Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| tapir | /taˈpiɾ/ | masculine |
| anta | /ˈanta/ | Argentina, Bolivia, Northern, feminine |
| anteburro | /anteburo/ (from spelling rules) | Mexico, Southern, masculine |
| danta | /ˈdanta/ | Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Southern, Venezuela, feminine |
| danto | /danto/ (from spelling rules) | Honduras, Nicaragua, masculine |
| mboreví | /mboɾebi/ (from spelling rules) | Paraguay, masculine |
| sachavaca | /sat͡ʃaˈbaka/ | Peru, feminine |
| vaca de monte | /baka de monte/ (from spelling rules) | Ecuador, feminine |
All forms refer to the tapir, a large odd-toed ungulate characterized by a long prehensile upper lip.
Which one should you use?
The choice of word depends heavily on the specific country or region. While tapir is a standard masculine noun, many regional variations use feminine forms, such as anta, danta, sachavaca or vaca de monte. Conversely, specific regions use masculine forms like anteburro, danto or mboreví.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain and parts of Latin America, you can use anta (feminine). In Argentina and Bolivia, anta is also used. In Southern Mexico, the masculine term anteburro is common, while in many Central and South American countries including Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Southern and Venezuela, danta (feminine) is a common way to refer to the animal. In Honduras and Nicaragua, the masculine form danto is used. In Paraguay, the word mboreví (masculine) is used. In Peru and Ecuador, the term sachavaca (feminine) is used and specifically in Ecuador, the phrase vaca de monte (feminine) is also used.
How does it change in a sentence?
The term danta uses the feminine article la.
How do you pronounce it?
/taˈpiɾ/
Did you know?
- The term sachavaca is a linguistic hybrid, merging the indigenous Quechua word sacha for 'forest' with the Spanish word vaca for 'cow'.
- In Paraguay, the name for this animal is mboreví, which comes from the Guaraní language rather than Spanish.
- In different Spanish-speaking countries, the animal changes gender depending on the name used, switching from the masculine tapir to the feminine danta or anta.
Examples in context
- El biólogo estudia la vida salvaje, incluyendo especies como la danta.The biologist studies wildlife, including species like the tapir.
- ¡Mira, allí hay una anta! Es una especie en peligro de extinción.Look, there's a tapir! It's an endangered species.
- El tapir camina por la selva.The tapir walks through the jungle.
- Vi un tapir en el zoológico.I saw a tapir at the zoo.
- Ese tapir es muy grande.That tapir is very large.
Example conversation
Lucía and Daniel are watching a nature documentary on TV.
- Lucía¿Qué animal es ese?What animal is that?
- DanielEs un tapir.It is a tapir.
- Lucía¡Qué interesante es el tapir!How interesting the tapir is!
- DanielSí, es un animal único.Yes, it is a unique animal.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tapir” translations and entries tapir, anta, anteburro, danta, danto, sachavaca, 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.
