Hardwood/softwood confused in translation.
Ok, I’m genuinely confused here. First of all I’m a wood shop teacher with over 25 years of experience in woodworking, cabinetry, framing… I know about wood ;) My problem is this: when discussing wood species in English (my native language is Flemish) people are talking about softwood and hardwood. I refer to pine, cedar, fir as “naaldhout” (needle wood) in my language, and oak, poplar, ash… are “loofhout” (leaf wood). It appears to me that in English people call oak a hardwood and fir a softwood? Is there no terminology for wood that has needles vs. woods that have needles? This is confusing to me, because some some “leafwoods” are softer than some “needlewoods” despite being referred to as a hardwood. Google translate didn’t help, it gave me this: (screenshot)
Ok, I’m genuinely confused here. First of all I’m a wood shop teacher with over 25 years of experience in woodworking, cabinetry, framing… I know about wood ;) My problem is this: when discussing wood species in English (my native language is Flemish) people are talking about softwood and hardwood. I refer to pine, cedar, fir as “naaldhout” (needle wood) in my language, and oak, poplar, ash… are “loofhout” (leaf wood). It appears to me that in English people call oak a hardwood and fir a softwood? Is there no terminology for wood that has needles vs. woods that have needles? This is confusing to me, because some some “leafwoods” are softer than some “needlewoods” despite being referred to as a hardwood. Google translate didn’t help, it gave me this: (screenshot)