Japanese symbol for “carbon”
炭素
たんそ
Romaji: tanso
carbon (C)
In Japanese, carbon is 炭素, read たんそ (tanso).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- n carbon (C)
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “carbon”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| カーボン | カーボン kaabon | carbon |
| 黒金剛石 | くろこんごうせき kurokongouseki | black diamond; carbon; carbonado |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 石炭 | せきたん sekitan | coal |
| 炭酸 | たんさん tansan | carbonic acid |
| 炭鉱 | たんこう tankou | coal mine; (coal) pit; colliery |
| 炭水化物 | たんすいかぶつ tansuikabutsu | carbohydrate |
| 木炭 | もくたん mokutan | charcoal |
| 要素 | ようそ youso | element; component; factor |
| 素材 | そざい sozai | ingredient; (raw) material; resource |
| 素敵 | すてき suteki | lovely; wonderful; charming |
See also: Chinese symbol for “carbon”.
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.