raspado
/rasˈpado/
The English phrase 'shave ice' is translated into Spanish as raspado.
raspado refers to a dessert made of finely shaved ice flavored with syrup. In various Latin American countries, you may also hear the colloquial term Minutas used for this treat. In Colombia, a specific version made with shaved ice, fruit and sweet condensed milk is called a Cholado, while in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rican-style version is known as a Piragua.
What does it mean word for word?
The word raspado is the past participle of the verb raspar, which means 'to scrape' or 'to shave'.
Which one should you use?
While raspado refers specifically to ice that has been shaved or scraped, the term granizado is often used to describe a more slushy or finely crushed ice texture, a style common in Spain and parts of South America.
Is it said differently in some regions?
raspado is the standard term used in Mexico and many other parts of Latin America.
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to multiple servings of shaved ice, you can use the masculine plural form raspados.
How do you pronounce it?
/rasˈpado/
Did you know?
- In certain parts of the Spanish-speaking world, you might see the word minutas on a menu to refer to these icy treats, rather than any word related to ice or scraping.
- In some traditional preparations of a raspado, the ice is not crushed by a machine but is manually shaved using a heavy metal plane.
- While raspado is the common term, in Puerto Rico, the piragua is a culturally iconic street food often sold from brightly painted wooden carts.
Examples in context
- Hola, ¿me das un hielo raspado de fresa, por favor?Hello, can I have a strawberry shave ice, please?
- Quiero un raspado de fresa.I want a strawberry shave ice.
- El raspado está muy dulce.The shave ice is very sweet.
- ¿De qué sabor es el raspado?What flavor is the shave ice?
Example conversation
Two friends are walking near an ice cream stand on a hot day.
- JavierHace mucho calor, ¿comemos un raspado?It is very hot, shall we eat a shave ice?
- MaríaSí, me encanta el raspado de limón.Yes, I love lemon shave ice.
- JavierA mí me gusta más el de mango.I like the mango one more.
- María¡Vamos a comprar uno cada uno!Let's go buy one each!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry raspado, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
