carnicería
/kaɾniθeˈɾia/
The English phrase "meat market" is translated into Spanish as carnicería.
A carnicería is a shop or business where meat is sold. It specifically refers to a butcher shop.
Meaning: market where meat is sold (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is formed from carne (meat) and the suffix -cería, which denotes a place or shop for a specific trade.
Which one should you use?
While carnicería refers specifically to the shop or the business of a butcher, mercado de carne would be used to refer more broadly to a meat market or a market area where meat is sold.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the phrase Puesto de Carnes is used to refer to a small meat market or a butcher stall.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form is carnicerías, which is formed by adding -s to the end. The person who works in a carnicería is called a carnicero (male) or a carnicera (female).
How do you pronounce it?
/kaɾniθeˈɾia/
Did you know?
- While carnicería refers to a butcher shop, the word carnicería is also used in Spanish to describe a 'slaughter' or a scene of great carnage and violence.
- The word carne in carnicería is a cognate of the English word 'carnival', as both originate from the Latin word for 'flesh'.
- The word carnicero shares a common ancestor with the English word 'carnal', which relates to the physical flesh of the body.
Examples in context
- ¿Dónde está la carnicería?Where is the meat market?
- La carnicería está abierta los lunes.The butcher shop is open on Mondays.
- Necesito ir a la carnicería para comprar chuletas.I need to go to the butcher shop to buy chops.
- Esa carnicería tiene la carne muy fresca.That butcher shop has very fresh meat.
Example conversation
Daniel and Sofía are planning a weekend barbecue.
- DanielSofía, ¿podemos ir a la carnicería hoy?Sofía, can we go to the butcher shop today?
- SofíaSí, Daniel, necesito comprar carne para la barbacoa.Yes, Daniel, I need to buy meat for the barbecue.
- Daniel¿Sabes si la carnicería del centro es buena?Do you know if the butcher shop downtown is good?
- SofíaEs excelente, deberíamos ir allí.It is excellent, we should go there.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry carnicería, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries carnicería, CC BY-SA 4.0.
