How to Say "Woof" in Spanish - How To Say Guide

guau

/ˈɡwau/

The Spanish word for "woof" is guau.

guau is an onomatopoeia used to imitate the sound of a dog barking.

Meaning: the sound of a dog barking (intj)

Is it said differently in some regions?

In some Latin American countries, the variation Jau is used to imitate a dog's bark. In some regions of Spain, the expression guau guau is used.

/ˈɡwau/

The word guau is actually a loanword from the English 'wow'. Over time the meaning shifted from an expression of amazement to an imitation of a dog's bark.
While English speakers use 'woof' or 'bark' as a verb, Spanish speakers often use the verb ladrar to describe the action of making the guau sound.

¡Guau-uau-uau!
Woof, woof, woof!
This example shows how to repeat the bark using guau.
Tatoeba #4992075 by cueyayotl, translation #1636266 by fengli
"Miau" significa "guau" en gato.
"Meow" means "woof" in cat.
This sentence uses guau to translate the meaning of a sound from one animal to another.
Tatoeba #10286222 by DJ_Saidez, translation #6814696 by Adelpa
Los perros ladraron durante toda la noche
The dogs barked all night long
Mi vecino tiene un perro que ladra mucho
My neighbor has a dog that barks a lot
¡Mira ese perro, hace guau guau!
Look at that dog, it goes woof woof!
Cuando digo 'guau', mi perro siempre se emociona
When I say 'woof,' my dog always gets excited
Mis perros hacen guau guau cuando alguien llega a casa
My dogs go woof woof when someone arrives home
El perro hace guau en la noche.
The dog goes woof at night.
1 more sentence on Tatoeba

María and Alejandro are at a park.

Sources

Wiktionary, “woof” translations and entries guau, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries guau, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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