白金(はっきん)

はっきん
noun
platinum
science
1. platinum
A precious silvery-white metal used in jewelry, catalytic converters, and various industrial applications. The Japanese name literally means 'white gold'.
白金(はっきん)の指輪(ゆびわ)。
A platinum ring.
白金(はっきん)は金(きん)よりも希少(きしょう)な金属(きんぞく)だ。
Platinum is a rarer metal than gold.
I'm torn between choosing platinum or gold for the wedding rings.

In jewelry contexts, プラチナ (the loanword from English/Spanish) is more commonly used in advertising and everyday conversation, while 白金(はっきん) is the traditional Japanese term used in science and formal contexts. Note: 白金(しろかね) (read しろかね) is the place name for the Shirokane district in Tokyo. The element symbol is Pt.

Watch out

The kanji read literally as "white gold", but English "white gold" (a gold alloy) is ホワイトゴールド, a different metal. 白金(はっきん) is always platinum.

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