harina de maíz
/aˌɾina de maˈiθ/
In Spanish, corn flour is harina de maíz.
The phrase refers to a powder made from ground corn used for baking and cooking.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of harina (flour), de (of) and maíz (corn).
Which one should you use?
Do not confuse harina de maíz (corn flour) with maicena (cornstarch/cornflour in some English dialects), as they have different textures and culinary uses.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, it is common to use the word elote instead of maíz to refer to corn, so you may hear harina de elote.
How do you pronounce it?
/aˌɾina de maˈiθ/
Did you know?
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, using the word maicena for cornstarch is an example of a genericized trademark, as it began as a specific brand name.
- While the word maíz is used across the Spanish-speaking world, its origin is not European but comes from the Taíno language of the Caribbean.
- In many Spanish-speaking regions, harina de maíz is used to make arepas or tortillas, which are culturally distinct staples with very different preparations.
Examples in context
- Me podrías pasar la harina de maíz, por favor?Could you pass me the corn flour, please?
- Añade un poco de maicena a la sopa para espesarla.Add some corn flour to the soup to thicken it.
- Necesito comprar harina de maíz.I need to buy corn flour.
- La harina de maíz es muy fina.The corn flour is very fine.
- Usa harina de maíz para la receta.Use corn flour for the recipe.
Example conversation
In a kitchen while preparing a traditional dish.
- AlejandroElena, ¿tienes harina de maíz?Elena, do you have corn flour?
- ElenaSí, la tengo en la despensa.Yes, I have it in the pantry.
- AlejandroPerfecto, la usaré para el pan.Perfect, I will use it for the bread.
- ElenaMuy bien, Alejandro.Very well, Alejandro.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry harina de maíz, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, harina, maíz, CC BY-SA 4.0.
