Japanese word

石炭

Pronunciation

Romajisekitan

Meaning

  • nouncoal

Example

昔は石炭を船で運びました。mukashi wa seki tan o fune de hako bi ma shi ta

People used to carry coal by ship.

Illustration for 石炭 (coal)

More examples

発電所では石炭を燃料として使っています。hatsu den sho de wa seki tan o nen ryō to shi te tsuka tte i ma su

The power plant uses coal as fuel.

Core concept

Refers to a black, carbon-rich fuel formed from ancient plant matter and burned to release energy.

Common phrases

  • 石炭を燃やすseki tan o mo ya su

    burn coal

  • 石炭を使うseki tan o tsuka u

    use coal

  • 石炭の埋蔵量seki tan no mai zō ryō

    coal reserves

Similar words

木炭mokutan: Carbon-rich fuel made from wood by heating it with limited oxygen.

Definition in Japanese

古代の植物が地中で長い年月をかけて変化した、燃料に用いる黒色の岩石。ko dai no shoku butsu ga chi chū de naga i toshi tsuki o ka ke te hen ka shi ta nen ryō ni mochi i ru kuro iro no gan seki

Word origin

The Sino-Japanese word 石炭 (sekitan, "coal") combines 石 (seki, "stone") and 炭 (tan, "charcoal"), describing coal as a stone-like fuel.

Usage tips

  • In English, coal is contrasted with charcoal because coal forms naturally from ancient plant matter, while charcoal is made by heating wood with little oxygen.

Word lists with this word