culebrilla
/kuleˈbɾiʝa/feminine
In Spanish, shingles is expressed as culebrilla. Wiktionary also lists herpes zóster.
Meaning: herpes zoster (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| culebrilla | /kuleˈbɾiʝa/ | feminine |
| herpes zóster | /ˌeɾpes ˈθosteɾ/ /ˌeɾpes ˈsosteɾ/ |
masculine |
The term refers to the medical condition known as herpes zoster. You might also encounter related terms such as Erupción (rash), Infección (infection), Dolor (pain) or Virus (virus).
What does it mean word for word?
The word culebrilla is a diminutive of culebra (snake), literally meaning 'little snake'.
Which one should you use?
culebrilla is the common, colloquial way to refer to the condition, whereas herpes zóster is the formal medical term.
How does it change in a sentence?
The colloquial term culebrilla is a feminine noun and requires feminine articles like la. The medical term herpes zóster is a masculine noun and requires masculine articles like el.
How do you pronounce it?
/kuleˈbɾiʝa/
Did you know?
- In folk medicine, some practitioners suggest that if a culebrilla completes a full circle around the body, it is a fatal omen.
- While culebrilla is the colloquial term, some regions use the phrase el cinturón de fuego or 'the belt of fire' to describe the sensation of shingles.
- In some Latin American cultures, the culebrilla is traditionally viewed as a 'bad air' or a spiritual imbalance rather than just a viral infection.
Examples in context
- Señorita, usted presenta síntomas de herpes zóster.Miss, you are displaying symptoms of shingles.
- ¿Sabías que mi abuelo tuvo culebrilla?Did you know that my grandfather had shingles?
- La culebrilla es muy dolorosa.Shingles is very painful.
- ¿Cómo se trata la culebrilla?How is shingles treated?
Example conversation
María is telling Alejandro why she looks tired.
- MaríaMe siento mal porque tengo culebrilla.I feel bad because I have shingles.
- AlejandroLo siento mucho, María. ¿Fuiste al médico?I am very sorry, María. Did you go to the doctor?
- MaríaSí, me recetaron medicina para la culebrilla.Yes, they prescribed me medicine for the shingles.
- AlejandroEspero que te recuperes pronto.I hope you recover soon.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shingles” translations and entries culebrilla, herpes zóster, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
