naranja
/naˈɾanxa/feminine
In Spanish, orange is naranja. Wiktionary also lists china.
Meaning: fruit (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| naranja | /naˈɾanxa/ | feminine |
| china | /ˈt͡ʃina/ | Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, feminine |
The word naranja can refer to the fruit itself or act as an invariable adjective to describe the color orange. If you want to describe an object as being the color orange using an adjective, you can also use anaranjado, which must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies.
Which one should you use?
While naranja is the standard word for the fruit, china is used in specific Caribbean regions.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, the word china is commonly used to refer to an orange.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun naranja is feminine, so you must use feminine articles like la or una. When using the adjective anaranjado, it must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies.
How do you pronounce it?
/naˈɾanxa/
Did you know?
- The word naranja traces its lineage back to the Sanskrit word nāraṅga, meaning 'orange tree'. This shows how the name traveled from ancient India through Persia and the Arabic world before reaching Spanish.
- In the Dominican Republic, using the word naranja instead of china can sometimes make a speaker sound overly formal or foreign.
Examples in context
- Mi camisa es naranja.My shirt is orange.This sentence shows how to describe the color of a shirt using naranja.Tatoeba #5140940 by don_ramon, translation #4308370 by Wuzzy
- La naranja es naranja.The orange is orange.This sentence uses naranja to describe both the fruit and its color.Tatoeba #13595770 by Seael, translation #5257025 by solejar
- ¿Querés jugo de naranja?Would you like some orange juice?This sentence demonstrates how to use naranja when referring to orange juice.Tatoeba #2117582 by hayastan, translation #1886416 by CK
- El vestido es de color naranja brillante.The dress is a bright orange color.
- El cuadro tiene tonos anaranjados.The painting has orange tones.
- Me encantan los cojines naranjitas.I love the little orange cushions.
- 111 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
María and Daniel are in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
- MaríaDaniel, ¿hay alguna naranja en la cocina?Daniel, is there an orange in the kitchen?
- DanielSí, hay una naranja en el frutero.Yes, there is an orange in the fruit bowl.
- MaríaPerfecto, voy a cortarla para ti.Perfect, I am going to cut it for you.
- DanielMuchas gracias, María.Thank you very much, María.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “orange” translations and entries naranja, china, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries china, naranja, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
