Chinese word

炭

Pronunciation

Pinyintàn

Meaning

  • nouncharcoal

Example

烧烤的时候我们用炭。shāo kǎo de shí hòu wǒ men yòng tàn

We use charcoal when barbecuing.

Illustration for 炭 (charcoal)

More examples

冬天，许多老房子还用炭取暖。dōng tiān xǔ duō lǎo fáng zi hái yòng tàn qú nuǎn

In winter, many old houses still use charcoal for heating.

Core concept

A black, porous carbon solid made by heating organic matter, used either as a fuel or as a functional material.

Common phrases

  • 木炭mù tàn

    charcoal

  • 活性炭huó xìng tàn

    activated charcoal

  • 炭火tàn huǒ

    charcoal fire

Similar words

木炭mù tàn: Black, lightweight charcoal made from wood and burned for cooking or heating.
活性炭huó xìng tàn: Porous carbon made to trap odors and remove harmful substances.
煤炭méi tàn: Fuel formed from ancient plants over a long time, burned to produce power and run industry.
碳tàn: A Chinese character for the element carbon in scientific writing.

Definition in Chinese

指由有机物炭化后形成的黑色多孔固体，传统含义多指木炭，现代语境下亦可泛指包括活性炭在内的各类炭质材料。zhǐ yóu yǒu jī wù tàn huà hòu xíng chéng de hēi sè duō kǒng gù tǐ chuán tǒng hán yì duō zhǐ mù tàn xiàn dài yǔ jìng xià yì kě fàn zhǐ bāo kuò huó xìng tàn zài nèi de gè lèi tàn zhì cái liào

Word origin

炭 (tàn, "charcoal") first named the carbon-rich residue made by heating wood, and its meaning later broadened to cover related porous carbon materials.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, the setting often narrows this broad noun: a cooking setting points to fuel, while a product or technical setting may point to another carbon material.

Related words

  • 木炭mù tàncharcoalnoun
  • 活性炭huó xìng tànactivated charcoalnoun
  • 竹炭zhú tànbamboo charcoalnoun

Word lists with this word