Loopy PandaCrochet Abbreviations Translated into 10 Languages
Crochet abbreviations are not international. US single crochet (sc) is punto bajo (pb) in Spanish, ponto baixo (pb) in Brazilian Portuguese, maille serrée (ms) in French, feste Masche (fM) in German, столбик без накида (сбн) in Russian and 短针 (X) in Chinese. UK patterns shift names one step: UK dc is US sc.
Crochet stitch names and abbreviations by language
Each cell gives the stitch name used in patterns in that language, with the usual local abbreviation in brackets. A dash means we could not find a reliable source for that language, so we left it blank rather than guess. Japanese and Korean patterns mostly use chart symbols and full names, so no abbreviations are given for them. Where a language has regional variants, the table notes them.
| US term | US | UK | 中文 | 日本語 | 한국어 | Español | Português (BR) | Français | Deutsch | Русский | العربية |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| chain | ch | chain (ch) | 锁针 | 鎖編み | 사슬뜨기 | cadeneta (cad) | correntinha (corr.) | maille en l'air (ml) | Luftmasche (Lm) | воздушная петля (вп) | غرزة السلسلة (ch) |
| slip stitch | sl st | slip stitch (ss) | 引拔针 | 引き抜き編み | 빼뜨기 | punto raso / punto enano (pr, pe) | ponto baixíssimo (pbx.) | maille coulée (mc) | Kettmasche (Km) | соединительный столбик (сс) | الغرزة المنزلقة (slst) |
| single crochet | sc | double crochet (dc) | 短针 (X) | 細編み | 짧은뜨기 | punto bajo (pb); Latin America: medio punto (mp) | ponto baixo (pb.) | maille serrée (ms) | feste Masche (fM) | столбик без накида (сбн) | غرزة الحشو (sc) |
| half double crochet | hdc | half treble (htr) | 中长针 (T) | 中長編み | 긴뜨기 | medio punto alto (mpa) | meio ponto alto (mpa.) | demi-bride (dmbr) | halbes Stäbchen (hStb) | полустолбик с накидом (пссн) | غرزة نصف العمود (hdc) |
| double crochet | dc | treble (tr) | 长针 (F) | 長編み | 한길 긴뜨기 | punto alto (pa); Latin America: vareta (pv) | ponto alto (pa.) | bride (br) | Stäbchen (Stb) | столбик с накидом (ссн) | غرزة عمود بلفة (dc) |
| treble crochet | tr | double treble (dtr) | 长长针 (E) | 長々編み目 | 두길 긴뜨기 | punto alto doble (pad) | ponto alto duplo (pad.) | double bride (dbr) | Doppelstäbchen (DStb) | столбик с 2 накидами (сс2н) | غرزة عمود بلفتين (tr) |
| increase (2 sc in 1 st) | inc | increase (inc) | 加针 (V) | 細編み2目編み入れる | 짧은뜨기 2코 넣어뜨기 | aumento (aum) | aumento (aum.) | augmentation (aug) | Zunahme (zun) | прибавка (пр) | زيادة |
| decrease (sc2tog) | dec, sc2tog | dc2tog | 减针 (A) | 細編み2目一度 | 짧은뜨기 2코 모아뜨기 | disminución (dism) | diminuição (dim.) | diminution (dim) | Abnahme (abn) | убавка (уб) | تنقيص غرزة حشو (sc2tog) |
| back loop only | BLO | back loop (bl) | 挑后半针；圈钩时叫条纹针 | すじ編み（向こう側1本） | — | bucle de atrás / hebra trasera (blo) | BLO (pegando pela alça de trás) | brin arrière (bar) | hinteres Maschenglied (hMg) | за заднюю стенку петель (ЗСП) | اللفة الخلفية (BLO) |
| front loop only | FLO | front loop (fl) | 挑前半针 | — | — | bucle del frente / hebra delantera (flo) | FLO (pegando pela alça da frente) | brin avant (bav) | vorderes Maschenglied (vMg) | за переднюю стенку петель (ПСП) | اللفة الأمامية (f lp) |
| bobble stitch | bo | bobble | 3针长针的枣形针 | 長編み3目の玉編み目 | 한길 긴뜨기 3코 구슬뜨기 | punto bobble (bob) | ponto bolha (bl.) | point noisette | Noppe (Nop) | пучок | غرزة الفقاعات |
| puff stitch | ps, puff | puff stitch | 3针中长针的枣形针（团针） | 中長編み3目の玉編み目 | — | punto puff (puff) | ponto puff (p.puff) | mouchet / point de bouffées | — | пышный столбик | الغرزة المنتفخة (puff) |
| popcorn stitch | pc | popcorn | 爆米花针 | 長編み5目のパプコーン編み | 한길 긴뜨기 5코 팝콘뜨기 | punto popcorn / bodoque | ponto pipoca | point popcorn | Popcornmasche | попкорн | غرزة الفيشارة (pop) |
| picot | p, picot | picot (p) | 狗牙针 | ピコット編み | 피코뜨기 | punto picot | picô | picot | Picot / Mäusezähnchen (Pic) | пико | بيكو (picot) |
| magic ring | MR | magic loop / magic ring | 环形起针 | わの作り目 | 매직링 (MR) / 실감아 둥근코 | anillo mágico (am) | anel mágico (AM.) | anneau magique (am) | magischer Ring (MR) / Fadenring (FR) | кольцо амигуруми (КА) | الحلقة السحرية |
Names were checked against yarn makers' and publishers' stitch guides and abbreviation lists in each language (for example the Craft Yarn Council, Simply Crochet, Círculo, Katia, Hobbii, myboshi, Gosyo and Hamanaka), plus national Wikipedias. Some Chinese and Arabic terms are only documented on crochet blogs and video titles, not by publishers.
The UK trap: names shifted by one step
UK patterns use the same words as US patterns for different stitches. Every UK name is one step taller: US single crochet is UK double crochet, US double crochet is UK treble, and US treble is UK double treble. Chain and slip stitch are the same. If a pattern has no single crochet at all, it is probably written in UK terms. See US vs UK crochet terms.
Abbreviations that mean different things
- French “db”. Some French sources use db for double bride (US treble) and others for demi-bride (US half double). Read the pattern's abbreviation list; the table uses dbr and dmbr, which are unambiguous.
- “pc”. In US patterns pc is popcorn. In Spanish lists it can mean punto corrido (slip stitch), and in Círculo's Brazilian list pc. is ponto caranguejo (crab stitch).
- Brazilian “bl.” means ponto bolha (bobble), not back loop. Círculo's official list keeps the English BLO and FLO for the loops. We found no Brazilian source that uses “PFA” for back loop only.
- Korean stitch heights. In most Korean patterns 긴뜨기 is half double crochet and 한길 긴뜨기 is double crochet, but Korean Wikipedia lists 긴뜨기 one step taller. Check the stitch height in the pattern's chart.
- Chinese front and back loop. Some Chinese sources say 内半针 and 外半针 instead of 后半针 and 前半针. Look at the photo or chart to see which loop is meant.
- German. There is no official standard, so Km, KM, Lm and LM all appear. Hobbii writes MR for the magic ring; myboshi writes FR (Fadenring).
Bobble, puff and popcorn in Chinese and Japanese
Chinese and Japanese do not have one word for each of these. They name the cluster by stitch and count: a bobble is usually 3 double crochets closed together (3针长针的枣形针, 長編み3目の玉編み), a puff is 3 half double crochets closed together, and a popcorn is 5 double crochets folded together (爆米花针, パプコーン編み). Translations vary, so count the stitches in the pattern. For the chart symbols, see bobble, puff and popcorn.
Reading a pattern in another language
- Find the pattern's own abbreviation list first; designers do not all use the same abbreviations.
- Check whether it is US or UK English before translating anything.
- Japanese, Chinese and many Korean patterns are charts. The symbols are the same everywhere; see how to read a crochet chart.
- Chinese written patterns use letters such as X, V and A; see how to read Chinese crochet patterns.
Chart symbols on this page
Frequently asked questions
What does BLO mean in crochet, and what is it in Portuguese?
BLO means back loop only: insert the hook under the back loop of the stitch only. Brazilian patterns from Círculo keep the abbreviation BLO and explain it as “pegando pela alça de trás”.
What is single crochet in Spanish?
Punto bajo (pb) in Spain; in Latin America it is often called medio punto (mp).
What does ms mean in French crochet?
Maille serrée, which is US single crochet (UK double crochet).
What is Stb in German crochet?
Stäbchen, which is US double crochet (UK treble). hStb is halbes Stäbchen (US half double crochet) and fM is feste Masche (US single crochet).
What does сбн mean in Russian crochet patterns?
Столбик без накида, which is US single crochet. ссн is столбик с накидом, US double crochet.
Why do Japanese patterns have no abbreviations?
Japanese patterns are usually charts drawn with standard (JIS) symbols, and the text uses full stitch names such as 細編み (single crochet) and 長編み (double crochet).
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