What do u call the "@" symbol?

Question

It's a very common sign appearing before a domain name in an email address.But just curious how Americans say that symbol?"The 'at' symbol"? LOL

Philip · Accepted Answer

In the States, it was originally a marketing symbol:  He bought 20 gallons of gasoline @ [at] $1.25 per gallon.

Chivalry · Answer

PhilipIn the States, it was originally a marketing symbol: He bought 20 gallons of gasoline @ [at] $1.25 per gallon.

Yes I know that, thank you for your help anyway. But what I'm really asking for is the TERM to call the symbol, I know how to use it in sentences, but what exactly do you call it?(We have a particularly term for it in Asia, but I never seem to have bumped into any of an English equivalent of it)

Philip · Answer

At symbol?

Chivalry · Answer

PhilipAt symbol?

What?You asking me? I'm the original poster!:)

Aerie · Answer

The 'at' symbol has been around much longer than the WWW or email. I've always thought mailto:'@' was one of the more awesome symbols.

But yes, I'm American and I've always called it 'at'.

Dokterjokkebrok · Answer

chivalry
PhilipAt symbol?

What?You asking me? I'm the original poster!:)

No, he's not asking you. He's telling you!

By the way, here in Holland we say 'a monkey's tail'.

- DJB -

Aerie · Answer

chivalry
PhilipIn the States, it was originally a marketing symbol: He bought 20 gallons of gasoline @ [at] $1.25 per gallon.

Yes I know that, thank you for your help anyway. But what I'm really asking for is the TERM to call the symbol, I know how to use it in sentences, but what exactly do you call it?(We have a particularly term for it in Asia, but I never seem to have bumped into any of an English equivalent of it)

I've heard it called an ampersat (not ampersand). When it's used as Philip mentioned it's sometimes called a 'commerical at'. However, there are many different terms for it in many different languages.

Aerie · Answer

dokterjokkebrok
By the way, here in Holland we say 'a monkey's tail'.

- DJB -

I've never heard that one in America but that's what I'm calling it from now on. I like that term.

Dokterjokkebrok · Answer

I found this on the web.

While in the English language, @ is referred to as the "at sign," other countries have different names for the symbol that is now so commonly used in e-mail transmissions throughout the world. Many of these countries associate the symbol with either food or animal names.

Afrikaans - In South Africa, it is called aapstert, meaning "monkey's tail"
Arabic - The @ symbol does not appear on Arabic keyboards, only keyboards in both Arabic and English. The Arabic word for @ is fi, the Arabic translation of at
Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian - In these countries, it is referred to as the "Crazy I"
Cantonese - In Hong Kong it is generally referred to as "the at sign," just as in England and America
Catalan - In Catalonia, it is called arrova, a unit of weight
Czech - In the Czech Republic, it is called zavinac, meaning "rollmop," or "pickled herring"
Danish - It is called alfa-tegn, meaning "alpha-sign" or snabel-a, meaning "elephant's trunk" or grisehale, meaning "pig's tail"
Dutch - Since English is prominent in the Netherlands, the English "at" is commonly used. However, the Dutch also call it apestaart, meaning monkey's tail," apestaartje, meaning "little monkey's tail" or slingeraap, meaning "swinging monkey"
French - In France, it is called arobase the name of the symbol. It is also referred to as un a commercial, meaning "business a", a enroule, meaning "coiled a", and sometimes escargot, meaning "snail" or petit escargot, meaning "little snail"
German - In Germany, it is called Affenschwanz, meaning "monkey's tail" or Klammeraffe, meaning "hanging monkey"
Greek - In Greece, it is called papaki, meaning "little duck"
Hebrew - It is shablul or shablool, meaning "snail" or a shtrudl, meaning "strudel"
Hungarian - In Hungary, it is called a kukac, meaning "worm" or "maggot"
Italian - In Italy it is called chiocciola, meaning "snail" and a commerciale, meaning "business a"
Japanese - In Japan, it is called atto maaku, meaning "at mark"
Mandarin Chinese - In Taiwan it is called xiao lao-shu, meaning "little mouse," lao shu-hao, meaning "mouse sign," at-hao, meaning "at sign" or lao shu-hao, meaning "mouse sign"
Norwegian - In Norway, it is called either grisehale, meaning "pig's tail" or kro/llalfa, meaning "curly alpha." In academia, the English term "at" is widely used
Polish - In Poland, it is called malpa, meaning "monkey." It is also called kotek, meaning "little cat" and ucho s'wini, meaning "pig's ear"
Portuguese - In Portugal it is called arroba, a unit of weight
Romanian - In Romania, it is called la, a direct translation of English "at"
Russian - Russians officially call it a kommercheskoe, meaning "commercial a", but it is usually called sobachka, meaning "little dog"
Spanish -- Like in Portugal, in Spain it is called arroba, a unit of weight
Swedish - The official term in Sweden is snabel-a, meaning "trunk-a," or "a with an elephant's trunk"
Thai - There is no official word for it in Thai, but it is often called ai tua yiukyiu, meaning "the wiggling worm-like character"
Turkish - In Turkey, most e-mailers call it kulak, meaning "ear"

I like the ''strudle' translation.

Now that they mention it, I can totally see the resemblance.

@

- DJB -

BarbaraPA · Answer

I wish we had a "like" button so I could like that post. Sadly, all I can do is verify it. But it's an awesome post.

The only problem is that now I want strudel

What do u call the "@" symbol?

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