Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| zarigüeya | /θaɾiˈɡweʝa/ /saɾiˈɡweʝa/ |
feminine |
| carachupa | /kaɾaˈt͡ʃupa/ | Bolivia, feminine |
| chucha | /ˈt͡ʃut͡ʃa/ | Colombia, feminine |
| comadreja | /komaˈdɾexa/ | Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, feminine |
| muca | /muka/ (from spelling rules) | Peru, feminine |
| rabipelado | /rabipeˈlado/ | masculine |
| tacuacín | /takwaθin/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /takwasin/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
Honduras, masculine |
| tacuazín | /takwaˈθin/ /takwaˈsin/ |
El Salvador, Guatemala, masculine |
| tlacuache | /tlaˈkwat͡ʃe/ | Mexico, masculine |
| zorro cola pelada | /θoro kola pelada/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /soro kola pelada/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
Nicaragua, masculine |
| zorro pelón | /θoro pelon/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /soro pelon/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
Costa Rica, masculine |
| tlacoache | /tlakoat͡ʃe/ (from spelling rules) | masculine |
| runcho | /runt͡ʃo/ (from spelling rules) | Colombia, masculine |
All provided terms refer to the marsupial of the Didelphidae family.
Which one should you use?
While zarigüeya is the most widely recognized and neutral term across the Spanish-speaking world, many specific regional terms exist. For example, in Mexico, the most common term is tlacuache and in Colombia, chucha is used.
Is it said differently in some regions?
Spanish speakers use many different words for this animal depending on their location: • Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay: comadreja (feminine)
• Bolivia: carachupa (feminine)
• Colombia: chucha (feminine) or runcho (masculine)
• Costa Rica: zorro pelón (masculine)
• El Salvador and Guatemala: tacuazín (masculine)
• Honduras: tacuacín (masculine)
• Mexico: tlacuache or tlacoache (masculine)
• Nicaragua: zorro cola pelada (masculine)
• Peru: muca (feminine)
• Other regional terms include rabipelado (masculine).
How do you pronounce it?
/θaɾiˈɡweʝa/
Did you know?
- The standard term zarigüeya does not come from Spanish roots, but was borrowed from Brazilian Portuguese, which in turn took it from the Old Tupi language sariwé.
- The term tlacuache used in Mexico is not of Spanish origin, but is a loanword from indigenous languages.
- Depending on the country, an opossum might be called a 'fox' using terms like zorro pelón or zorro cola pelada.
Examples in context
- Vi una zarigüeya en el árbol mientras caminaba por el parque.I saw an opossum on the tree while walking in the park.
- Vi una zarigüeya en el jardín.I saw an opossum in the garden.
- La zarigüeya es un animal nocturno.The opossum is a nocturnal animal.
- Esa zarigüeya es muy pequeña.That opossum is very small.
Example conversation
Sofía and Javier are walking through a park at night.
- Sofía¿Viste eso? Es una zarigüeya.Did you see that? It's an opossum.
- JavierSí, está cerca de los árboles.Yes, it is near the trees.
- SofíaNo te acerques a la zarigüeya.Don't go near the opossum.
- JavierEstá bien, no la molestaré.Okay, I won't bother it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “opossum” translations and entries zarigüeya, carachupa, chucha, comadreja, rabipelado, tacuazín, tlacuache, runcho, 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 chucha, comadreja, zarigüeya, CC BY-SA 4.0.
