Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| cuenco | /ˈkwenko/ | masculine |
| tazón | /taˈθon/ /taˈson/ |
masculine |
| bol | /ˈbol/ | masculine |
| boul | /ˈboul/ /ˈbol/ |
masculine |
| bowl | /ˈbol/ /ˈbowl/ |
masculine, alternative form |
| bols | /ˈbols/ | masculine, alternative form |
| escudilla | /eskuˈdiʝa/ | feminine |
All these terms refer to a container used for food.
Which one should you use?
Use tazón for larger bowls, such as those used for cereal or large amounts of soup. Use cuenco for smaller, often more traditional or rustic bowls used for dipping or serving small portions. Note that bowl and bols are alternative spellings of bol.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In certain Latin American countries, people might use vasija instead of tazón for bowl. Additionally, the term lavabo can be used to refer to a basin.
How does it change in a sentence?
All the forms provided are masculine, except for escudilla, which is feminine. The plural of cuenco is cuencos, the plural of tazón is tazones, the plural of bol is bols and the plural of escudilla is escudillas.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈkwenko/
When do people say it?
The English word 'bowl' is not translated when referring to the American football event 'Super Bowl'.
Did you know?
- The word cuenco shares a common ancestor with the English word 'conch', which refers to a shell.
- The word cuenca is the root of cuenco, but in geography, it refers to a river basin or valley.
- The word escudilla is a more archaic term for a bowl and is rarely used in modern daily conversation except in historical literature or specific regional dialects.
Examples in context
- ¿Vas a ver el Super Bowl?Will you watch the Super Bowl?This sentence shows that 'bowl' is not translated when referring to the Super Bowl.Tatoeba #5002438 by DarkHollow, translation #1413576 by Spamster
- ¿Tienes un tazón más grande?Do you have a bigger bowl?This sentence uses tazón to ask for a larger bowl.Tatoeba #3538582 by marcelostockle, translation #3315259 by CK
- ¿Tienes un cuenco para sopa?Do you have a soup bowl?This sentence uses cuenco to ask for a bowl for soup.Tatoeba #3788636 by Seael, translation #2494048 by CK
- Por favor, tráeme un plato hondo para sopa.Please bring me a bowl for soup.
- ¿Me pasas el tazón de frutas, por favor?Could you pass me the fruit bowl, please?
- Me encanta comer helado en un cuenco grande.I love eating ice cream in a big bowl.
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
- LucíaAlejandro, ¿dónde está el cuenco de cerámica?Alejandro, where is the ceramic bowl?
- AlejandroEstá en el estante de arriba.It is on the top shelf.
- LucíaGracias, lo necesito para la granola.Thanks, I need it for the granola.
- AlejandroDe nada, Lucía.You're welcome, Lucía.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bowl” translations and entries cuenco, tazón, bol, boul, bowl, bols, escudilla, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bol, cuenco, tazón, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
