onomatopeya
/onomatoˈpeʝa/feminine
The Spanish word for onomatopoeia is onomatopeya.
onomatopeya is a noun used to describe a word that sounds like what it represents.
Meaning: word that sounds like what it represents (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun is feminine, so it takes the feminine article 'la' (la onomatopeya).
How do you pronounce it?
/onomatoˈpeʝa/
Did you know?
- The onomatopeya for a rooster's crow in Spanish is quiquiriquí, which differs significantly from the English 'cock-a-doodle-do'.
- In Spanish comics, the onomatopeya for laughter is often written as ¡jajaja! This is because the Spanish letter j creates a breathy sound similar to the English 'h'.
- While English uses 'bang' for a loud noise, Spanish speakers use the onomatopeya ¡pum! Similarly, a sneeze is written as ¡achís! instead of 'achoo'.
Examples in context
- ¿Qué es una onomatopeya?What is an onomatopoeia?Tatoeba #6061097 by Adelpa, translation #6061093 by Adelpa
- MiauMeow
- GuauWoof
- Tic-tacTick-tock
- BruuumVroom
- Escribí una onomatopeya para el gato.I wrote an onomatopoeia for the cat.
- Esa onomatopeya suena muy graciosa.That onomatopoeia sounds very funny.
Example conversation
Two students are discussing a linguistics assignment in a library.
- Mateo¿Sabes qué es una onomatopeya?Do you know what an onomatopoeia is?
- MaríaSí, es una palabra que imita sonidos.Yes, it is a word that imitates sounds.
- Mateo¡Qué bien! Necesito usar una en mi tarea.Great! I need to use one in my homework.
- MaríaYo también usaré una onomatopeya hoy.I will also use an onomatopoeia today.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “onomatopoeia” translations and entries onomatopeya, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
