femenino
/femeˈnino/
The Spanish word for girly is femenino.
femenino is an adjective used to describe something that is characteristic of a stereotypical girl.
Meaning: characteristic of a stereotypical girl (adj)
How do you pronounce it?
/femeˈnino/
Did you know?
- The root of femenino can be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root *dʰeh₁(y)-der, which originally related to the idea of 'nursing' or 'breastfeeding'.
- While femenino is the direct translation, Spanish speakers often use the word cursi to describe things that are 'too girly' or overly sentimental in a tacky way.
- While femenino describes traits, it is also the term used for the 'feminine' grammatical gender in Spanish, which applies to many words that are not girls or women at all.
Examples in context
- Me encanta su estilo femenino y eleganteI love her feminine and elegant style.
- Ella siempre luce coqueta con su ropa y maquillajeShe always looks flirtatious with her clothing and makeup.
- Ese color es muy femenino.That color is very girly.
- No me gusta ese estilo tan femenino.I don't like that very girly style.
- Ella prefiere los detalles más femeninos.She prefers more girly details.
Example conversation
Sofía and Alejandro are looking at a new apartment decoration.
- Alejandro¿Te gusta este diseño?Do you like this design?
- SofíaEs un poco demasiado femenino para mí.It is a bit too girly for me.
- AlejandroPero a ti te gusta lo femenino.But you like girly things.
- SofíaSolo algunas cosas, Alejandro.Only certain things, Alejandro.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry femenino, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries femenino, CC BY-SA 4.0.
