How do you say "carbon" in Chinese?

碳

tàn

Noun Hanzi

In Chinese, "carbon" is 碳 (tàn).

Listen to the pronunciation:

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Pronunciation

This one reads "tàn" with fourth tone; picture your pitch snapping downward fast, like giving a short order. Keep the 1 syllable of tàn distinct rather than blending them together.

Writing and usage

碳 is written using hanzi. It's a noun, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.

Example sentence

钻石是碳制成的。

zuàn shí shì tàn zhì chéng de 。

Diamonds are made of carbon.

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How to remember 碳

Let the moment when diamonds are made of carbon be your mental shortcut for "tàn".

Related words

Browse all Chinese words in the glossary.

Questions about 碳

How do you pronounce 碳?

This one reads "tàn" with fourth tone; picture your pitch snapping downward fast, like giving a short order. Keep the 1 syllable of tàn distinct rather than blending them together.

Is 碳 formal or casual?

碳 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is 碳 used in Chinese?

碳 is used the same way as the equivalent English noun. For example: 钻石是碳制成的。 (Diamonds are made of carbon.).

Where can I practice Chinese words for free?

You can play free Chinese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Chinese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Carbon" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Chinese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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