This isn’t just any periodic table, this is a Klingon Periodic Table!
The element symbols used in this table are written in Klingon script. This table is optimized to fit on any widescreen monitor up to 4K resolutions (3840 × 2160). Download the wallpaper directly, or click the image above.
Another option is the two-toned Klingon Periodic Table in red and black.
This table is the same basic table with only red and black. I think it looks fairly martial for a periodic table. Download your copy to use on your widescreen device today.
Notes on making the Klingon Periodic Table
I had a couple of requests for a periodic table in Klingon. I thought, how hard could it be?
Turns out, fairly complicated.
I searched around online and found there is a large fanbase for the Klingon language. There’s even a Klingon Language Institute (www.kli.org). The writing system has never really been officially been laid out by the folks who write the Star Trek television shows. It’s shown up differently in the different series and movies. The font I chose to use is known as the HaSta pIqaD script from the book Haynes Bird Of Prey Manual. Basically, I chose it because it looked cooler than the others.
I downloaded a set of fonts from https://www.evertype.com/fonts/tlh/ and referred to the KlingonWIKI page on Fonts for letter substitutions. I also used Bing’s online translator for some help. It didn’t take long for me to find out there aren’t any letters for ‘F’ (hello fluorine!). I waffled between using the element number instead of an F but went with the character the translator suggested. This helped with other elements containing an F, such as californium, rutherfordium, francium, and flerovium. The problem with this was it was the same character used for K. I changed the element symbol to Ka for potassium (kalium) for this table. I thought about using the Q character for the hard K sound but ended up with the translator’s suggestion. I had the same problem with the letter Z for zinc and zirconium. Bing suggested the Klingon S character.
It was fun making these tables. I am a Star Trek fan myself. If you have any comments on the choices I made, feel free to post them in the comments!
Very cool table, but some hints of myself (as a Klingon speaker):
1. There’s an error at K(alium) G1/P4: In klingon it should be “k” (lower-case K). In your version, I actually don’t recognize the first letter of this element as a Klingon character. Shell it be “f” (gh) ?
2. Zirconium (Zr) would be ” ‘r ” (written zr).
3. Rutherfordium: Same as character as mentioned in (1)
4. Niobium: The “n” doesn’t look so much like the Klingon “n”
5. Tantalum: The left peak of the letter “t” should be pointing to the right.
Excellent job. I’ve loved this since I first saw it. This morning, I noticed that due to the K/F dilemma you note, Krypton and Francium wind up with the same atomic symbol. If you go with the Q instead of the K for potassium and krypton, then there is no francium/krypton confusion. This would enable potassium to be a single character, which helps it feel a little more correct. That is probably how Mendeleev did it, when he did it in the original Klingon.