humanidades
/umanidades/from spelling rulesfeminine, plural
The English phrase 'humanities' is translated into Spanish as humanidades. If unsure, use humanidades. Wiktionary also lists letras humanas.
Meaning: language, literature, etc. (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| humanidades | /umanidades/ (from spelling rules) | feminine, plural |
| letras humanas | /letɾas umanas/ (from spelling rules) | feminine, plural |
The term is used to refer to academic fields such as language and literature. In many Spanish-speaking universities, the department or faculty responsible for these subjects is called the Facultad de Humanidades.
Which one should you use?
While humanidades refers to the academic field, the term letras is often used colloquially or in academic contexts to refer to the study of literature and languages. You may also see the phrase letras humanas used for the humanities.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some regions, particularly in Latin America, ciencias humanas is the preferred formal term for 'humanities'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word humanidades is a feminine plural noun and is almost always used with the definite article las.
How do you pronounce it?
/umanidades/
Did you know?
- The word humanidades is derived from the Latin humanitas, which referred not just to study but to the quality of being human and treating others with kindness.
- In Spain, a person who has studied the humanities is often called a letrado, which originally described someone who could read and write in an era of widespread illiteracy.
- The term letras is so central to the humanities that Spanish speakers use the expression ser de letras to describe someone who is 'a humanities person' rather than a 'math person'.
Examples in context
- La historia es una rama de las humanidades.History is a branch of the humanities.This sentence shows how history is a branch of the humanidades.Tatoeba #3642030 by cueyayotl, translation #326128 by qdii
- La enseñanza de las humanidades en Chile deja mucho que desear.The teaching of humanities in Chile leaves much to be desired.This sentence discusses the teaching of humanidades in Chile.Tatoeba #1131310 by marcelostockle, translation #1131323 by marcelostockle
- El departamento de humanidades de la universidad ofrece una amplia gama de cursosThe university's humanities department offers a wide range of courses
- Ella estudia las humanidades en la universidad.She studies the humanities at the university.
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are discussing their university studies.
- Elena¿Qué te gusta de las humanidades, Alejandro?What do you like about the humanities, Alejandro?
- AlejandroMe encanta leer literatura clásica.I love reading classical literature.
- ElenaYo prefiero la filosofía y la historia.I prefer philosophy and history.
- AlejandroElena, ambas son materias fascinantes.Elena, both are fascinating subjects.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “humanities” translations and entries humanidades, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
