jab
/xab/from spelling rules
The English word 'jab' translates to jab in Spanish when referring to a medical injection.
In a medical context, jab is used as a noun to refer to an injection. If you are looking for the verb form meaning to poke or thrust abruptly, you should use the related words golpear or puyar.
Meaning: medical injection (noun)
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /xab/.
Did you know?
- In sports contexts like boxing, Spanish speakers often use the English word jab to describe a quick straight punch, keeping the terminology identical to English.
- In Spanish, the word jab is actually a recent loanword from English and is not an indigenous Spanish word. Because of this, it may sound quite informal or even 'Spanglish' to a native speaker from Spain.
- In many Spanish-speaking countries, a 'shot' or 'jab' is colloquially called a vacuna, even if the injection is a medicine rather than a vaccine.
Example conversation
Lucía and Alejandro are at a clinic.
- LucíaAlejandro, ¿estás listo para tu jab?Alejandro, are you ready for your jab?
- AlejandroNo, Lucía, me dan miedo las agujas.No, Lucía, I'm afraid of needles.
- LucíaSolo es un jab rápido, no pasa nada.It's just a quick jab, it's nothing.
- AlejandroEstá bien, iré ahora mismo.Alright, I'll go right now.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry jab, 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.
