picante
/piˈkante/masculine
The English phrase hot sauce is translated into Spanish as picante. Wiktionary also lists salsa picante/alampante/picosa and llajua.
Meaning: condiment made from chile peppers (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| picante | /piˈkante/ | masculine |
| salsa picante/alampante/picosa | feminine | |
| llajua | /ˈʝaxwa/ | Bolivia, feminine |
While salsa picante refers to the physical condiment, the word picante alone is an adjective used to describe food that is spicy.
Which one should you use?
The word picante alone is an adjective used to describe food that is spicy or hot. In contrast, salsa picante refers specifically to the physical condiment itself.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase salsa picante is a feminine noun phrase, so any accompanying adjectives must also be in the feminine form (e.g., la salsa picante).
How do you pronounce it?
/piˈkante/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use picante as a noun to mean 'hot sauce', but in Spanish, picante is primarily an adjective meaning 'spicy'.
Did you know?
- The word salsa is related to the English word 'salary', as both originate from the concept of 'salt' and the historical practice of paying soldiers in salt.
- While salsa picante is a general term, Bolivians have a specific word, llajua, for their traditional hot sauce made from tomatoes and locoto peppers.
- The term picante can be used to describe the sensation of a physical sting or a scratch on the skin.
Examples in context
- Tom le puso demasiada salsa picante a su pizza.Tom put too much hot sauce on his pizza.This sentence shows how to use picante to describe a condiment applied to food.Tatoeba #1411052 by marcelostockle, translation #1093106 by CK
- Me gusta la salsa picante de este restaurante.I like the hot sauce from this restaurant.
- ¿Tienes un poco de salsa picante para mis tacos?Do you have some hot sauce for my tacos?
Example conversation
Sofía and Mateo are eating lunch at a Mexican restaurant.
- Sofía¿Quieres la salsa picante de la mesa?Do you want the hot sauce from the table?
- MateoSí, por favor, me encanta lo picante.Yes, please, I love spicy things.
- SofíaTen cuidado, esta salsa picante es muy fuerte.Be careful, this hot sauce is very strong.
- MateoNo te preocupes, estoy acostumbrado.Don't worry, I am used to it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hot sauce” translations and entries picante, llajua, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries picante, salsa, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
