raspado
/rasˈpado/
The English phrase "abraded" is translated into Spanish as raspado.
The term describes something that has been scraped or worn away by rubbing against a rough surface. While raspado is a common way to express this, other formal terms include erosionado/a to emphasize the gradual wearing away of a surface or desgastado/a to describe an object worn down by friction or prolonged use.
Which one should you use?
If you want to refer to the act of a scrape itself, use raspadura. For a scratch, use arañazo and for a bruise, use moretón.
How does it change in a sentence?
raspado is the past participle of the verb raspar (to scrape/to abrade) and can function as an adjective. As an adjective, it must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies: use raspada for feminine singular, raspados for masculine plural and raspadas for feminine plural.
How do you pronounce it?
/rasˈpado/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, a raspado is not just a scraped surface, but also a popular street food consisting of shaved ice topped with flavored syrup.
- If a student raspa an exam, it means they have barely passed it with the minimum grade possible. This usage treats the passing mark like a surface they just barely managed to scrape.
- The verb raspar is used in Spanish cooking to describe 'deglaçage', or scraping the browned bits of meat from a pan to make a sauce.
Examples in context
- Mis rodillas están raspadas después de la caída en la bicicleta.My knees are abraded after the bike fall.
- Arañé mi celular cuando se cayó al suelo.I scratched my phone when it fell on the floor.
- El metal tiene un borde raspado.The metal has a scraped edge.
- Su zapato quedó raspado contra la piedra.His shoe was scraped against the stone.
- El suelo de madera está muy raspado.The wooden floor is very worn/scraped.
Example conversation
Daniel is showing María a damaged piece of furniture.
- María¿Qué le pasó a la mesa, Daniel?What happened to the table, Daniel?
- DanielEl acabado de madera está raspado.The wood finish is scraped.
- MaríaSe ve muy mal.It looks very bad.
- DanielTendré que repararlo.I will have to repair it.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry raspado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
