harina de maíz
/aˌɾina de maˈiθ/feminine
The Spanish word for cornmeal is harina de maíz.
harina de maíz refers to dried corn that has been milled. You may see more specific variations such as harina de maíz precocida to specify pre-cooked cornmeal or harina de maíz instantánea for instant cornmeal.
Meaning: dried corn milled to a coarse meal (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of harina (flour) and de maíz (of corn).
Which one should you use?
While harina de maíz is the general term for cornmeal, it is also used to mean corn flour, as Spanish does not always distinguish between fine and coarse milling in common parlance.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun harina is feminine. If you are referring to multiple different types of cornmeal, you can pluralize it to las harinas de maíz.
How do you pronounce it?
/aˌɾina de maˈiθ/
Did you know?
- The word maíz is not of European origin, but was borrowed from the Taíno language of the Caribbean. It traces back to the Arawakan word *marikɨ.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, harina de maíz is the essential ingredient for 'arepas', which are thick corn cakes that serve as a primary staple of the diet.
- While harina de maíz is the general term, some cultures use the word masarepa specifically for the pre-cooked cornmeal used for dough.
Examples in context
- Necesito comprar harina de maíz para la receta.I need to buy cornmeal for the recipe.
- La harina de maíz es muy económica.Cornmeal is very inexpensive.
- ¿Tienes harina de maíz en la despensa?Do you have cornmeal in the pantry?
Example conversation
Mateo and Lucía are in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
- Mateo¿Hay harina de maíz para hacer arepas?Is there cornmeal to make arepas?
- LucíaNo, se nos terminó ayer.No, we ran out yesterday.
- MateoIré a la tienda a buscarla.I will go to the store to look for it.
- LucíaGracias, Mateo, te espero aquí.Thanks, Mateo, I'll wait for you here.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cornmeal” translations and entries 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.
