esmalte de uñas
/esˌmalte de ˈuɲas/masculine
Nail polish in Spanish is esmalte de uñas. Wiktionary also lists esmalte and pintaúñas.
Meaning: cosmetic lacquer (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| esmalte de uñas | /esˌmalte de ˈuɲas/ | masculine |
| esmalte | /esˈmalte/ | masculine |
| pintaúñas | /pintauɲas/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| laca de uñas | /laka de uɲas/ (from spelling rules) | feminine |
The term refers to the cosmetic lacquer used to color the nails.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase esmalte de uñas is composed of esmalte, meaning enamel or lacquer and de uñas, meaning of nails.
Which one should you use?
While esmalte de uñas is the full term, speakers often shorten it to just esmalte when the context of beauty or nails is already established. Pintaúñas is used as an informal alternative, whereas barniz de uñas is a formal way to say nail varnish.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Pintaúñas is a more colloquial or informal way to refer to the product, and barniz de uñas is a formal alternative.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In northern regions of Spain, laca de uñas is used to mean nail lacquer.
How do you pronounce it?
/esˌmalte de ˈuɲas/
Did you know?
- The word laca shares a deep history with the English word 'lacquer', tracing back through Latin and Persian to the Sanskrit word lākṣā.
- While esmalte refers to nail polish, it is also the word used for the hard enamel that protects human teeth.
- The informal term pintaúñas is a 'verb-object' compound, essentially combining the command 'paint' with the object 'nails' into a single noun.
Examples in context
- Mary rara vez usa esmalte de uñas.Mary seldom uses nail polish.This sentence shows the use of esmalte de uñas to describe a frequency of use.Tatoeba #8006370 by Seael, translation #5850577 by CK
- Estoy buscando un pintalabios que pegue con este pintaúñas.I'm looking for a lipstick to go with this nail polish.This sentence shows how to use pintaúñas when matching products.Tatoeba #1059971 by Shishir, translation #60466 by CK
- Mi madre se compró un nuevo esmalte de uñas color rojo pasión.My mother bought a new nail polish in a passionate red color.
- En la tienda de belleza encontré un increíble barniz de uñas transparente.I found an amazing clear nail varnish at the beauty store.
- Ayer me regalaron un hermoso pintauñas de color azul turquesa.Yesterday I received a beautiful nail polish in turquoise blue as a gift.
- Mis amigas y yo estamos planeando hacernos la manicura y queremos comprar varios esmaltes de uñas llamativos.My friends and I are planning to get manicures, and we want to buy some eye-catching nail polishes.
- El esmalte de uñas es de color rojo.The nail polish is red.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are at a drugstore.
- AlejandroElena, mira este esmalte de uñas rojo.Elena, look at this red nail polish.
- ElenaEs muy bonito, pero prefiero el rosa.It's very pretty, but I prefer the pink one.
- Alejandro¿Quieres comprar dos colores hoy?Do you want to buy two colors today?
- ElenaSí, me llevaré ambos.Yes, I'll take both.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “nail polish” translations and entries esmalte de uñas, esmalte, pintaúñas, laca de uñas, 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 de, esmalte, laca, pintaúñas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
