mu
/ˈmu/
The Spanish word for the English phrase "moo" is mu.
mu is an onomatopoeic representation of the sound made by a cow or bull. If you want to describe the actual sound as a noun, you can use mugido or if you want to describe the action of making the sound, you use the verb mugir.
Meaning: sound made by a cow or bull (intj)
Which one should you use?
mu is the onomatopoeic representation of the sound, whereas mugido is the actual noun used to describe the sound itself.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb used to describe the action of a cow making a lowing sound is mugir.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈmu/
Did you know?
- The word mugido can sometimes be used metaphorically in Spanish to describe a loud, low, and continuous rumbling noise, such as thunder.
- The Spanish word for 'moo' is written as mu, which is also the name of the 12th letter of the Greek alphabet. This makes it a rare example of a common onomatopoeia being an exact match for a foreign alphabet letter.
- If you are reading a children's book in Spanish, you will see mu used frequently, but in a scientific text about cattle, you will almost exclusively see the verb mugir.
Examples in context
- La vaca hace "muuu" y el gato "miau".The cow goes "moo" and the cat goes "meow."This sentence shows how to use mu to represent a cow's sound.Tatoeba #5033321 by don_ramon, translation #5033420 by scheherezhad
- No puedo mugir como una vaca. ¡Soy una yegua!I cannot moo like a cow. I'm a mare!This sentence uses mu in the context of the verb to moo.Tatoeba #1687260 by marcelostockle, translation #1686537 by Amastan
- La vaca hace "mu", el gallo hace "quiquiriquí", el cerdo hace "oinc, oinc", el pato hace "cua, cua" y el gato hace "miau".The cow goes "moo," the rooster goes "cock-a-doodle-doo," the pig goes "oink, oink," the duck goes "quack, quack" and the cat goes "meow."This sentence provides a list of various animal sounds, including the use of mu for a cow.Tatoeba #866314 by Shishir, translation #866505 by papabear
Example conversation
A child is playing with animal toys in the living room.
- Elena¿Cómo hace la vaca, Javier?How does the cow go, Javier?
- JavierLa vaca hace "mu".The cow goes "mu".
- Elena¡Qué divertido es el sonido de la vaca!The cow's sound is so fun!
- JavierSí, es un sonido muy gracioso.Yes, it is a very funny sound.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “moo” translations and entries mu, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
