cachorro
/kaˈt͡ʃoro/masculine
The English phrase 'cub' is translated into Spanish as cachorro. Wiktionary also lists lobezno and lobato.
Meaning: the young of certain animals (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| cachorro | /kaˈt͡ʃoro/ | masculine |
| lobezno | /loˈbeθno/ /loˈbesno/ |
masculine |
| lobato | /loˈbato/ | masculine |
| osezno | /oˈseθno/ /oˈsesno/ |
masculine |
In Spanish, several words are used to describe the young of certain animals. Cachorro is a general term used for the young of many different animals, including dogs and cats and is the most common way to express the concept of a 'cub' or 'puppy'.
Which one should you use?
While cachorro is a general term, other words are more specific. Osezno is used specifically for a bear cub, whereas lobezno and lobato are both used specifically to refer to a wolf cub.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the word cachorrillo might be used affectionately instead of cachorro.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of cachorro is cachorros.
How do you pronounce it?
/kaˈtʃoro/
Did you know?
- In some contexts, cachorro is used colloquially to describe a young person or a beginner, similar to calling someone a 'rookie' or 'youngster'.
- The word cachorro might be a distant relative of the English word 'chub', a type of fish, through a linguistic process involving the word 'cacho'.
- Spanish has a specific suffix -ezno used to create words for young animals, as seen in osezno for a bear cub and lobezno for a wolf cub.
Examples in context
- En el zoológico, pudimos ver una cría de león.At the zoo, we were able to see a lion cub.
- El biólogo estudió el comportamiento de los cachorros de oso pardo.The biologist studied the behavior of the brown bear cubs.
- ¡Qué ternurita de osezno!What a darling little bear cub!
- El cachorro de león es muy tierno.The lion cub is very cute.
- Vimos un cachorro de oso en la selva.We saw a bear cub in the jungle.
- Ese cachorro de lobo corre muy rápido.That wolf cub runs very fast.
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are watching a nature documentary on television.
- DanielMira ese cachorro de tigre, Sofía.Look at that tiger cub, Sofía.
- SofíaEs precioso, Daniel.It is beautiful, Daniel.
- DanielParece muy juguetón.He seems very playful.
- SofíaSí, es muy pequeño todavía.Yes, he is still very small.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “cub” translations and entries cachorro, lobezno, lobato, osezno, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cachorro, lobato, lobezno, osezno, CC BY-SA 4.0.
