maíz
/maˈiθ/
The Spanish word for corn is maíz.
maíz refers to the cereal plant that produces large ears of yellow or white kernels used for food.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico and parts of Central America, the word elote is frequently used to refer to corn, especially when referring to corn on the cob or street corn. In many South American countries, particularly in the Andean region, choclo is the common term for corn.
How does it change in a sentence?
While corn is often an uncountable noun in English, in Spanish you can use the plural form maíces when referring to different varieties or types of corn.
How do you pronounce it?
/maˈiθ/
Did you know?
- Because corn is central to Mesoamerican identity, the phrase sin maíz no hay país (without corn there is no country) is a common political and cultural slogan.
- The Spanish word maíz is not of Latin origin, but was borrowed from the Taíno people of the Caribbean.
- Spanish speakers use the term nixtamalización to describe the ancient process of soaking maíz in an alkaline solution to make it more nutritious.
Examples in context
- No probé el maíz.I didn't try the corn.This sentence shows how to use maíz in a negative past tense context.Tatoeba #10992624 by JSKabylie, translation #10992634 by shekitten
- Soy alérgico al maíz.I'm allergic to corn.This sentence demonstrates how to express an allergy to maíz.Tatoeba #4428652 by Shishir, translation #4428228 by CK
- El maíz es un cereal.Corn is a cereal.This sentence provides a definition for maíz using the word cereal.Tatoeba #7122233 by arh, translation #9181885 by Nylez
- En México, el maíz es un ingrediente esencial en la gastronomía local.In Mexico, corn is an essential ingredient in local gastronomy.
- En algunas culturas latinoamericanas, el elote se cocina y se consume en celebraciones especiales.In some Latin American cultures, elote is cooked and consumed during special celebrations.
- Me encanta comer choclo asado en el verano.I love eating grilled corn in the summer.
- ¿Me recomendaría algún platillo típico que incluya maíz?Could you recommend me a typical dish that includes corn?
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Lucía are deciding what to eat for dinner.
- Alejandro¿Quieres comer tortillas de maíz?Do you want to eat corn tortillas?
- LucíaSí, me encantan las tortillas.Yes, I love tortillas.
- AlejandroTambién podemos comprar maíz tierno.We can also buy sweet corn.
- LucíaPerfecto, Alejandro, me parece bien.Perfect, Alejandro, that sounds good to me.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry maíz, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries maíz, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
