mosquito
/mosˈkito/masculine
The English word mosquito is mosquito in Spanish. Wiktionary also lists mosco and zancudo.
Meaning: small flying insect of the family Culicidae, known for biting and sucking blood (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| mosquito | /mosˈkito/ | masculine |
| mosco | /ˈmosko/ | Mexico, masculine |
| zancudo | /θanˈkudo/ /sanˈkudo/ |
Central America, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, masculine |
| cénzalo | /ˈθenθalo/ /ˈsensalo/ |
masculine |
| cínife | /ˈθinife/ /ˈsinife/ |
masculine |
| ventifarel | /bentifaɾel/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
The term refers to the small flying insect of the family Culicidae that is known for biting and sucking blood. When describing the action of a mosquito biting or stinging a person, use the verb picar.
Which one should you use?
While mosquito is the standard term, zancudo is a very common synonym used in many Latin American countries to refer to the same insect.
Is it said differently in some regions?
mosco is used in Mexico. zancudo is used in Central America, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. Other regional forms include cénzalo, cínife and ventifarel.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of mosquito is mosquitos.
How do you pronounce it?
/mosˈkito/
Did you know?
- In Spanish, mosquito is a linguistic doublet of mosquete, the word for 'musket'. Both share a common ancestor in Italian and Sicilian.
Examples in context
- Me acaba de picar un zancudo.A mosquito just bit me.This sentence is useful for describing being bitten by a zancudo.Tatoeba #3170815 by marcelostockle, translation #23597 by CK
- Tom fue picado por un mosquito.Tom was bitten by a mosquito.This sentence is useful for describing being bitten by a mosquito.Tatoeba #1278833 by marcelostockle, translation #1140992 by CK
- El mosquito salió volando por la ventana.The mosquito flew out of the window.This sentence is useful for describing the movement of a mosquito.Tatoeba #10923573 by Seael, translation #10915356 by Amastan
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Javier and Lucía are sitting on a patio in the evening.
- JavierHay un mosquito molestando mucho.There is a mosquito bothering me a lot.
- LucíaYo también siento que me pican.I also feel like I'm being bitten.
- JavierTengo que matar a ese mosquito.I have to kill that mosquito.
- LucíaUsa el repelente que está aquí.Use the repellent that is here.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “mosquito” translations and entries mosquito, mosco, zancudo, cénzalo, cínife, 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.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cénzalo, mosco, mosquito, zancudo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
