p'unchaw
The Quechua word for "day" is p'unchaw. Wiktionary also lists puncau and hunag.
Meaning: period of 24 hours (noun)
Ways to say it
| Quechua |
|---|
| p'unchaw |
| puncau |
| hunag |
The word refers to a period of 24 hours.
Did you know?
- The glottalized 'p' in p'unchaw is a voiceless ejective consonant, produced by a sharp burst of air from the glottis.
- Because Quechua is an agglutinative language, a single word based on p'unchaw can be extended with suffixes to mean 'every day' or 'for many days' without adding separate words.
- In traditional Andean calendars, the marking of a p'unchaw was historically tied to agricultural cycles and astronomical observations of the sun.
Examples in context
- Kay p'unchaw sumaqmi.This day is good.
Example conversation
Yuriana and Jose are talking about their schedules.
- YurianaImayna p'unchawniyki kachka?How is your day going?
- JoseAllinmi kachka, Yuriana.It is going well, Yuriana.
- YurianaMayman rishanki kay p'unchaw?Where are you going today?
- JoseQhatuman rishani, Jose.I am going to the market, Jose.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “day” translations and entries p'unchaw, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
