es pelirrojo
/es peliroxo/from spelling rules
To say someone has red hair in Spanish, use es pelirrojo.
es pelirrojo means he is red haired. You can also describe the hair itself with tiene el pelo rojo, or more formally Su cabello es rojizo (His or her hair is reddish).
What does it mean word for word?
pelirrojo is a compound of pelo (hair) and rojo (red).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Argentina people may say colorado/a instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
pelirrojo is an adjective that agrees with the person. For a woman say pelirroja, and for a group son pelirrojos.
How do you pronounce it?
The double r is a strong trill and the j sounds like a breathy h.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Use es with pelirrojo, since it describes the person. Use tiene only with el pelo rojo.
Did you know?
- The word pelirrojo shares a common ancestor with the English word 'hair' through the Latin word pilus, which is also the root for the English word 'pile' when referring to a tuft of hair or fabric.
- In some Spanish-speaking regions, calling someone colorado can be a slang way to say they are blushing or embarrassed, regardless of their actual hair color.
- In some Latin American cultures, there are folk superstitions that pelirrojos possess special luck or, conversely, are prone to a fiery temperament.
Examples in context
- Tiene el pelo rojo claroHe/she has light red hair.
- Mi amigo tiene el pelo rojo y brillante.My friend has red and shiny hair.
- Mi hermana es pelirroja y hermosa.My sister is a redhead and beautiful.
- Ella tiene el cabello rojo oscuro, como el fuego.She has dark red hair, like fire.
- Mi hermano es pelirrojo.My brother is a redhead.
- No sabía que tu primo es pelirrojo.I didn't know your cousin has red hair.
Example conversation
Sofía and Alejandro are talking about a new coworker.
- Sofía¿Viste al chico nuevo?Did you see the new guy?
- AlejandroSí, él es pelirrojo.Yes, he has red hair.
- SofíaEs muy amable.He is very kind.
- AlejandroSí, es un buen chico.Yes, he is a good guy.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries es, pelirrojo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
