Chemical elements in East Asian languages

Periodic table
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Periodic table forms 18-column 32-column Alternative and extended forms
Periodic table history D. Mendeleev 1871 table 1869 predictions Discovery of elements Naming and etymology for people for places controversies (in East Asia) Systematic element names
Sets of elements
By periodic table structure Groups (1–18) 1 (alkali metals) 2 (alkaline earth metals) 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 (pnictogens) 16 (chalcogens) 17 (halogens) 18 (noble gases) Periods (1–7, ...) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8+ Blocks (s, p, d, f, ...) Atomic orbitals Aufbau principle
By metallic classification Metals alkali alkaline earth transition post-transition lanthanide actinide Metalloids dividing metals and nonmetals Nonmetals nonmetal halogen noble gas
By other characteristics Coinage metals Platinum-group metals Precious metals Refractory metals Heavy metals Light metals Native metals Noble metals Main-group elements Rare-earth elements Transuranium elements Major, minor and trans- actinides
Elements
List of chemical elements by abundance (in human body) by atomic properties by isotope stability by symbol
Properties of elements Relative atomic mass Crystal structure Electron affinity configuration Electronegativity (Allen, Pauling) Goldschmidt classification Nutrition Valence
Data pages for elements Abundance Atomic radius Boiling point Critical point Density Elasticity Electrical resistivity Electron affinity / configuration Electronegativity Hardness Heat capacity / of fusion / of vaporization Ionization energy Melting point Oxidation state Speed of sound Thermal conductivity / expansion coefficient Vapor pressure
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The names for chemical elements in East Asian languages, along with those for some chemical compounds (mostly organic), are among the newest words to enter the local vocabularies. Except for those metals well-known since antiquity, the names of most elements were created after modern chemistry was introduced to East Asia in the 18th and 19th centuries, with more translations being coined for those elements discovered later.

While most East Asian languages use—or have used—the Chinese script, only the Chinese language uses logograms as the predominant way of naming elements. Native phonetic writing systems are primarily used for element names in Japanese (Katakana), Korean (Hangul) and Vietnamese (chữ Quốc ngữ).