石炭
sekitan[se̞kʲitã̠ɴ]
In Japanese, the word for coal is 石炭 (sekitan). Wiktionary also lists 煤炭 (baitan).
Meaning: uncountable: carbon rock (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 石炭 | sekitan | [se̞kʲitã̠ɴ] (narrow) [iɕizɨmʲi] (narrow) |
| 煤炭 | baitan | [ba̠itã̠ɴ] (narrow) |
The term refers to coal as an uncountable carbon rock.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 石炭 is composed of the characters for 'stone' (石) and 'coal/charcoal' (炭).
Which one should you use?
While 石炭 is the standard term for coal, 煤炭 is a more formal or technical term often used in industrial, economic or official contexts. Additionally, the single character 炭 can be used as a shorthand for coal or charcoal, though it is more commonly associated with charcoal in daily conversation.
How do you pronounce it?
sekitan
Did you know?
- The character 炭 is used in the name of the traditional Japanese art of incense ceremonies, where specialized charcoal is used to heat the fragrant woods.
- The word 石炭 can be read as いしずみ (ishizumi), an ancient reading that likely existed before the modern Chinese-style reading became standard.
- The character 煤 in the formal term 煤炭 specifically refers to 'soot', highlighting the dirty byproduct of combustion in technical contexts.
Examples in context
- 石炭は化石燃料だ。Coal is a fossil fuel.This sentence is useful for describing coal as a fossil fuel using 石炭.Tatoeba #7899906 by Ninja, translation #7897742 by CK
- 石炭は必ずしも黒くない。Coal is not always black.This sentence is useful for noting that coal is not always black using 石炭.Tatoeba #142331 by bunbuku, translation #272238 by CK
- この国は石炭に恵まれている。This country is rich in coal.This sentence is useful for stating that a country is rich in coal using 石炭.Tatoeba #221920 by bunbuku, translation #59247 by CK
- 鉱山で石炭を採掘することが難しくなっています。It has become difficult to mine coal in the mines.
- 炭を燃やして暖をとることが古来からの伝統です。Burning coal to keep warm is a traditional practice from ancient times.
- 焦炭は鉄鋼生産において重要な材料です。Coke (a type of coal) is an important material in steel production.
- 黒炭は古くから調理や暖房に使われてきました。Charcoal has been used for cooking and heating since ancient times.
- かつては煤炭が主要なエネルギー源として使われていました。Coal was once used as a primary source of energy.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Youta and Misaki are looking at a museum exhibit about energy.
- 陽太 Yota昔は石炭で暖房をしていました。Mukashi wa sekitan de danbou o shite imashita.In the past, they used coal for heating.
- 美咲 Misaki今はもう使われていないのですか？Ima wa mou tsukawarete inai no desu ka?Is it not used anymore now?
- 陽太 Yotaまだ発電所で石炭を使っていますよ。Mada hatsudensho de sekitan o tsukatte imasu yo.They still use coal at power plants.
- 美咲 Misakiそうなんですね。勉強になります。Sou nan desu ne. Benkyou ni narimasu.I see. That's interesting.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “coal” translations and entries 石炭, 煤炭, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 煤炭, 石炭, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
