músico
/ˈmusiko/masculine
The Spanish word for musician is músico. Wiktionary also lists música and musicante.
Meaning: person who performs or writes music (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| músico | /ˈmusiko/ | masculine |
| música | /ˈmusika/ | feminine |
| musicante | /musikante/ (from spelling rules) | feminine, masculine |
| musicastro (despective) | masculine |
The term refers to a person who performs or writes music.
Which one should you use?
The standard term is músico. The term musicante is much less common and is often considered non-standard or archaic. The word musicastro is a despective form.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina, the feminine form música can be used colloquially to refer to a female musician.
How does it change in a sentence?
The feminine form música generally refers to the art of music itself. To form the plural of músico, add an 's' to get músicos.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈmusiko/
Did you know?
- The word murga, used for carnival musical groups in South America, is a 'doublet' of música, meaning both words evolved from the same original root through different paths.
- While músico is the standard term, adding the suffix -astro creates the word musicastro, which is used to insult a musician by implying they are mediocre or talentless.
Examples in context
- Tom es un músico.Tom is a musician.This sentence is useful for identifying a person as a músico.Tatoeba #1167720 by marcelostockle, translation #1167538 by CK
- Es un buen músico.He is a good musician.This sentence is useful for describing someone as a good músico.Tatoeba #3762518 by Seael, translation #2176407 by dafp
- Él era un músico malo.He was a poor musician.This sentence is useful for describing someone as a poor músico.Tatoeba #618736 by Shishir, translation #303178 by CK
- ¡Ese músico es realmente talentoso!That musician is truly talented!
- ¿Conoces a algún músico en esta ciudad?Do you know any musician in this city?
- 57 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Javier are talking about a concert they attended.
- Lucía¿Te gustó el concierto, Javier?Did you like the concert, Javier?
- JavierSí, el músico principal era increíble.Yes, the lead musician was incredible.
- LucíaÉl es un músico muy dedicado.He is a very dedicated musician.
- JavierEs cierto, su talento es impresionante.It is true, his talent is impressive.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “musician” translations and entries músico, música, musicante, 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 música, músico, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
