Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| plátano | /ˈplatano/ | Chile, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Spain, masculine |
| banana | /baˈnana/ | Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, feminine |
| banano | /baˈnano/ | Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, masculine |
| cambur | /kamˈbuɾ/ | Venezuela, masculine |
| guineo | /ɡiˈneo/ | Bolivia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Eastern, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Northern, Northwestern, Panama, Puerto Rico, Southeastern, Southern, Venezuela, masculine |
| mínimo | /ˈminimo/ | Central, Honduras, masculine |
| plátano fruta | /platano fɾuta/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| fongo | /fonɡo/ (from spelling rules) | Cuba, masculine |
All provided terms refer to the fruit known as a banana.
Which one should you use?
In Spain and parts of Mexico, plátano commonly refers specifically to the sweet dessert banana. The term plátano fruta can also be used to clarify the distinction.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The word for banana varies significantly by region. In the Southern Cone countries of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, use the feminine banana. In Colombia and much of Central America, use the masculine banano. In the central and western regions of Venezuela, use the masculine cambur. Across the Caribbean and parts of Central America, including the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Cuba, the masculine guineo is widely used. The masculine guineo is also used in parts of Ecuador, Mexico and Venezuela. In Bolivia, you may encounter both the feminine banana and the masculine guineo. In Ecuador, both banano and guineo are used. In Cuba, you may use the masculine guineo or the masculine fongo. In Chile, Peru and the Philippines, use the masculine plátano. In Mexico, both plátano and guineo are used. In Honduras, the masculine mínimo is used in the central region.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word banana is feminine, while all other listed forms, banano, cambur, guineo, mínimo, plátano, plátano fruta and fongo, are masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈplatano/
Did you know?
- The word cambur used in Venezuela was borrowed from camburi, a term from the Guanche language spoken by the indigenous people of the Canary Islands.
- The word guineo is closely tied to the geography of the fruit's history, as its name is derived from 'Guinea', the region of Africa where the plant was once prominent.
- In some Caribbean cultures, plátano refers exclusively to the green, starchy cooking plantain, while the sweet fruit must be called guineo.
Examples in context
- Me comí un plátano.I ate a banana.This sentence is useful for describing the past action of eating a plátano.Tatoeba #10124663 by manufrutos, translation #5263418 by CK
- Me como un plátano.I eat a banana.This sentence is useful for describing the present action of eating a plátano.Tatoeba #10178543 by Seael, translation #1143111 by AlanF_US
- Me comí tu plátano.I ate your banana.This sentence is useful for describing the past action of eating someone's plátano.Tatoeba #10284298 by manufrutos, translation #10282381 by ddnktr
- Me gustaría comprar unos plátanos para hacer un postre.I would like to buy some bananas to make a dessert.
- Vamos a comer unos guineos fritos en el almuerzo.Let's eat some fried bananas for lunch.
- Voy a preparar un delicioso batido de cambur.I'm going to make a delicious banana smoothie.
- 43 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mateo and María are in the kitchen making breakfast.
- Mateo¿Tienes un plátano para el desayuno?Do you have a banana for breakfast?
- MaríaSí, hay un plátano en la mesa.Yes, there is a banana on the table.
- MateoGracias, María.Thanks, María.
- MaríaDe nada, Mateo.You're welcome, Mateo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “banana” translations and entries plátano, banana, banano, cambur, guineo, mínimo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries banana, banano, cambur, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
