How to Say "Surgeon" in Spanish

cirujano

/θiɾuˈxano/masculine

The Spanish word for surgeon is cirujano. Wiktionary also lists quirurgo.

Meaning: doctor who performs surgery (noun)

Ways to say it

“surgeon” in Spanish
Spanish	IPA	Note
cirujano	/θiɾuˈxano/ /siɾuˈxano/	masculine
quirurgo	/kiɾuɾɡo/ (from spelling rules)	masculine

cirujano is used to describe a doctor who performs surgery.

While both cirujano and quirurgo mean surgeon, cirujano is the much more common term used in modern medical contexts.

The masculine form is cirujano and its plural is cirujanos. To refer to a female surgeon, use the feminine form cirujana.

/θiɾuˈxano/

Historically, in Spain, cirujanos were often distinct from médicos, as surgery was once considered a manual trade rather than a scholarly science.
In the Greek roots of cirujano, the word is a compound of 'kheir', meaning 'hand', and 'ergon', meaning 'work'.

Tom es un cirujano plástico.
Tom is a plastic surgeon.
This sentence shows how to use cirujano to describe a specific type of surgeon.
Tatoeba #2046313 by marcelostockle, translation #1425378 by Spamster
Su hijo también es cirujano.
His son is also a surgeon.
This sentence illustrates how to use cirujano to describe a person's profession.
Tatoeba #13871734 by Seael, translation #13875984 by rul
El cirujano amputó la pierna equivocada.
The surgeon amputated the wrong leg.
This sentence demonstrates the use of cirujano in a sentence describing a medical action.
Tatoeba #2261116 by marcelostockle, translation #1883080 by Spamster
El cirujano realizará la operación mañana.
The surgeon will perform the operation tomorrow.
La médica cirujana tiene una amplia experiencia en cirugía cardíaca.
The female medical surgeon has extensive experience in cardiac surgery.
17 more sentences on Tatoeba

Elena and Javier are talking about a family member's career.

Sources

Wiktionary, “surgeon” translations and entries cirujano, 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 cirujano, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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