naranja
/naˈɾanxa/feminine
The English word for the fruit orange is naranja in Spanish. Wiktionary also lists china.
Meaning: fruit (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| naranja | /naˈɾanxa/ | feminine |
| china | /ˈt͡ʃina/ | Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, feminine |
naranja is used to refer to the fruit and is also the common term for the color orange. To describe an object that is the color orange, you can use the noun naranja as an adjective or use the adjective anaranjado.
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 feminine noun china is used for the fruit. In Mexico and parts of Central America, the word china is used informally to refer to an orange.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When using naranja as an attributive noun, such as in the phrase for orange juice (jugo de naranja), use the singular form naranja instead of the plural naranjas.
How do you pronounce it?
/naˈɾanxa/
Did you know?
- The word naranja traveled a long way to reach Spanish, originating from the Sanskrit word for the orange tree and passing through Persian and Arabic.
- The Spanish word toronja for grapefruit is actually a linguistic cousin of the Catalan word taronja, but they are not related to the word for orange, naranja.
- The term china for an orange refers to its Asian origins, similar to how the scientific name for the plant includes sinensis, which means 'from China'.
Examples in context
- Mi camisa es naranja.My shirt is orange.This sentence uses naranja to describe the color of a shirt.Tatoeba #5140940 by don_ramon, translation #4308370 by Wuzzy
- La naranja es naranja.The orange is orange.This sentence uses naranja to describe 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 uses naranja in the singular form to modify the noun juice.Tatoeba #2117582 by hayastan, translation #1886416 by CK
- El naranja es mi color favoritoOrange is my favorite color.
- Me gusta tu camiseta de color naranjaI like your orange-colored shirt.
- Prefiero las naranjas más jugosas de ValenciaI prefer the juiciest oranges from Valencia.
- 111 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are in the kitchen making breakfast.
- Alejandro¿Quieres una naranja, Elena?Do you want an orange, Elena?
- ElenaSí, gracias, Alejandro. La naranja se ve fresca.Yes, thanks, Alejandro. The orange looks fresh.
- AlejandroTambién tengo manzanas en la cesta.I also have apples in the basket.
- ElenaPerfecto, comeremos fruta hoy.Perfect, we will eat fruit today.
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.
