Element Symbols and Atomic Numbers

Q: Why is the symbol for sodium Na?

It comes from the Latin name natrium. Potassium (K) follows the same logic from kalium.

Q: Why is tungsten W?

The symbol comes from Wolfram, the German name of the element.

Q: Which element has the symbol Hg?

Mercury, from the Latin hydrargyrum, ‘water-silver’.

Every element has a one- or two-letter symbol that scientists use worldwide. This page lists all 118 in order of atomic number, explains the symbols that look like they don’t fit, and offers a printable periodic table.

In brief.

118 confirmed elements, from hydrogen (H, 1) to oganesson (Og, 118)
The first letter is always capitalized and the second, if any, is lowercase: Co is cobalt, CO is carbon monoxide
Symbols are the same in every language, even when the element’s name changes

List of the 118 elements

Atomic number	Symbol	Name
1	H	Hydrogen
2	He	Helium
3	Li	Lithium
4	Be	Beryllium
5	B	Boron
6	C	Carbon
7	N	Nitrogen
8	O	Oxygen
9	F	Fluorine
10	Ne	Neon
11	Na	Sodium
12	Mg	Magnesium
13	Al	Aluminum
14	Si	Silicon
15	P	Phosphorus
16	S	Sulfur
17	Cl	Chlorine
18	Ar	Argon
19	K	Potassium
20	Ca	Calcium
21	Sc	Scandium
22	Ti	Titanium
23	V	Vanadium
24	Cr	Chromium
25	Mn	Manganese
26	Fe	Iron
27	Co	Cobalt
28	Ni	Nickel
29	Cu	Copper
30	Zn	Zinc
31	Ga	Gallium
32	Ge	Germanium
33	As	Arsenic
34	Se	Selenium
35	Br	Bromine
36	Kr	Krypton
37	Rb	Rubidium
38	Sr	Strontium
39	Y	Yttrium
40	Zr	Zirconium
41	Nb	Niobium
42	Mo	Molybdenum
43	Tc	Technetium
44	Ru	Ruthenium
45	Rh	Rhodium
46	Pd	Palladium
47	Ag	Silver
48	Cd	Cadmium
49	In	Indium
50	Sn	Tin
51	Sb	Antimony
52	Te	Tellurium
53	I	Iodine
54	Xe	Xenon
55	Cs	Cesium
56	Ba	Barium
57	La	Lanthanum
58	Ce	Cerium
59	Pr	Praseodymium
60	Nd	Neodymium
61	Pm	Promethium
62	Sm	Samarium
63	Eu	Europium
64	Gd	Gadolinium
65	Tb	Terbium
66	Dy	Dysprosium
67	Ho	Holmium
68	Er	Erbium
69	Tm	Thulium
70	Yb	Ytterbium
71	Lu	Lutetium
72	Hf	Hafnium
73	Ta	Tantalum
74	W	Tungsten
75	Re	Rhenium
76	Os	Osmium
77	Ir	Iridium
78	Pt	Platinum
79	Au	Gold
80	Hg	Mercury
81	Tl	Thallium
82	Pb	Lead
83	Bi	Bismuth
84	Po	Polonium
85	At	Astatine
86	Rn	Radon
87	Fr	Francium
88	Ra	Radium
89	Ac	Actinium
90	Th	Thorium
91	Pa	Protactinium
92	U	Uranium
93	Np	Neptunium
94	Pu	Plutonium
95	Am	Americium
96	Cm	Curium
97	Bk	Berkelium
98	Cf	Californium
99	Es	Einsteinium
100	Fm	Fermium
101	Md	Mendelevium
102	No	Nobelium
103	Lr	Lawrencium
104	Rf	Rutherfordium
105	Db	Dubnium
106	Sg	Seaborgium
107	Bh	Bohrium
108	Hs	Hassium
109	Mt	Meitnerium
110	Ds	Darmstadtium
111	Rg	Roentgenium
112	Cn	Copernicium
113	Nh	Nihonium
114	Fl	Flerovium
115	Mc	Moscovium
116	Lv	Livermorium
117	Ts	Tennessine
118	Og	Oganesson

Why some symbols don’t match the English name

Most symbols come from the English name (O for oxygen, C for carbon). A dozen come from the Latin or German name used when the symbol was chosen in the early 1800s.

Symbol	Element	Comes from
Na	Sodium	Latin natrium
K	Potassium	Latin kalium
Fe	Iron	Latin ferrum
Cu	Copper	Latin cuprum
Ag	Silver	Latin argentum
Sn	Tin	Latin stannum
Sb	Antimony	Latin stibium
W	Tungsten	German Wolfram
Au	Gold	Latin aurum
Hg	Mercury	Latin hydrargyrum
Pb	Lead	Latin plumbum

Printable periodic table

Download the table as a PDF, US Letter size: in color, in black and white, or blank so students can fill it in. For an interactive version with properties, see the interactive periodic table.

Printable periodic table (PDF, 4 pages): color, black and white, blank to fill in, and the symbols in alphabetical order

Interactive periodic table: tap any element to see its atomic mass, electron configuration and electronegativity
Molar mass calculator: molar mass of any formula with step-by-step working
Periodic table groups: the 18 groups, their family names and what the elements in each have in common