That element – which until recently was referred to to as 113 – got its proper name from the word for Japan in Japanese – 'nihon', literally 'the land of the rising sun'.

The symbol for the element we call "tungsten" in English is W because the Germans call the element "wolfram." It was a compromise between different countries' claims.

The new name for element 113, a highly radioactive element with an extremely short half-life, comes from Japan's name in Japanese - 'nihon', literally 'the land of the rising sun'.

T he Japanese scientists who discovered atomic element 113 dubbed it “nihonium” — “nihon” meaning Japan in Japanese — on Wednesday evening, the Japan Times reports. Led by Kyushu ...