Every element, from the oxygen we breathe to the iron in our blood, has a unique shorthand symbol. Think of these symbols as the alphabet of chemistry. They allow scientists around the world to speak a common language, no matter what their native tongue is.

Each symbol is a one or two-letter abbreviation. For many elements, the symbol is straightforward. Carbon's symbol is C, Hydrogen's is H, and Oxygen's is O. These are easy to remember because they come directly from the element's English name.

You might notice some symbols don't seem to match their English names at all. Why is sodium's symbol Na, or gold's Au? These symbols often come from the element's name in Latin or another language. Early chemists, who often worked in Latin, named many of these substances.

For instance, sodium's symbol, Na, comes from its Latin name, natrium. Gold gets its symbol, Au, from the Latin word for gold, aurum, which means “shining dawn.” These historical names are a window into the history of science.

Before this standardized system, chemists used all sorts of pictures and symbols to represent elements. An English chemist named John Dalton was one of the first to propose a more systematic approach using simple drawings.

While we no longer use Dalton's circles, his idea of giving each element a unique symbol paved the way for the modern system we use today. This simple set of letters is the foundation for writing and understanding all chemical formulas.

Time to review what you've learned about the language of elements.

Let's check your understanding with a few questions.

Mastering these symbols is the first step toward reading and writing in the language of chemistry.