Ways to say it
| Portuguese | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| cartão | /kaʁˈtɐ̃w̃/ (Brazil) /kaɾˈtɐ̃w̃/ (São Paulo) |
masculine |
| carta | /ˈkaʁ.tɐ/ (Brazil) /ˈkaɾ.tɐ/ (São Paulo) |
feminine |
In Portuguese, cartão is used for a flat, normally rectangular piece of stiff paper or plastic. Common uses include cartão de crédito (credit card), cartão de débito (debit card) and cartão de visita (business card). Note that for computer components like a sound card, the term placa de som is used instead of cartão.
Which one should you use?
While cartão refers to pieces of plastic or stiff paper, carta is used specifically to refer to a written letter sent in an envelope. Additionally, the term ficha is used for certain specific types of cards, such as ficha de biblioteca (library card) or ficha telefônica (phone card).
How does it change in a sentence?
cartão is a masculine noun, while carta is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/kaʁˈtɐ̃w̃/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using carta when you mean a credit card. Although English speakers sometimes make this mistake, you should use cartão for payment cards.
Did you know?
- If you are playing a game with a deck of playing cards, you do not use cartão. Instead, you must use the word baralho for the deck or cartas for the individual cards.
- The word cartão is actually a larger version of carta. The suffix -ão acts like a magnifying glass, turning the simple 'paper' of carta into a 'big paper' or 'stiff piece' of card.
- In a restaurant, a 'menu' is often called a carta, referring to the 'card' or 'list' of available dishes.
Examples in context
- Você tem um cartão?Do you have a card?This sentence is useful for asking if someone possesses a card.Tatoeba #2726801 by Ricardo14, translation #2648151 by CK
- Você quer o meu cartão?Do you want my card?This sentence is useful for asking if someone wants a specific card.Tatoeba #10458375 by Ricardo14, translation #10459366 by tchrspet1
- Como se usa este cartão?How is this card used?This sentence is useful for asking about the usage of a card.Tatoeba #10651514 by malafaya, translation #8838554 by sundown
- Você tem um cartão de visitas?Do you have a business card?
- Perdi meu cartão de crédito.I lost my credit card.
- Você tem uma carteirinha de estudante?Do you have a student card?
- Eu gostaria de solicitar uma ficha de bibliotecaI would like to request a library card.
- 113 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Beatriz and Lucas are paying for a meal at a restaurant.
- BeatrizVocê aceita cartão?Do you accept cards?
- LucasSim, mas o meu cartão não funciona.Yes, but my card isn't working.
- BeatrizTudo bem, eu uso o meu cartão.That's okay, I'll use my card.
- LucasObrigado, Beatriz!Thank you, Beatriz!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “card” translations and entries cartão, carta, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries carta, cartão, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
