Coal in Different Languages
Discover 'Coal' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Coal
Afrikaans steenkool | ||
Albanian qymyr | ||
Amharic የድንጋይ ከሰል | ||
Arabic فحم | ||
Armenian ածուխ | ||
Assamese কয়লা | ||
Aymara qhilla | ||
Azerbaijani kömür | ||
Bambara sarabon | ||
Basque ikatza | ||
Belarusian вугаль | ||
Bengali কয়লা | ||
Bhojpuri कोयला | ||
Bosnian ugalj | ||
Bulgarian въглища | ||
Catalan carbó | ||
Cebuano karbon | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 煤炭 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 煤炭 | ||
Corsican carbunaru | ||
Croatian ugljen | ||
Czech uhlí | ||
Danish kul | ||
Dhivehi ކޯލް | ||
Dogri कोला | ||
Dutch steenkool | ||
English coal | ||
Esperanto karbo | ||
Estonian kivisüsi | ||
Ewe aka | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) uling | ||
Finnish hiili | ||
French charbon | ||
Frisian stienkoal | ||
Galician carbón | ||
Georgian ქვანახშირი | ||
German kohle | ||
Greek κάρβουνο | ||
Guarani tatapỹihũ | ||
Gujarati કોલસો | ||
Haitian Creole chabon | ||
Hausa kwal | ||
Hawaiian lānahu | ||
Hebrew פֶּחָם | ||
Hindi कोयला | ||
Hmong thee | ||
Hungarian szén | ||
Icelandic kol | ||
Igbo unyi | ||
Ilocano uging | ||
Indonesian batu bara | ||
Irish gual | ||
Italian carbone | ||
Japanese 石炭 | ||
Javanese batubara | ||
Kannada ಕಲ್ಲಿದ್ದಲು | ||
Kazakh көмір | ||
Khmer ធ្យូងថ្ម | ||
Kinyarwanda amakara | ||
Konkani कोळसो | ||
Korean 석탄 | ||
Krio chakol | ||
Kurdish komir | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) خەڵوز | ||
Kyrgyz көмүр | ||
Lao ຖ່ານຫີນ | ||
Latin carbo | ||
Latvian ogles | ||
Lingala likala | ||
Lithuanian anglis | ||
Luganda amanda | ||
Luxembourgish kuel | ||
Macedonian јаглен | ||
Maithili कोयला | ||
Malagasy arintany | ||
Malay arang batu | ||
Malayalam കൽക്കരി | ||
Maltese faħam | ||
Maori waro | ||
Marathi कोळसा | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯀꯣꯏꯂꯥ | ||
Mizo lungalhthei | ||
Mongolian нүүрс | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ကျောက်မီးသွေး | ||
Nepali कोइला | ||
Norwegian kull | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) malasha | ||
Odia (Oriya) କଇଲା | ||
Oromo dhagaa cilee | ||
Pashto سکاره | ||
Persian ذغال سنگ | ||
Polish węgiel | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) carvão | ||
Punjabi ਕੋਲਾ | ||
Quechua killimsa | ||
Romanian cărbune | ||
Russian уголь | ||
Samoan koale | ||
Sanskrit अङ्गार | ||
Scots Gaelic gual | ||
Sepedi malahla | ||
Serbian угља | ||
Sesotho mashala | ||
Shona marasha | ||
Sindhi ڪوئلو | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) ගල් අඟුරු | ||
Slovak uhlie | ||
Slovenian premog | ||
Somali dhuxul | ||
Spanish carbón | ||
Sundanese batubara | ||
Swahili makaa ya mawe | ||
Swedish kol | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) uling | ||
Tajik ангишт | ||
Tamil நிலக்கரி | ||
Tatar күмер | ||
Telugu బొగ్గు | ||
Thai ถ่านหิน | ||
Tigrinya ፈሓም | ||
Tsonga malahla | ||
Turkish kömür | ||
Turkmen kömür | ||
Twi (Akan) kool | ||
Ukrainian вугілля | ||
Urdu کوئلہ | ||
Uyghur كۆمۈر | ||
Uzbek ko'mir | ||
Vietnamese than đá | ||
Welsh glo | ||
Xhosa amalahle | ||
Yiddish קוילן | ||
Yoruba edu | ||
Zulu amalahle |
Etymology & Notes
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Steenkool, ultimately deriving from Middle Dutch steencoele or steenkool, has additional meanings including charcoal, charred wood, coke and anthracite. |
| Albanian | The word "qymyr" is derived from the Albanian word "qer", meaning "fire," and the Proto-Albanian suffix "-myr", meaning "stone". |
| Amharic | The Amharic word "የድንጋይ ከሰል" literally means "stone wood" and was named this because in ancient times people thought that coal was "fossilized wood". |
| Arabic | The Arabic word "فحم" (faḥm) also refers to a specific type of tree charcoal used in traditional Arabic perfumes and incense. |
| Armenian | The Armenian word 'ածուխ' (coal) comes from the Proto-Indo-European root '*h₂eks-u-', meaning 'charcoal'. It also has the alternate meaning of 'carbon' or 'soot'. |
| Azerbaijani | The etymology of the Azerbaijani word "kömür" is unclear, but may be related to the Persian word "kumur" or the Turkish word "kömür". |
| Basque | The Basque word "ikatza" also means "black" and derives from the Proto-Basque root *ik- ("dark"). |
| Belarusian | "Вугаль" is a masculine noun that comes from the Old English word "cole". |
| Bengali | The word "কয়লা" also refers to the charred remains of an offering after it has been burnt during a ritual. |
| Bosnian | The word "ugalj" has no alternate meanings in Bosnian, it strictly refers to coal. |
| Bulgarian | Bulgarian word **въглища** originates from the Proto-Slavic *ǫglь, meaning "glowing embers or charcoal" |
| Catalan | The word "carbó" is also used to refer to a type of charcoal made from cork. |
| Cebuano | Karon is likely derived from Old Javanese “araṇ” or a related cognate (“charcoal, coal, soot, smoke”). |
| Chinese (Simplified) | In Cantonese, the word “煤炭” is used to refer to charcoal and not coal. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | The Traditional Chinese character 煤炭 consists of two parts, with the first part meaning "plant" or "tree" and the second meaning "burned"} |
| Corsican | The word "carbunaru" is derived from the Latin "carbo" meaning "charcoal". |
| Croatian | The word "ugljen" can also mean "charcoal" or "carbon" in Croatian. |
| Czech | The word "uhlí" also carries the extended meaning of "incubus" in Czech folklore. |
| Danish | In Danish, the word "kul" can also refer to a person who is strange or eccentric, or to a situation that is unexpected or unusual. |
| Dutch | "Steenkool" is derived from "steen" ("stone") + "kool" ("charcoal") or from the Old Saxon word "col" meaning "fire ember". |
| Esperanto | Esperanto's "karbo" derives from Latin "carbo," meaning "firewood," but it has been extended to include other solid fuels like coal. |
| Estonian | In botany, "kivisüsi" is also the common name for the fossil plant Lepidodendron. |
| Finnish | The word "hiili" is also used in Finnish to refer to charred wood, or charcoal. |
| French | In French, "charbon" can also refer to a type of plague or a piece of charcoal used in drawing. |
| Frisian | The first part of the Frisian word for coal, |
| Galician | In Galician, "carbón" means "coal" but also "charcoal". |
| Georgian | The word "ქვანახშირი" ultimately derives from the Ancient Greek word "ἄνθραξ", meaning "burning coal" or "charcoal", and entered Georgian via Russian. |
| German | The German word "Kohle" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "kula" and was originally used to refer to charcoal rather than coal. |
| Greek | The word 'κάρβουνο' is also used in Greek to refer to charcoal, which is created by burning wood in a controlled environment that limits oxygen supply. |
| Gujarati | In Gujarati, "કોલસો" can also refer to a large piece of burning wood or charcoal used to keep warm. |
| Haitian Creole | "Chabon", the Haitian Creole word for coal, comes from the French word "charbon". |
| Hausa | Hausa 'kwal' also means 'charcoal' and derives from the Bantu languages. |
| Hawaiian | "Lānahu" is likely derived from the Proto-Polynesian word *lanu*, meaning "fire". |
| Hebrew | The Hebrew word "פֶּחָם" (coal) is related to the word "פַּח" (fear). |
| Hindi | "कोयला" is a word of multiple etymologies and alternate meanings in Hindi, including "charred wood" and "eye medicine". |
| Hmong | The word "thee" can also refer to the sound of water dripping or flowing. |
| Hungarian | "Szén", "coal", is a cognate of the Slavic "žganъ". It is related to "sütni", "to roast", and "éget i". "to roast", and "ég", "burn". |
| Icelandic | The word "kol" in Icelandic can also refer to a mineral or a type of paint. |
| Igbo | The Igbo word “unyi” derives from the phrase “u n’ iyi,” meaning “something that can catch fire.” |
| Indonesian | The word "batu bara" (coal) derives from the Malay words "batu" (stone) and "bara" (embers). |
| Irish | In addition to its primary meaning of "coal," **gual** can also mean "ash," "ember," or "cinder" in some contexts. |
| Italian | The Italian word "carbone" also means "carbon", referring to the chemical element. |
| Japanese | 石炭 (sekitan) originates from the Chinese term 石炭 (shítàn), where 石 means 'stone' and 炭 means 'charcoal' |
| Javanese | "Batubara" is also the Javanese name for a type of beetle. |
| Kannada | The word comes from the Proto-Dravidian word *kar-, meaning 'burning'. The word is also used to refer to charcoal, a black substance derived from the burning of wood or other organic materials. |
| Kazakh | The Kazakh word "көмір" (coal) is derived from the Proto-Turkic word *kömür, meaning "charred wood". |
| Khmer | The word "ធ្យូងថ្ម" in Khmer has its roots in Sanskrit, where it originally meant "fire" or "burning." |
| Korean | "석탄" (coal) ultimately derives from the Middle Mongolian word *sükegen* and ultimately the Proto-Mongolic *süke* meaning 'ember' or 'charcoal'. This is reflected in the use of "석炭" in Korean to mean both "coal" and "charcoal". |
| Kurdish | The word "komir" in Kurdish is related to the Persian word "angar" (ember), indicating its connection to combustion. |
| Kyrgyz | In Old Kyrgyz, "көмүр" also meant "dust" and "ashes". |
| Lao | The word 'ຖ່ານຫີນ' in Lao can also mean charcoal produced from wood, which is commonly used as a fuel for cooking or heating. |
| Latin | The word "carbo" in Latin means both "coal" and "tree".} |
| Latvian | The term "ogles" is also related to the word "ogle" in German, which means "to look at something with great interest or curiosity." |
| Lithuanian | The word 'anglis' originally meant 'charcoal made from alderwood' (angliarai). |
| Luxembourgish | "Kuel" is derived from Old High German and means "charcoal" or "glow". |
| Macedonian | "Јаглен" is also used in the name of the village Јаглене situated in Demir Kapija Municipality in North Macedonia. |
| Malagasy | The word "arintany" likely comes from the Malay root "arang", meaning "coal". |
| Malay | The word "arang batu" in Malay literally means "stone charcoal", reflecting its solid and carbon-rich nature. |
| Malayalam | The word "കൽക്കരി" (kalkkari) in Malayalam may be derived from the Dravidian root word "kal" meaning "stone" or "rock" and "kari" meaning" to burn" or "to char". |
| Maltese | "Faħam" is cognate with the Arabic "faḥm" and Italian "fumo," both meaning "smoke". |
| Maori | The word 'waro' can also refer to the soot from a cooking fire or the ashes left over after the fire has burnt out. |
| Marathi | In Marathi, "कोळसा" (kolasa) also refers to the remnants of burnt wood or charcoal, providing an alternate term for the substance used as fuel or as an ingredient in traditional cooking. |
| Mongolian | The Mongolian word 'нүүрс' can also mean 'fire' or 'heat', reflecting the close association between coal and its ability to produce warmth and energy. |
| Nepali | The Nepali word "कोइला" is similar to "कोयला" in Hindi, both being derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kei-, meaning "to burn". |
| Norwegian | The word "kull" can also refer to something that is charred or blackened, such as a pot or other object |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | Malasha is also used to refer to charcoal, which is obtained through the burning of wood in a low-oxygen environment. |
| Pashto | The term "سکاره" also refers to a black and reddish variety of grapes found in parts of Afghanistan. |
| Persian | The term 'ذغال سنگ' is also used in Persian to refer to a type of mineral called 'anthracite,' a higher-grade form of coal. |
| Polish | "Węgiel" (Polish for "coal") also refers to "carbon" in chemistry contexts and "charcoal" when used in drawing or grilling. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | In Portuguese, "carvão" can also refer to charcoal, a solid black substance produced by burning wood or other organic materials in a closed container with a limited supply of oxygen. |
| Punjabi | The Punjabi word "ਕੋਲਾ" (kōlā) is also used to describe charcoal, burned coal, or embers. |
| Romanian | The word "cărbune" in Romanian derives from the Latin "carbo" and originally meant "burning charcoal". |
| Russian | The word "уголь" is also used in Russian to refer to a type of charcoal used in art. |
| Samoan | The Samoan word 'koale' is also used to refer to a 'burnt area'. |
| Scots Gaelic | The Scots Gaelic term 'gual' is also used to describe a glowing ember or a red-hot piece of metal. |
| Serbian | The Serbian word 'угља' is also used to refer to a type of traditional charcoal made from burned oak wood. |
| Sesotho | Mashala can refer either to coal for burning or to a particular species of acacia tree. |
| Shona | The word "marasha" is cognate to the Ndau word "maratsha" both meaning "fire". |
| Sindhi | In Sindhi, "ڪوئلو" can also refer to a black-colored earthenware pot used for cooking or storing liquids. |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The word ගල් අඟුරු was originally used to refer to charcoal, not coal, and it is still used in that sense in some contexts. |
| Slovak | The word "uhlie" in Slovak can also refer to a type of fossil fuel or a pile of burnt wood. |
| Slovenian | The word "premog" in Slovenian is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "pragъ", meaning "to burn" or "to roast". |
| Somali | The Somali word "dhuxul" also refers to "charcoal". |
| Spanish | "Carbón" is the Spanish word for charcoal; it derives from the Indo-European "kar", with the same meaning as the Celtic "cor", the Germanic "hort" and the Slavic "gor". |
| Sundanese | In Sundanese, the word "batubara" originally referred to oil or petroleum, not coal. |
| Swahili | The Swahili word "makaa ya mawe" can also refer to charcoal or the remains of burnt wood. |
| Swedish | The Swedish word "kol" comes from the Proto-Indo-European root "*kel-," meaning "to blacken, burn"} |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word "uling" also means "ashes" in Tagalog. |
| Tajik | The term "ангишт" derives from the Old Persian word "angušta-," meaning "burning". |
| Telugu | The word "బొగ్గు" can also refer to a type of grain or pulse, and is related to the Sanskrit word "bhaga", meaning "to divide". |
| Thai | The Thai word "ถ่านหิน" (coal) is derived from the Proto-Mon-Khmer word "*than" and is also cognate with the Sanskrit word "aṅgāra" which means "a burning ember". |
| Turkish | Derived from the Proto-Turkic *kömür, meaning |
| Ukrainian | In Ukrainian, вугілля (vuhillia) also means "embers" or "coals" |
| Urdu | The word 'کوئلہ' (coal) is derived from the Sanskrit word 'कुतल' (kutala), meaning 'black stone'. |
| Uzbek | "Ko'mir" is a word of Turkic origin and is also used to refer to soot. |
| Vietnamese | "Than đá" literally means "rock coal" in Vietnamese and refers to coal extracted from the ground, as opposed to vegetable coal or charcoal. |
| Welsh | The Welsh word 'glo' also refers to the black soot on a kettle or iron pot or to the black pigment in ink. |
| Xhosa | The word 'amalahle' also means 'things that burn' in Xhosa. |
| Yiddish | The Yiddish word "קוילן" (coal) is derived from the German word "Kohle" (coal). |
| Yoruba | The Yoruba word "edu" (coal) also means "abundance" or "wealth". |
| Zulu | The word "amalahle" is derived from the Nguni word "mala" meaning "to burn"} |
| English | The word "coal" derives from the Old English word "col", meaning "a burning ember" or "a piece of burned wood". |