soja
/ˈsoxa/feminine
In Spanish, the English word 'soy' (referring to the bean or plant) is translated as soja.
The word soja is the noun used for the soy bean or the soybean plant. To refer to the sauce made from these beans, use the phrase salsa de soja.
Meaning: soy beans (noun)
Which one should you use?
In English, 'soy' is the noun for the bean, but in Spanish, soy is a conjugated verb form meaning 'I am'. For the actual plant or bean, you must use soja.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some regions of Mexico, the informal use of soy can be replaced by toy.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun soja is feminine, meaning it is used with feminine articles such as la or una.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈsoxa/
Did you know?
- The word soja is an example of a word that traveled from Chinese to Japanese, then to Dutch, and finally into Spanish.
- In Spanish, the bean soja is feminine, but the 'oil' it provides, aceite de soja, is masculine because it follows the gender of 'oil'.
Examples in context
- Mezcla el arroz con los huevos y la salsa de soja.Mix the rice with the eggs and the soy sauce.This sentence shows how to use soja in the phrase for soy sauce.Tatoeba #581734 by Leono, translation #3216919 by _undertoad
- La leche de vaca es más sabrosa que la leche de soja.Cow's milk is tastier than soy milk.This sentence demonstrates the use of soja in the context of soy milk.Tatoeba #1327075 by marcelostockle, translation #1326959 by Scott
- Soy médicoI am a doctor
- Soy de EspañaI am from Spain
- Soy felizI am happy
- Soy un fanático del fútbolI am a soccer fan
- Soy estudianteI am a student
- Soy inteligenteI am intelligent
- Prefiero el aceite de soja.I prefer soybean oil.
Example conversation
Javier and Sofía are at a grocery store.
- Javier¿Compraste la soja que te pedí?Did you buy the soybeans I asked for?
- SofíaSí, la encontré en la sección de productos orgánicos.Yes, I found them in the organic section.
- JavierPerfecto, la usaré para la receta de hoy.Perfect, I will use it for today's recipe.
- SofíaEspero que te guste mucho.I hope you like it a lot.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “soy” translations and entries soja, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries soja, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
