Author: Crochetly · Last updated: May 16, 2026
Sources: Craft Yarn Council, regional crochet publications
Need to translate a crochet pattern from another language? This cross-reference table maps abbreviations across US English, UK English, Japanese, Spanish, and French so you can work with international patterns confidently.
Each language has its own abbreviation style. Some terms change by region. Use these tables to find equivalent stitches, construction terms, and pattern instructions across five common crochet languages.
The same stitch often has a completely different abbreviation depending on the language. For example, US single crochet (sc) becomes dc in UK, pb in Spanish, ms in French, and 細編み in Japanese. The tables below map these across all five languages.
| Concept | US | UK | Japanese (Romaji) | Japanese (Characters) | Spanish | French |
|---|
| Chain stitch | ch | ch | kusari | 鎖 | cad | ml |
| Slip stitch | sl st | sl st | hikinuki-ami | 引き抜き編み | pr/pd | mc |
| Single crochet | sc | dc | hosoi-ami | 細編み | pb | ms |
| Half double crochet | hdc | htr | han-hosoi-ami | 半細編み | mpa | db |
| Double crochet | dc | tr | naga-ami | 長編み | pa | b |
| Treble crochet | tr | dtr | naganaga-ami | 長々編み | pad | db |
| Double treble crochet | dtr | ttr | — | — | padd | tb |
| Stitch | st | st | me | 目 | p/pto | m |
| Round | rnd | rnd | dan | 段 | rd | rg/tr |
| Row | row | row | dan | 段 | vu/hil | rg |
| Concept | US | UK | Japanese (Romaji) | Japanese (Characters) | Spanish | French |
|---|
| Increase | inc | inc | mashime | 増し目 | au/aum | aug |
| Decrease | dec | dec | herashime | 減らし目 | d/dis | dim |
| Together | tog | tog | awase | 合わせ | j/jnt | ens |
| Skip | sk | sk | tobi | 飛ばし | salt/pas | sau/pas |
| Repeat | rep | rep | — | — | rep | rep |
| Continue | cont | cont | ami-susumeru | 編み進める | cont | cont |
| Beginning | beg | beg | hajime | 始め | com/inic | com/déb |
| End/Last | last | last | owari | 終わり | fin | fin |
| Fasten off | fo | fo | ami-owari | 編み終わり | rem | rab |
| Turn | turn | turn | — | — | gt/dv | tt/rt |
| Right side | RS | RS | omote-gawa | 表側 | ld/ed | ed |
| Wrong side | WS | WS | ura-gawa | 裏側 | li/lr | env |
| Concept | US | UK | Japanese (Romaji) | Japanese (Characters) | Spanish | French |
|---|
| Bobble | bo | bo | tama-ami | 玉編み | — | pb |
| Popcorn | pc st | pc st | poppu-kōn | ポップコーン | pp/pal | pc |
| Puff stitch | puff st | puff st | papun-sutetchi | パプーンステッチ | ppf | p ou |
| Shell stitch | shell st | shell st | sheru-sutetchi | シェルステッチ | pab/pc | ev/coq |
| V-stitch | V-st | V-st | — | — | — | pv |
| Crab stitch | rev sc | rev dc | — | — | pcang/pbr | msi/pc |
| Post stitch | post st | post st | — | — | pr | pr |
| Front post | FP | FP | — | — | en relieve delantero | en relief avant |
| Back post | BP | BP | — | — | en relieve trasero | en relief arrière |
| Magic ring | mr | mr | wa | 輪 | mr/am | am/cm |
Use the master tables below for a comprehensive translation of every common crochet term. These expand on the quick reference with more stitches, construction terms, and finishing instructions.
| US | UK | Japanese | Spanish | French |
|---|
| chain (ch) | chain (ch) | 鎖 (kusari) | cadeneta (cad) | maille en l’air (ml) |
| foundation chain | foundation chain | 作り目 (tsukurime) | cadena inicial | maille de base |
| slip stitch (sl st) | slip stitch (sl st) | 引き抜き編み (hikinuki-ami) | punto raso (pr) | maille coulée (mc) |
| slip knot | slip knot | — | nudo corredizo | n coulant |
| US | UK | Japanese | Spanish | French |
|---|
| single crochet (sc) | double crochet (dc) | 細編み (hosoi-ami) | punto bajo (pb) | maille serrée (ms) |
| half double crochet (hdc) | half treble (htr) | 半細編み (han-hosoi-ami) | medio punto alto (mpa) | demi-bride (db) |
| double crochet (dc) | treble (tr) | 長編み (naga-ami) | punto alto (pa) | bride (b) |
| treble crochet (tr) | double treble (dtr) | 長々編み (naganaga-ami) | punto alto doble (pad) | double bride (db) |
| double treble (dtr) | triple treble (ttr) | — | punto alto doble doble (padd) | triple bride (tb) |
| US | UK | Japanese | Spanish | French |
|---|
| increase (inc) | increase (inc) | 増し目 (mashime) | aumento (au/aum) | augmentation (aug) |
| decrease (dec) | decrease (dec) | 減らし目 (herashime) | disminución (d/dis) | diminution (dim) |
| 2 together | 2 together | 2目一度 (futa-me ichido) | 2 puntos juntos (2 p jun) | 2 mailles ensemble (2 m ens) |
| 3 together | 3 together | 3目一度 (mit-me ichido) | 3 puntos juntos (3 p jun) | 3 mailles ensemble (3 m ens) |
| US | UK | Japanese | Spanish | French |
|---|
| front loop (FL) | front loop (FL) | 前の輪 (mae no wa) | bucle delantero (bd) | brin avant (ba) |
| back loop (BL) | back loop (BL) | 後の輪 (ato no wa) | bucle trasero (bt) | brin arrière (bar) |
| between | between | 目と目の間 (me to me no aida) | entre (ent) | entre (ent) |
| space (sp) | space (sp) | — | espacio (esp) | espace (esp) |
| chain space (ch-sp) | chain space (ch-sp) | — | espacio de cadena (esp cad) | espace de chaînette (esp ch) |
| US | UK | Japanese | Spanish | French |
|---|
| turn | turn | — | girar (gt) | tourner (tt) |
| round (rnd) | round (rnd) | 段 (dan) | ronda (rd) | tour (tr) |
| row | row | 段 (dan) | vuelta (vu) | rang (rg) |
| right side (RS) | right side (RS) | 表側 (omote-gawa) | lado derecho (ld) | endroit (ed) |
| wrong side (WS) | wrong side (WS) | 裏側 (ura-gawa) | lado izquierdo (li) | envers (env) |
| beginning (beg) | beginning (beg) | 始め (hajime) | comienzo (com) | commencement (com) |
| next | next | 次 (tsugi) | siguiente (sig) | suivant (suiv) |
| repeat (rep) | repeat (rep) | — | repetir (rep) | répéter (rep) |
| together (tog) | together (tog) | 合わせ (awase) | juntos (j/jnt) | ensemble (ens) |
| US | UK | Japanese | Spanish | French |
|---|
| main color (MC) | main colour (MC) | 主色 (shushoku) | color principal (cp) | couleur principale (cp) |
| contrasting color (CC) | contrasting colour (CC) | 対照色 (taishōshoku) | color contrastante (ct) | couleur de contraste (ct) |
| change color (cc) | change colour (cc) | 糸を変える (ito o kaeru) | cambiar color (cc) | changer couleur (cc) |
| place marker (pm) | place marker (pm) | — | colocar marcador (cm) | placer marqueur (pm) |
| marker (m) | marker (m) | — | marcador (mar) | marqueur (mar) |
| US | UK | Japanese | Spanish | French |
|---|
| fasten off (fo) | fasten off (fo) | 編み終わり (ami-owari) | rematar (rem) | rabattre (rab) |
| weave in ends | weave in ends | 糸始末 (ito-shimatsu) | hilvanar los extremos | rentrer les fils |
| sew together | sew together | 縫い合わせる (nui-awaseru) | coser (cos) | coudre (cou) |
| join | join | — | unir (un) | joindre (jo) |
| assembly | assembly | — | ensamblaje (ens) | assemblage (ass) |
| gauge (g) | tension (tension) | — | muestra de tensión (mt) | échantillon (ech) |
Each crochet tradition has its own style: Japanese patterns use symbols, Spanish varies by region, French is descriptive, and US/UK rely on heavy abbreviations. Understanding these differences helps you read patterns faster.
- Symbol-heavy: Japanese patterns lean on visual symbols, not text
- Reading direction: Traditional patterns read vertically, right-to-left
- Minimal text: Instructions are short and to the point
- Universal symbols: The symbols work across languages
- Regional variations: Spanish from Spain and Latin America can differ
- Multiple abbreviations: Some terms have more than one abbreviation
- Descriptive language: Patterns often spell things out instead of abbreviating
- Descriptive terminology: French patterns tend to use full words
- Consistent: Terms are fairly standard across French-speaking regions
- Formal language: More polished and descriptive than some other languages
- Abbreviation-heavy: US and UK patterns use lots of abbreviations
- Systematic: The abbreviation style is very organized
- Key difference: Stitch names are not the same between US and UK
Regional differences matter, especially for Spanish, where terms for the same stitch change between Spain, Mexico, and Argentina. The tables below highlight the most important regional variants.
| Region | Term for Single Crochet | Term for Double Crochet | Term for Slip Stitch |
|---|
| Spain | punto enano (pe) | punto vareta (v) | punto enano (pe) |
| Latin America | punto bajo (pb) / medio punto (mp) | punto alto (pa) | punto raso (pr) / punto deslizado (pd) |
| Mexico | punto bajo (pb) | punto alto (pa) | punto bajo al revés (pbr) |
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|
| ○ | chain stitch |
| ⊕ / + | single crochet |
| T with / | double crochet |
| T with // | treble crochet |
| ● | slip stitch |
| V | increase |
| ∧ / \ | decrease |
Start by identifying the pattern language, then check for an abbreviation key before using these tables. These tips help you translate faster and avoid common mistakes.
- Identify the pattern language by looking for characteristic terms
- Check for abbreviation keys in the pattern itself
- Use the master tables for quick reference
- Consider regional variations, especially for Spanish patterns
- For Japanese patterns, focus on learning the symbols rather than text
- Always make a gauge swatch when switching between pattern languages
The biggest challenge is the same abbreviation meaning different things in different languages. Always check the pattern’s own terminology section, as it is your most reliable source.
| Challenge | Solution |
|---|
| Same abbreviation, different meanings | Always check the pattern’s terminology section |
| Regional variations | Consider the country of origin |
| Symbol vs text (Japanese) | Learn the basic symbol system first |
| Descriptive vs abbreviated (French/Spanish) | Look for full-term explanations |
| US/UK stitch name differences | Use the conversion tables carefully |
Bookmark this page for when you run into a pattern in another language. When in doubt, always check the pattern’s own terminology section, as that is your most reliable source.