leche de soya
/let͡ʃe de soʝa/from spelling rulesfeminine
Soy milk in Spanish is leche de soya. Wiktionary also lists leche de soja.
Meaning: beverage made from soybeans (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| leche de soya | /let͡ʃe de soʝa/ (from spelling rules) | feminine |
| leche de soja | /ˌlet͡ʃe de ˈsoxa/ | feminine |
The phrase refers to a beverage made from soybeans.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is built from leche (milk) and de soja (of soy).
Which one should you use?
The spelling changes based on location: leche de soja is the standard form used in Spain, while leche de soya is the standard form used in Latin America.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some Latin American countries, soja may be used by itself to refer to soy milk.
How does it change in a sentence?
Both leche de soja and leche de soya are feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/letʃe de soʝa/
Did you know?
- While leche refers to milk, in certain slang contexts in Spain, darle leche to something can mean to hit or beat it.
- The word soja actually traces its lineage back to Japanese, specifically through a Dutch intermediary. It is a linguistic journey from East Asia to Europe and finally to the Spanish-speaking world.
- While 'soy milk' is a common term in English, a Spanish speaker might simply refer to it as bebida de soja to avoid the conceptual confusion of calling a non-dairy liquid 'milk'.
Examples in context
- La leche de vaca es más sabrosa que la leche de soja.Cow's milk is tastier than soy milk.This sentence is useful for comparing cow's milk to leche de soja.Tatoeba #1327075 by marcelostockle, translation #1326959 by Scott
- La leche de soya viene en bolsa o en caja, nunca la he visto en botella.Soy milk comes in a bag or a box, I have never seen it in a bottle.This sentence is useful for describing how leche de soya is packaged.Tatoeba #4371123 by umano, translation #9955044 by Swalis
- ¿Puedo tomar leche de soja en lugar de leche de vaca?Can I have soy milk instead of cow's milk?
- Por favor, ¿podría traerme una bebida de soja para mi café?Could you please bring me a soy milk for my coffee?
- Voy a preparar un batido de frutas con leche de soya. ¿Quieres uno?I'm going to make a fruit smoothie with soy milk. Do you want one?
- Prefiero la leche de soya con el café.I prefer soy milk with my coffee.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Sofía are at a breakfast cafe.
- Alejandro¿Quieres leche de vaca o leche de soya?Do you want cow milk or soy milk?
- SofíaPrefiero la leche de soya, por favor.I prefer soy milk, please.
- AlejandroEstá bien, Sofía, yo pido la tuya.That is fine, Sofía, I will order yours.
- SofíaGracias, Alejandro, eres muy amable.Thanks, Alejandro, you are very kind.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “soy milk” translations and entries leche de soja, 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 de, leche, soja, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
