Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| alcancía | /alkanˈθia/ /alkanˈsia/ |
Canary Islands, Latin America, Philippines, Southern Spain, feminine |
| hucha | /ˈut͡ʃa/ | feminine |
| chanchito | /t͡ʃanˈt͡ʃito/ | Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Peru, Uruguay, masculine |
| cochinito | /kot͡ʃiˈnito/ | Mexico, Venezuela, masculine |
| cochito | /kot͡ʃito/ (from spelling rules) | Guatemala, masculine |
| tunquito | /tunkito/ (from spelling rules) | El Salvador, masculine |
A piggy bank is a small container used to store saved coins.
Which one should you use?
While alcancía is used widely across Latin America, hucha is the standard term used in Spain.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The term hucha is used in Spain. alcancía is common in the Canary Islands, the Philippines and Southern Spain. In South American countries such as Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay, as well as in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, you can use the informal term chanchito. In Mexico and Venezuela, the informal term cochinito is common. In Guatemala, you may hear cochito and in El Salvador, the term tunquito is used.
How does it change in a sentence?
alcancía is a feminine noun, so it is used with the feminine article la (e.g., la alcancía). chanchito is a masculine noun, so it is preceded by the masculine article el (e.g., el chanchito).
How do you pronounce it?
/alkanˈθia/
Did you know?
- The term alcancía has roots in the Arabic word kanz, which means 'treasure' or 'hoard'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, the act of breaking a cochinito or chanchito to retrieve the money is seen as a symbolic milestone for children learning to save.
- The diminutive terms used in the Americas, such as chanchito or cochinito, use the suffix '-ito' to add a sense of cuteness or smallness to the animal name.
Examples in context
- Cuando le regalaron la hucha, lo primero que hizo Laura fue echar un par de monedas dentro y agitarla para poder oír su tintineo.When they gave her the piggy bank, the first thing Laura did was put in a couple of coins and shake it to hear it tinkle.This sentence shows how someone might use a hucha to store coins and listen to them jingle.Tatoeba #986777 by Shishir, translation #2504947 by MethodGT
- Mi hijo guarda su dinero en una alcancía.My son saves his money in a piggy bank.
- Voy a guardar mis monedas en mi chanchito.I'm going to put my coins in my piggy bank.
- Mi abuela me regaló un cochinito para ahorrar dinero.My grandma gave me a piggy bank to save money.
- Compré una hucha nueva para mis ahorros.I bought a new piggy bank for my savings.
- Tengo que romper mi alcancía para comprar el regalo.I have to break my piggy bank to buy the gift.
- Esa alcancía de cerámica es muy bonita.That ceramic piggy bank is very pretty.
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are tidying up a child's bedroom.
- Lucía¿Dónde pusiste la alcancía del niño?Where did you put the boy's piggy bank?
- DanielLa dejé sobre la estantería.I left it on the shelf.
- LucíaAh, ya la veo junto a los libros.Ah, I see it now next to the books.
- DanielPerfecto, entonces ya está a salvo.Perfect, then it is safe now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “piggy bank” translations and entries alcancía, hucha, chanchito, cochinito, 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 alcancía, chanchito, cochinito, hucha, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
