार्बन | ||
| The word "carbon" originates from the Latin word "carbo," which means "coal." | |||
| Kannada | ಇಂಗಾಲ | ||
| ಇಂಗಾಲ is derived from the Proto-Dravidian word *kaŋŋa-l, meaning 'heat, glowing embers'. | |||
| Malayalam | കാർബൺ | ||
| The word "carbon" comes from the Latin word "carbo", meaning "coal". In Malayalam, "കാർബൺ" also means "coal", and is sometimes used to refer to charcoal as well. | |||
| Marathi | कार्बन | ||
| Nepali | कार्बन | ||
| The word "कार्बन" (carbon) comes from the Latin word "carbo", meaning "coal". It is used in chemistry to refer to the element with the atomic number 6. | |||
| Punjabi | ਕਾਰਬਨ | ||
| The word "carbon" comes from the Latin word "carbone" meaning "charcoal" and "coal." | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කාබන් | ||
| The Sinhala word "කාබන්" can also refer to a graphite writing instrument or a black substance found in certain plants. | |||
| Tamil | கார்பன் | ||
| The word "கார்பன்" derives from the Latin word "carbo", meaning "coal", and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root "*ker-/*kor-", meaning "to burn". | |||
| Telugu | కార్బన్ | ||
| The word 'కార్బన్' ('carbon') is derived from the Latin word 'carbo', meaning 'coal', and can also refer to a type of paper used for making copies. | |||
| Urdu | کاربن | ||
| In Urdu, the word "کاربن" can also refer to "carbon paper" or "carbon copy". | |||
Carbon in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 碳 | ||
| 碳字在古漢語中意為“柴草”或“燃料”，後轉義為“炭”。 | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 碳 | ||
| 碳 (tàn) is a character shared by Chinese and Korean, and its earliest meaning was 'charcoal' or 'soot'. | |||
| Japanese | 炭素 | ||
| 炭素 can also refer to the carbon electrode, a pencil core, or a carbon brush. | |||
| Korean | 탄소 | ||
| In Korean, 탄소 (tanso) can also refer to the carbon black pigment used in ink. | |||
| Mongolian | нүүрстөрөгч | ||
| In Mongolia, "нүүрстөрөгч" can also mean "pencil lead" or "charcoal". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ကာဗွန် | ||
| The word ကာဗွန်, while most often meaning carbon, can also be used as a synonym for coal or coke. | |||
Carbon in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | karbon | ||
| In Indonesian, "karbon" also means "graphite", which is a crystalline form of carbon | |||
| Javanese | karbon | ||
| As an alternative meaning, "karbon" also means 'drawing' in Javanese, possibly derived from "karbon" which means 'charcoal' used as drawing materials. | |||
| Khmer | កាបូន | ||
| The Khmer word "កាបូន" can also mean "the dark part of the fire". | |||
| Lao | ກາກບອນ | ||
| Malay | karbon | ||
| "Karbon" in Malay comes from the Sanskrit word "karbura" meaning "charcoal". | |||
| Thai | คาร์บอน | ||
| In Thai, "คาร์บอน" is interchangeable with "ถ่าน" (charcoal or carbon). | |||
| Vietnamese | carbon | ||
| Carbon có thể liên quan đến một trong ba từ gốc của Latinh, hoặc "carbo" ("than"), "carbō" ("than gỗ") hoặc "carō" ("thịt"). | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | carbon | ||
Carbon in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | karbon | ||
| In the Azerbaijani language, 'karbon' can also refer to a 'black pencil', originating from the Persian word 'karbun' meaning 'coal'. | |||
| Kazakh | көміртегі | ||
| қөміртегі (kömirtegi) is also used to refer to the fossil fuel known as "coal" | |||
| Kyrgyz | көмүртек | ||
| The word "көмүртек" can also refer to charcoal or coal. | |||
| Tajik | карбон | ||
| In Tajik, "карбон" can also refer to the "carbon fiber" used in composites. | |||
| Turkmen | uglerod | ||
| Uzbek | uglerod | ||
| The word “uglerod” comes from the Persian word “angār” which means “burning coal”. | |||
| Uyghur | كاربون | ||
Carbon in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kalapona | ||
| "Kalapona" in Hawaiian also refers to a type of volcanic rock and a particular type of land unit. | |||
| Maori | waro | ||
| In the Maori language, "waro" is also a type of tree with pale yellow wood. | |||
| Samoan | kaponi | ||
| The Samoan word "kaponi" originally meant "charcoal" before coming to mean "carbon". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | carbon | ||
| The Tagalog word "carbon" also refers to a type of paper used for making copies, similar to carbon paper in English. | |||
Carbon in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | carbono ukaxa | ||
| Guarani | carbono rehegua | ||
Carbon in International Languages
| Esperanto | karbono | ||
| Karbono is related to the word karbo, which means coal. | |||
| Latin | ipsum | ||
| The Latin word "ipsum" also means "self" or "oneself". | |||
Carbon in Others Languages
| Greek | άνθρακας | ||
| Its alternative plural form, "άνθρακες", means "embers" or "coals". | |||
| Hmong | carbon | ||
| Carbon is also a slang term meaning "money". | |||
| Kurdish | karbonat | ||
| Kürtçede 'karbonat' kelimesi 'kara taş' anlamına da gelir ve 'kalk' ile eş anlamlıdır. | |||
| Turkish | karbon | ||
| In Turkish, "karbon" also refers to the act of scribbling or doodling on paper. | |||
| Xhosa | ikhabhoni | ||
| The word 'ikhabhoni' shares the same root with 'ukukhaba,' which means 'to chop wood or coal,' and 'inkhabha,' which refers to firewood or coal. | |||
| Yiddish | טשאַד | ||
| טשאַד, Yiddish for "carbon," is derived from the Latin "carbo," meaning "coal". | |||
| Zulu | ikhabhoni | ||
| In Zulu, "ikhabhoni" also means "charcoal" or "gas used for cooking." | |||
| Assamese | কাৰ্বন | ||
| Aymara | carbono ukaxa | ||
| Bhojpuri | कार्बन के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ކާބަން | ||
| Dogri | कार्बन दा | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | carbon | ||
| Guarani | carbono rehegua | ||
| Ilocano | karbon | ||
| Krio | kabɔn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | کاربۆن | ||
| Maithili | कार्बन | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯥꯔꯕꯣꯟ ꯊꯥꯗꯣꯀꯏ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | carbon hmanga siam a ni | ||
| Oromo | kaarboonii | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଅଙ୍ଗାରକାମ୍ଳ | | ||
| Quechua | carbono nisqa | ||
| Sanskrit | कार्बन | ||
| Tatar | углерод | ||
| Tigrinya | ካርቦን ዝበሃሉ ምዃኖም ይፍለጥ | ||
| Tsonga | khaboni | ||