Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 璇石 | xuánshí | ||
| 鑽石 / 钻石 | zuànshí | ||
| 璇石 | soān-chio̍h | /suan³³⁻²¹ t͡siɤʔ⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Quanzhou, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung, Taipei, Tainan, Kinmen, Taichung, Jinjiang, Philippines, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Magong, Hsinchu) /suan²²⁻²¹ t͡sioʔ¹²¹/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Quanzhou, Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung, Taipei, Tainan, Kinmen, Taichung, Jinjiang, Philippines, Singapore, Sinological IPA, Magong, Hsinchu) |
Hokkien |
The term refers to the gemstone. In Mandarin, 鑽石 / 钻石 is used as both a noun for the gemstone and an adjective to describe something made of diamond or diamond-shaped. For scientific or technical contexts regarding the chemical composition of the stone, the term 金刚石 is also used.
What does it mean word for word?
The Mandarin term 鑽石 / 钻石 (zuànshí) literally means 'drilling stone', which refers to the gemstone's hardness and its ability to drill through other materials.
Which one should you use?
鑽石 / 钻石 is the most common and widely used term for diamond in Mandarin. In contrast, 金刚石 is a formal term used specifically in scientific or technical settings to refer to the diamond's chemical composition.
Is it said differently in some regions?
璇石 is a Hokkien term.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
In Mandarin, 鑽石 / 钻石 functions as both a noun and an adjective.
How do you pronounce it?
The Hokkien form 璇石 is pronounced /suan³³⁻²¹ tsiɤʔ⁴/.
Did you know?
- The term 金刚石 contains the characters for 'Vajra', an indestructible weapon or symbol of power in Buddhist mythology.
- The 'Diamond Sutra' is one of the most famous Buddhist texts in Chinese, where 'diamond' represents the clarity and hardness of truth.
- In Chinese culture, diamonds are often associated with 'pure' and 'eternal' love, a concept heavily reinforced by Western marketing since the 20th century.
Example sentences for Chinese are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Jiayi and Haoran are looking at jewelry in a store.
- 佳怡 Jiayi浩然，你看這顆璇石多亮！Hào-rán, lí khuànn che khò suân-sek to liàng!Haoran, look how bright this diamond is!
- 浩然 Haoran真的，它在發光。Chin-sī, i tī huat-kng.True, it is glowing.
- 佳怡 Jiayi我想用璇石做耳環。Góa sióng iōng suân-sek chó í-huân.I want to use diamonds to make earrings.
- 浩然 Haoran那一定很適合妳。Ná ì-tīng hěn sè-hap lí.That would definitely suit you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “diamond” translations and entries 璇石, 璇石, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
