picado
/piˈkado/
The Spanish word for chopped is picado.
picado is an adjective used to describe something that has been cut or diced into small pieces. In a culinary context, you can use the diminutive form picadillo to refer specifically to a finely chopped mixture of ingredients. If you want to express the action of chopping itself, the verb picar is used, particularly in Spain.
Meaning: cut or diced into small pieces (adj)
Which one should you use?
While picado implies that something is finely chopped or minced, the word troceado is used when food has been cut into larger, coarser pieces or chunks.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the verb picar is used to represent the action "to chop".
How does it change in a sentence?
As an adjective, picado must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes. Use picada for feminine singular nouns, picados for masculine plural nouns and picadas for feminine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/piˈkado/
Did you know?
- The verb picar is also used in a psychological sense to mean 'to provoke' or 'to bait' someone into a reaction. To be picado in this context means to be annoyed or competitiveness-driven after being teased.
- While picado means chopped, the verb picar is also the standard way to say 'to sting' when referring to insects like mosquitoes. This connects the sharp, repetitive action of chopping to the sharp sensation of a sting.
- The verb picar has nothing to do with cutting when used to describe an appetite. In many Spanish-speaking countries, if you say 'tengo ganas de picar', it means you want to snack or graze on small bits of food rather than chop them.
Examples in context
- El chef picó las verduras finamenteThe chef chopped the vegetables finely
- Corta las papas en trozos picaditosCut the potatoes into tiny pieces
- La cebolla está picada en pedacitos para la ensaladaThe onion is chopped into little pieces for the salad
- El ajo está bien picado.The garlic is finely chopped.
- Usa el tomate picado en la ensalada.Use the chopped tomato in the salad.
Example conversation
Sofía and Daniel are preparing a salad in the kitchen.
- SofíaDaniel, ¿ya tienes el tomate picado?Daniel, do you have the tomato chopped already?
- DanielSí, está aquí en el tazón.Yes, it is here in the bowl.
- SofíaGracias, ahora agregaré la cebolla.Thanks, now I will add the onion.
- DanielYo te ayudo a cortarla.I will help you cut it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chopped” translations and entries picado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
