Depending on where you are, the @ symbol isn’t just a technical character. It’s become a part of culture and has earned a variety of endearing names around the world.
In many languages, the names are visual. The curled shape of the symbol invites comparison: animals, food, or familiar objects. In Italy, it’s called “chiocciola,” which means “snail.” In Finnish, it’s seen as “kissanhäntä,” meaning “cat’s tail.” The Russians envision it as a “little dog,” while the Czechs call it “pickled herring.”
In other cases, the name stays closer to its function. Some languages – like Hindi and Arabic – use a direct version of “at,” either translated or adapted phonetically.
There’s no single pattern, and that’s part of what makes it interesting. The symbol itself is fixed, but the meaning people attach to it is flexible.
The 25 names for the @ sign around the world
Regardless of language and culture, the @ sign is one of the most recognizable symbols around the world. Here’s how different people interpret it:
- English – “at”
- Spanish – “arroba”
- Portuguese – “arroba”
- French – “arobase”
- German – “Klammeraffe” (“spider monkey”)
- Italian – “chiocciola” (“snail”)
- Chinese – “小老鼠” (“little mouse”)
- Russian – “sobachka” (“little dog”)
- Polish – “małpa” (“monkey”)
- Swedish – “snabel-a” (“elephant trunk A”)
- Vietnamese – “bent A” / “hooked A”
- Romanian – “arond” or “coadă de maimuță” (“monkey tail”)
- Japanese – “アットマーク” (“at mark”)
- Korean – “골뱅이” (“sea snail”)
- Turkish – “et işareti” (“at sign”)
- Greek – “παπάκι” (“little duck”)
- Dutch – “apenstaartje” (“little monkey tail”)
- Hebrew – “שטרודל” (“strudel”)
- Hindi – “एट” (“at”)
- Arabic – “آتْ” (“at”)
- Finnish – “kissanhäntä” (“cat’s tail”)
- Hungarian – “kukac” (“worm”)
- Welsh – “malwoden” (“snail”)
- Czech – “zavináč” or “rollmop” (“pickled herring”)
- Estonian – “ät” or “kringel” (“pretzel”)
Where does the @ sign come from?
The @ sign now seems inseparable from email, but its story started long before inboxes – or the internet itself – existed. Historians have traced its origins back centuries, when merchants used it as a shorthand in trade. In Spain and Portugal, the word “arroba” referred to a unit of weight, and that meaning still lingers today.
It wasn’t until 1971 that the @ sign took on its modern role. That year, engineer Ray Tomlinson sent the first email between two computers connected to ARPANET, the early version of the internet. To separate the user name from the host, he chose the @ symbol, which was rarely used at the time.
Tomlinson later described it as a practical choice because the character indicated that a user was located at a specific host computer. That choice became one of the most widely used conventions in modern communication.
The invention of modern email? Simply “a neat idea”
Years later, talking about the invention of email, Ray Tomlinson described it simply as “a neat idea.” It would have been uncharacteristic for the engineer to emphasize just how much his idea changed the world. His daughter Suzanne described him as a humble person, despite his achievements: “He had a unique sense of humor and incredible intellect. Although he received an enormous amount of recognition for the creation of email, he always remained very modest.”
Email turns 55
This year marks 55 years since Ray Tomlinson sent that first email. He said the content was "entirely forgettable," and couldn't remember the exact date he sent that email. However, there's one date we can be certain of: Tomlinson's birthday, April 23.
April 23 is now known as Email Day, a holiday initiated by email deliverability company ZeroBounce. It honors Ray Tomlinson and the lasting power of his invention.
Note: Some names and translations of the “@” symbol are informal, culturally descriptive, or visual nicknames rather than standardized linguistic definitions. This article is based on material provided by ZeroBounce, with additional editorial review.
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