Naming The Pieces in Various Languages
Here are names for all the pieces as well as the words for chess, check, and checkmate in several languages:
| Language | King | Queen | Rook | Bishop | Knight | Pawn | Chess | Check | Checkmate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| figurine | ♔ ♚ | ♕ ♛ | ♖ ♜ | ♗ ♝ | ♘ ♞ | ♙ ♟ | ... | + | # |
| Afrikaans | K Koning | D Dame (lady) | T Toring (tower) | L Loper (runner) | R Ruiter (rider) | (P) Pion | Skaak | Skaak | Skaakmat |
| Albanian | M Mbreti | Msh Mbretëresha (queen) | Ku Kulla (tower) | O Oficeri (officer) | Ka Kali (horse) | (U) Ushtari (soldier) | Shahu | Shah | Shah mat |
| Arabic | م مَلِك | و وزير | ر رخ/طابية | ف فيل | ح حصان | ب بيدق/عسكري | شطرنج | كِش مَلِك | كِش مات |
| Bengali | R Rājā রাজা |
M Montri মন্ত্রী |
N Noukā নৌকা |
G Gôjo গজ |
Gh ghodā ঘোড়া |
(B) Bore বড়ে |
দাবা(Dābā) |
Kisti কিস্তি |
Kistimāt কিস্তিমাত |
| Belarusian | К кароль | Вз візыр | Лд ладзьдзя | А афіцэр | В вершнік | (Л) латнік | Шахматы | Шах | Мат |
| Bulgarian | Ц цар (king) | Д дама (lady) | Т топ (cannon) | О офицер (officer) | К кон (horse) | (П) пешка | Шахмат/Шах | Шах | (Шах и) мат |
| Catalan | R rei | D dama/reina (lady/queen) | T torre (tower) | A alfil | C cavall (horse) | (P) peó | Escacs | Escac/Xec | Escac i mat |
| Chinese | K 王 (Wáng, king) |
Q 后 (Hòu, queen) |
R 車 (Chē, chariot) |
B 象 (Xiàng, elephant) |
N 馬 (Mǎ, horse) |
(P) 兵 (Bīng, soldier) |
國際象棋 (Guójì Xiàngqí) |
將軍 (Jiāngjūn, general) |
將死 (Jiāngsǐ, checkmate) |
| Croatian | K kralj | D dama/kraljica | T top/kula | L lovac/laufer | S skakač/konj | (P) pješak | Šah | Šah | Šah mat |
| Czech | K král | D dáma | V věž | S střelec | J jezdec | (P) pěšec | Šachy | Šach | Mat |
| Danish | K konge (king) | D dronning (queen) | T tårn (tower) | L løber (runner) | S springer (jumper) | (B) bonde (peasant) | Skak | Skak | Skakmat |
| Dutch | K koning (king) | D dame/koningin (lady/queen) | T toren/kasteel (tower/castle) | L loper/raadsheer (runner/counsellor) | P paard (horse) | (pi) pion | Schaken | Schaak | Mat/Schaakmat |
| English | K king | Q queen | R rook | B bishop | N/Kt knight | (P) pawn | Chess | Check | Checkmate |
| Esperanto | R reĝo (king) | D damo (lady) | T turo (tower) | K kuriero (courier) | Ĉ ĉevalo (horse) | (P) peono | Ŝako | Ŝak | Ŝakmato |
| Estonian | K kuningas (king) | L lipp | V vanker | O oda | R ratsu | (E) ettur | Male | Tuli | Matt |
| Finnish | K kuningas (king) | D daami/kuningatar (lady/queen) | T torni (tower) | L lähetti (messenger) | R ratsu (horse) | (S) sotilas (soldier) | Shakki | Shakki | Matti/Shakkimatti |
| French | R roi (king) | D dame (lady) | T tour (tower) | F fou (jester) | C cavalier (rider) | (P) pion | Échecs | Échec | Échec et mat |
| German | K König (king) | D Dame (lady) | T Turm (tower) | L Läufer (runner) | S Springer (jumper) | (B) Bauer (farmer) | Schach | Schach | Schachmatt |
| Greek | Ρ βασιλιάς | Β βασίλισσα | Π πύργος | Α αξιωματικός | Ι ίππος | (Σ) πιόνι | Σκάκι | Σαχ | Mάτ |
| Hebrew | מ מלך | מה מלכה | צ צריח | ר רץ | פ פרש | רגלי | שחמט | שח | מט |
| Hindi | R राजा rājā |
V वज़ीर vajīr |
H हाथी hāthī |
O ऊँठ ūṁṭ |
G घोड़ा ghoṛā |
(P) प्यादा pyādā |
शतरंज Shatranj |
शाह shāh |
शाहमात shāhmāt |
| Hungarian | K király (king) | V vezér (chief) | B bástya (bastion) | F futó (runner) | H huszár (hussar) | (Gy) gyalog (ca. foot soldier) | Sakk | Sakk | Matt |
| Icelandic | K kóngur (king) | D drottning (queen) | H hrókur | B biskup (bishop) | R riddari (knight) | (P) peð | Skák | Skák | Skák og mát |
| Indonesian | R raja (king) | M menteri (minister/vizier) | B benteng (castle/fortress) | G gajah (elephant) | K kuda (horse) | (P) pion | Catur | Skak | Skak mati |
| Irish | R rí (king) | B banríon (womanking?) | C caiseal (bulwark) | E easpag (lock) | D ridire (knight) | (F) fichillín/ceithearnach | Ficheall | Sáinn | Marbhsháinn |
| Italian | R re (king) | D regina (queen) | T torre (tower) | A alfiere | C cavallo (horse) | (P) pedone | Scacchi | Scacco | Scacco matto |
| Japanese | K キング (kingu) | Q クイーン (kuīn) | R ルーク (rūku) | B ビショップ (bishoppu) | N ナイト (naito) | (P) ポーン (pōn) | チェス (chesu) | 王手/ チェック (chekku) |
詰み/ チェックメイト (chekkumeito) |
| Korean | K 킹 | Q 퀸 | R 룩 | B 비숍 | N 나이트 | (P) 폰 | 체스 | 체크 | 체크메이트 |
| Latin | R rex | G regina | T turris | E episcopus | Q eques | (P) pedes | Scacci | Scaccus | Mattus |
| Latvian | K karalis | D dāma | T tornis | L laidnis | Z zirgs | (B) bandinieks | Šahs | Šahs | Šahs un mats |
| Lithuanian | K karalius | V valdovė | B bokštas | R rikis | Ž žirgas | (P) pėstininkas | Šachmatai | Šach | Matas |
| Luxembourgish | K kinnek | D damm | T tuerm (tower) | L leefer (runner) | P päerd (horse) | (B) bauer (farmer) | Schach | Schach | Schachmatt |
| Mongolian | Н ноён (lord) | Б бэрс (ferz) | т тэрэг (chariot) | Т тэмээ (camel) | М морь (rider) | (Х) хүү (paige) | Шатар | шаг, дуг, цод | мад |
| Norwegian | K konge | D dronning | T tårn | L løper | S springer | (B) bonde | Sjakk | Sjakk | Sjakkmatt |
| Persian | ش شاه | و وزیر | ق/ر قلعه/رخ | ف فیل | ا اسب | س سرباز | شطرنج | کیش | کیشمات |
| Polish | K król | H hetman | W wieża | G goniec | S skoczek | (P) pion | szachy | szach | mat (szach-mat / szach i mat) |
| Portuguese | R rei (king) | D dama/rainha (lady/queen) | T torre (tower) | B bispo (bishop) | C cavalo (horse) | (P) peão | Xadrez | Xeque | Xeque-mate |
| Romanian | R rege | D regină | T turn | N nebun | C cal | (P) pion | Şah | Şah | Mat |
| Russian | Кр король | Ф ферзь | Л ладья | С слон | К конь | (П) пешка | Шахматы | Шах | Мат |
| Serbian | К краљ / kralj | Д дама / dama | Т топ / top | Л ловац / lovac | С скакач / skakač | (П) пешак / pešak | Шах / Šah | Шах / Šah | Мат / Mat |
| Sicilian | R re | D riggina | T turru | A alferu | S scecchu | (P) pidinu | Scacchi | ||
| Slovak | K kráľ | D dáma | V veža | S strelec | J jazdec | (P) pešiak | Šach | Šach | Mat/Šachmat |
| Slovene | K kralj | D dama | T trdnjava | L lovec | S skakač | (P) kmet | Šah | Šah | Mat/Šahmat |
| Spanish | R rey (king) | D dama/reina (lady/queen) | T torre (tower) | A alfil (elephant, in Arabic) | C caballo (horse) | (P) peón | Ajedrez | Jaque | Jaque mate |
| Swedish | K kung | D dam/drottning (lady/queen) | T torn (tower) | L löpare (runner) | S springare/häst (horse) | (B) bonde (peasant) | Schack | Schack | Schack matt |
| Tamil | K Raja | Q Rani | R yanai / kOttai | B Mandhiri / thEr | N/Kt Kudhirai | (P) Sepoi | Sadhurangam | Check | Checkmate |
| Telugu | రాజు rāju |
మంత్రి maṃtri |
ఏనుగు ēnugu |
శకటు śakaţu |
గుర్రం gurraṃ |
బంటు baṃţu |
చదరంగం cadaraṃgaṃ |
దాడి dāḍi |
కట్టు kaţţu |
| Thai | ข ขุน (khun, king) |
ต เม็ด (ตรี/มนตรี) (met (trī/montrī), counselor) |
ร เรือ (reūa, ship) |
ค โคน (khōn, elephant) |
ม ม้า (mā, horse) |
(บ) เบี้ย (bīa, menial) |
หมากรุก (mākruk) |
รุก (ruk, invade) |
จน (jon, checkmate) |
| Turkish | Ş/K şah/kral | V vezir | K kale | F fil | A at | (P) er/piyon | Satranç | Şah | Mat |
| Ukrainian | Kр король | Ф ферзь | T тура | C слон | K кінь | (П) пішак | Шахи | Шах | Мат |
| Urdu | Badshah | Wazir | Qila | Haathi | Ghora | Piada | Shatranj | Sheh | Shehmaat |
| Vietnamese | V Vua | H Hậu | X Xe | T Tượng | M Mã | _ Tốt | Cờ vua | Chiếu | Chiếu bí |
| Welsh | T teyrn/brenin | B brenhines | C castell | E esgob | M marchog | (G) gwerinwr | Gwyddbwyll | Siach | Siachmat |
Read more about this topic: Algebraic Notation (chess)
Famous quotes containing the words naming, pieces and/or languages:
“The night is itself sleep
And what goes on in it, the naming of the wind,
Our notes to each other, always repeated, always the same.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)
“Truth is one, but error proliferates. Man tracks it down and cuts it up into little pieces hoping to turn it into grains of truth. But the ultimate atom will always essentially be an error, a miscalculation.”
—René Daumal (1908–1944)
“No doubt, to a man of sense, travel offers advantages. As many languages as he has, as many friends, as many arts and trades, so many times is he a man. A foreign country is a point of comparison, wherefrom to judge his own.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)