urso
/ˈuʁ.su/masculine
The English word bear (the large mammal) is translated into Portuguese as urso. Wiktionary also lists ursa.
Meaning: large mammal of family Ursidae (noun)
Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| urso | /ˈuʁ.su/ (Brazil) /ˈuɾ.su/ (São Paulo) |
masculine |
| ursa | /ˈuʁ.sɐ/ (Brazil) /ˈuɾ.sɐ/ (São Paulo) |
feminine |
The term refers to the large mammal of the family Ursidae.
Which one should you use?
Use the masculine form urso to refer to a male bear or when referring to the species in general. Use the feminine form ursa specifically when referring to a female bear.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form ursa is used to refer specifically to a female bear.
How do you pronounce it?
2 syllables. The stressed syllable is the 1st. IPA: /ˈuʁ.su/.
Did you know?
- In Portuguese, the term urso is often used colloquially to describe a person who is grumpy, unsociable or antisocial.
- The word urso was actually a borrowed term from Latin, replacing an older, native Portuguese word usso that was once the standard way to name the animal.
- The phrase urso shares a deep ancient root with the Greek word arktos, which is why the constellations Ursa Major and Minor are known by these names globally.
Examples in context
- O urso é grande.The bear is big.This sentence is useful for describing the size of the urso.Tatoeba #3487902 by Ricardo14, translation #3487903 by Ricardo14
- Aquilo é um urso?Is that a bear?This sentence is useful for asking if a specific animal is an urso.Tatoeba #4691165 by Ricardo14, translation #6005628 by mailohilohi
- Tom matou o urso.Tom shot the bear.This sentence is useful for describing an action involving an urso.Tatoeba #8428879 by JGEN, translation #8416365 by CK
- Você já viu um urso antes?Have you ever seen a bear before?
- A exposição trata da vida e dos hábitos alimentares dos ursídeos.The exhibition deals with the life and feeding habits of bears.
- 69 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rodrigo and Beatriz are looking at a nature documentary.
- RodrigoOlha aquele urso, Beatriz!Look at that bear, Beatriz!
- BeatrizNossa, que urso enorme!Wow, what a huge bear!
- RodrigoO urso parece estar calmo.The bear seems to be calm.
- BeatrizMas ele ainda é um urso perigoso.But he is still a dangerous bear.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bear” translations and entries urso, ursa, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries urso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
