The names of chemical elements often reveal fascinating intersections of science, language, and culture. In examining light elements and a set of key metals such as iron, copper, silver, and gold, one can observe clear patterns. Some are named for chemical properties, others for historical usage, while yet others reflect mythology, geography, or appearance. In addition, translations in Europe and East Asia often follow recognizable rules, which help illuminate how different cultures conceptualize these elements.
“Core Nonmetals”: Hydrogen, Carbon, Nitrogen, and Oxygen
These four elements form the backbone of chemistry and biochemistry, and they are also central to astrophysics as they are the most abundant elements in the stellar evolution driving nucleosynthesis. Their naming conventions illustrate a strong interplay between Greek roots and modern scientific nomenclature.
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Hydrogen (H, hydrogenium) derives from Greek hydro (“water”) and genes (“creator”), emphasizing its role in forming water. In German, it is called Wasserstoff, literally “water substance,” reflecting the same property-oriented naming. Japanese and Korean render it with the character 素 (-so), combined with 水 (sui) for “water,” as in 水素 (suiso) and 수소 (suso), literally “water element.” As we will see below, the practice originated during the Meiji Restoration (明治維新), when Japan adopted Western chemistry, following the German system and standardizing nonmetal elements with the suffix “-so”.
In Chinese, it is written as 氫 (qīng, note that Madarin is used for Chinese here, pronunciation may differ by Chinese dialects), a single character emphasizing lightness (巠) combined with its gas form (气), without using 素. In fact, during the early 20th century, the chemical elements were temporarily named in Chinese texts using a system modeled after Japanese nomenclature. However, this style was soon abandoned in favor of the one-character, one-syllable system that is standard in modern Chinese. This transition reflected a few practical and linguistic considerations: a single character is more concise, easier to write, and easier to integrate into classical and modern Chinese syntax; it also emphasizes semantic meaning over phonetic transcription. For example, many solid nonmetals are associated with the character 石 (shí, “stone”) such as in sulfur (硫) and phosphorus (磷), highlighting their naturally occurring mineral forms or solid crystalline appearance. In contrast, metals are frequently associated with the character 金 (jīn, “metal” or “gold”) such as in iron (鐵) and silver (銀), reflecting their lustrous, metallic character. -
Carbon (C, carbonium) from Latin carbo meaning “coal,” reflects its earliest known forms. In German, it is Kohlenstoff (“coal substance”), while Japanese uses 炭素 (tanso), Korean 탄소 (tanso), and Chinese 碳 (tàn). Again, Japanese and Korean append “-so” to indicate it is an element, whereas Chinese uses a single character to represent the element itself.
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Nitrogen (N, nitrogenium) is named from Greek nitron and genes, “niter-former,” highlighting its role in nitric compounds. German uses Stickstoff, literally “suffocating substance,” reflecting its inability to support life, while Japanese and Korean adopt 窒素 (chisso) and 질소 (jilso), “element causing obstruction,” consistent with the descriptive property-based system. In early Chinese translations during the late Qing dynasty, nitrogen was called 淡氣 (dànqì), meaning “diluting gas,” because it does not support combustion or respiration. Later, this was standardized to the single character 氮 (dàn), retaining the semantic sense.
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Oxygen (O, oxygenium) comes from Greek oxys (“acid”) and genes (“producer”), indicating its role in acids. German uses Sauerstoff (“sour substance”), echoing the same chemical property. Japanese 酸素 (sanso) and Korean 산소 (sanso) again employ the -素 suffix, whereas Chinese 氧 (yǎng) emphasized its life-sustaining property and was influenced by the early translation 養氣 (“nourishing gas”).
Nonmetals with Special Roots or Paths: Boron, Fluorine, Silicon, Phosphorus, Sulfur, Chlorine, Arsenic, Bromine, and Iodine
The next set includes nonmetal elements discovered later, often with mineral, color, or smell-based names, which also influenced East Asian naming.
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Boron (B, borium) originates from Arabic buraq or Persian burah, related to borax. Japanese and Korean call it 硼素 (hōso) and 붕소 (bungso), “boron element,” while German simplifies it to Bor.
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Fluorine (F, fluorum) from Latin fluere (“to flow”), denotes the mineral’s property. German Fluor and Korean 플루오린 (peulluo-rin) follow a similar phonetic and semantic pattern. In Japanese it is フッ素 (fusso). Korean has also a similar name 불소 (bulso).
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Silicon (Si, silicium) from Latin silex (“flint”), became Silicium in German and other European languages. Japanese ケイ素 (keiso) and Korean 규소 (gyuso) both mean “flint element,” combining historical mineral association with 素.
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Chlorine (Cl, chlorum) from Greek chloros (“greenish-yellow”), is Chlor in German. Japanese and Korean use 塩素 (enso) and 염소 (yeomso), meaning “salt element,” referring to its production from salts.
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Arsenic (As, arsenicum) from Greek arsenikon, is Arsen in German. Japanese/Korean 砒素 (hiso)/비소 (biso) literally means “arsenic element”.
For the following three elements, only Japanese uses “素” while Korean adopts the direct phonetic translation.
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Bromine (Br, bromum) named from Greek bromos (“stench”), follows the pattern: German Brom, Japanese 臭素 (shuso), “smelly element.”
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Iodine (I, iodum) from Greek ioeides (“violet”), is Iod in German. Japanese 沃素/ヨウ素 (youso) preserve the phonetic aspect with 素.
The names of two additional elements in Japanese and Korean follow a different pathway, being inherited from classical Chinese mineral terminology rather than introduced through Western chemistry. These substances were known in East Asia centuries before the modern chemical element concept, and their names were therefore adopted directly from Chinese usage when modern chemical nomenclature was later standardized in Japan and Korea.
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Sulfur (S, sulphurium) in Japanese 硫黄 (iou) and in Korean 황 (hwang), compared to Chinese 硫磺 (liú huáng). Incidentally, the island where the historical Battle of Iwo Jima (硫黄島の戦い) took place is named after sulfur.
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Phosphorus (P, phosphorus) in Japanese リン (rin) and in Korean 인 (in), compared to Chinese 磷 (lín).
Metals: Iron, Copper, Zinc, Silver, Platinum, Gold, Mercury, and Lead
Transitioning to metals reveals a different linguistic logic, particularly in East Asia, where historical interaction with ores shaped naming.
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Iron (Fe, ferrum) is Eisen in German, Ferro in Italian, Oro in Spanish. In Chinese, it is 鐵 (tiě), in Japanese 鉄 (tetsu), and in Korean 철 (cheol).
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Copper (Cu, cuprum) is one of the earliest known metals. Its name comes from Latin cuprum, originally referring to the “metal of Cyprus” (aes Cyprium), reflecting the island where it was mined in antiquity. In German, it is called Kupfer, retaining the historical Germanic name. In Italian and Spanish, it is Rame and Cobre, respectively, showing a divergence from the Latin root but still historically connected. In East Asia, copper has a distinct set of characters reflecting long cultural familiarity with the metal. In Chinese, it is 銅 (tóng), in Japanese 銅 (dou), and in Korean 구리 (guri).
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Zinc (Zn, zincum) is Zink in German; Asian names such as Chinese 鋅 (xīn) or old name 倭鉛 (wō qiān), Japanese 亜鉛 (aen), Korean 아연 (ayeon) often reference ore properties compared to lead. One of earliest Chinese records of Zinc is in Tiangongkaiwu (《天工開物》, 1637 AD), “凡倭鉛，古書本無之，乃近世所立名色。…以其似鉛而性猛，故名之曰‘倭’雲。”
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Silver (Ag, argentum) remains Silber in German. In Chinese 銀 (yín), Japanese 銀 (gin), and Korean 은 (eun), the character represents brightness or shiny metal, reflecting long-standing cultural value.
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Platinum (Pt, platinum) comes from Spanish platina, “little silver.” Chinese 鉑 (bó), Japanese 白金 (hakkin, “white metal”), and Korean 백금 (baekgeum) emphasize color and preciousness.
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Gold (Au, aurum) is Gold in German, Oro in Italian/Spanish, and in East Asia, 金 (kin, jīn, geum) literally “gold,” symbolizing wealth and historical significance.
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Mercury (Hg, hydrargyrum) derives from Greek hydro (“water”) and argyros (“silver”), emphasizing its unique status as a metal that exists in liquid form under ordinary conditions, unlike almost all other elements. While its English name derives from Roman mythology, referring to the god Mercury because of the metal’s swift, mobile nature, its names in German and Chinese are instead based on observable physical properties. In German, mercury is called Quecksilber, meaning “living” or “quick silver,” emphasizing its fluid motion. In Chinese, it is known as 汞 (gǒng), and more descriptively as 水銀 (“water-silver”), a term that highlights both its liquid state and metallic appearance. In fact, the latter term is far more commonly used in Chinese, and its origins can be traced back to antiquity, similar to the European languages. Mercury is recorded most famously in Shiji (《史记》, 101-91 BC) in the description of the tomb of the First Emperor of Qin, where rivers and seas were said to be simulated using flowing mercury, “以水銀爲百川江河大海，機相灌輸”. Japanese 水銀 (suigin) and Korean 수은 (sueun) preserve this Chinese-derived naming, reflecting a descriptive understanding of the substance based on its liquid state and metallic appearance, long before the modern concept of chemical elements emerged.
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Lead (Pb, plumbum) is Blei in German, Chinese 鉛 (qiān), Japanese 鉛 (namari), and Korean 납 (nap), again emphasizing traditional ore knowledge and visual traits.
The elements from hydrogen to iodine, along with iron to lead, show clear linguistic patterns that bridge chemistry, culture, and history. Nonmetals often use Greek or Latin roots in Western languages, and semantic + suffix 素 naming in East Asia. Transition and post-transition metals retain classical or descriptive European names (Fe, Au, Pt) while Asian names frequently reflect physical properties, color, or traditional ore knowledge. Phonetic transcription is more common for later-discovered or toxic metals (cobalt, platinum), bridging local language and scientific Latin nomenclature. Together, these elements illustrate how scientific, cultural, and linguistic logic converge in the naming of chemical elements, reflecting both universal chemical properties and local historical context.
(Errors or omissions may exist in this post. The discussion reflects current understanding of the author and is open to revision in light of further evidence.)
