{"id":144416,"date":"2023-11-18T21:55:20","date_gmt":"2023-11-19T02:55:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/onomatopoeia-in-spanish\/"},"modified":"2025-02-27T04:57:50","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T09:57:50","slug":"onomatopoeia-in-spanish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/onomatopoeia-in-spanish\/","title":{"rendered":"60+ Onomatopoeia in Spanish for Sound Effects and More"},"content":{"rendered":"

Onomatopoeia\u2014or, onomatopeya<\/em> in Spanish\u2014are words associated with sounds.\u00a0Take animal noises<\/a> as an example: The word \u201cbuzz\u201d represents the noise a bee makes.<\/p>\n

Learning onomatopoeia in Spanish might not seem important at first, but knowing these little words will help you better understand Spanish media\u2014like TV shows<\/a>, movies<\/a>, songs<\/a> and comic books<\/a>\u2014and change up your study routine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Spanish Onomatopoeia for People<\/h2>\n

These onomatopoeia represent sounds made by people, such as when we sleep, chew, yawn, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Spanish<\/th>Meaning<\/th>Example<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Plas <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of applause or hand clapping<\/td>La audiencia\u00a0aplaudi\u00f3 al final del musical. \u00a1Plas, plas, plas!<\/b><\/i>
\n
\n(The audience applauded at the end of the musical. Clap, clap, clap!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Zzz <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of a person sleeping<\/td>El perro\u00a0hace \u201czzz\u201d<\/b> porque est\u00e1 durmiendo.<\/i>
\n
\n(The dog goes \u201czzz\u201d because he is sleeping.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rrrrrrr <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of a person snoring<\/td>Mi padre ronca como un oso, \u00a1rrrrrrr!<\/b><\/i>
\n
\n(My father snores like a bear, huugh!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Toc toc <\/a>\n <\/i> or tras tras <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of knocking on a door<\/td>\"Toc, toc, toc\".<\/b> Mi vecino tocaba la puerta.<\/i>
\n
\n(Knock, knock, knock.\u00a0 My neighbor knocked on the door.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00d1am, \u00f1am, \u00f1am <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of eating<\/td>Cuando ella come la comida italiana, dice:\u00a0\u201c\u00d1am, \u00f1am, \u00f1am.\u201d<\/b><\/i>
\n
\n(When she eats Italian food, she says, \u201cNum, num, num.\u201d)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Buaaa <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of yawning<\/td>\u201cBuaaa\u201d<\/b>,\u00a0ella bostez\u00f3 por la ma\u00f1ana.<\/i>
\n
\n(\u201cAaah,\u201d she yawned in the morning.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hip <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of hiccuping<\/td>\"Hip, hip, hip\",<\/b>\u00a0hace el elefante cuando bebe el jugo.<\/i>
\n
\n(\u201cHiccup, hiccup, hiccup,\u201d the elephant goes when it drinks the juice.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cataplum <\/a>\n , catapum <\/a>\n , catapl\u00fan <\/a>\n <\/i> or cataplam <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The general sound of hitting, bumping or colliding with an object<\/td>\u00a1Catapl\u00fan!<\/b>, el coche choc\u00f3 con el cami\u00f3n.<\/i>
\n
\n(Crash! The car collided with the truck.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ejem, ejem <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of clearing one's throat<\/td>\u201cEjem, ejem\u201d<\/b>, el profesor carraspe\u00f3.<\/i>
\n
\n(\u201cAhem, ahem,\u201d the teacher cleared his throat.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mua <\/a>\n , muac <\/a>\n , muak <\/a>\n <\/i> or chuic <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of kissing<\/td>Te quiero mucho, \u00a1mua!<\/b><\/i>
\n
\n(I love you a lot, muak!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ja, ja, ja <\/a>\n <\/i> or jejeje <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of laughter<\/td>\u00a1Ja, ja, ja!,<\/b>\u00a0\u00a1eres muy chistoso!<\/i>
\n
\n(Ha ha ha! You\u2019re very funny!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ach\u00eds <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound sneezing<\/td>\u00a1Ach\u00eds!<\/b> \u00a1Me resfri\u00e9 y no puedo parar de estornudar!<\/i>
\n
\n(Achoo! I got a cold and I can't stop sneezing!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Glup <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of swallowing<\/td>\u00a1Glup!<\/b> Me com\u00ed un trozo de pastel demasiado grande de un solo bocado.<\/i>
\n
\n(Gulp! I ate too big a piece of cake in one bite.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Uf <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound made at awful-smelling things<\/td>\u00a1Uf!<\/b> \u00a1El queso limburger huele horrible!<\/i>
\n
\n(Yuck! Limburger cheese smells horrible!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Spanish Onomatopoeia for Sound Effects<\/h2>\n

Sound effects are the sounds produced after something happens.<\/p>\n

Think knock knock<\/em> when someone taps on a door,\u00a0ring ring<\/em> when someone calls you, or splat splat<\/em> when it rains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Spanish<\/th>Meaning<\/th>Example<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Chof <\/a>\n <\/i> or Plas <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of splashing<\/td>\u00a1La chica salta en la piscina con un\u00a0\"plas\"!<\/b><\/i>
\n
\n(The girl jumps into the pool with a splash!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Paf <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of a blow or slap<\/td>La mujer lo abofete\u00f3, \u00a1\"paf\"!<\/b><\/i>
\n
\n(The woman hit him in the face, slap!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cataplum <\/a>\n <\/i> or Catapl\u00fan <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of an explosion, hit, or crash, especially when it's loud<\/td>\u00a1\"Cataplum\"!<\/b> Los fuegos artificiales explotaron.<\/i>
\n
\n(Boom!\u00a0 The fireworks exploded.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Zas <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of anything being struck, such as smacking someone\u2019s face or cracking a whip<\/td>\u00a1\"Zas\"!<\/b> El domador de leones restall\u00f3 el l\u00e1tigo contra la pared.<\/i>
\n
\n(Crack!\u00a0 The lion tamer cracked his whip against the wall.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tan, tan, tan <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound a bell makes, striking an anvil, hitting a hammer, etc.<\/td>\u00a1Escuche! El herrero bate su yunque con el martillo. \u00a1\"Tan, tan, tan\"!<\/b><\/i>
\n
\n(Listen! The blacksmith hits his anvil with the hammer.\u00a0Clang, clang, clang!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Uuuuh, uuuuh <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of a police car, firetruck or ambulance<\/td>\u00bfPuedes o\u00edr las sirenas del coche de bomberos? \u00a1\"Uuuuh uuuuh\"!, \u00a1\"uuuuh uuuuh\"!<\/b><\/i>
\n
\n(Can you hear the firetruck\u2019s sirens?\u00a0Wee woo! Wee woo!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Plic, plic <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of soft rain<\/td>Plic, plic.<\/b> La lluvia pega sobre el techo.<\/i>
\n
\n(Plop. Plop. The rain hits the roof.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tras <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of objects breaking<\/td>\u00a1\"Tras\"!<\/b> El jarr\u00f3n Ming se rompi\u00f3 en el museo.<\/i>
\n
\n(Crack! The Ming vase broke in the museum.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00d1eec, \u00f1eec <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of mattress springs<\/td>Los monos\u00a0saltan en la cama,\u00a0\u00f1eec,\u00a0\u00f1eec.<\/b><\/i>
\n
\n(The monkeys jump on the bed, squeak, squeak.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bang <\/a>\n <\/i> or Pam pam <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound a gun makes<\/td>\u00a1Cuidado! \u00a1El ladr\u00f3n tiene una pistola! \u00a1\"Pam, pam, pam\"!<\/b><\/i>
\n
\n(Careful! The thief has a gun! Bang, bang, bang!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tint\u00edn <\/a>\n <\/i> or Chin-chin <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of clinking glass<\/td>Los vasos se chocan,\u00a0\"chin-chin\"<\/b>, cuando lavo los platos.<\/i>
\n
\n(The glasses clink each other when I wash the dishes.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Glu, glu, glu <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of bubbles in water or drinking a liquid<\/td>Las burbujas hac\u00edan:\u00a0\"glu, glu\"<\/b>\u00a0en la pecera.<\/i>
\n
\n(The bubbles went pop, pop\u00a0in the fish tank.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ra-ta-t\u00e1, ra-ta-t\u00e1 <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of a machine gun<\/td>\u00a1\"Ra-ta-t\u00e1\"!, \u00a1\"ra-ta-t\u00e1\"!<\/b>\u00a0La ametralladora nunca par\u00f3 de disparar.<\/i>
\n
\n(Ratatat! Ratatat! The machine gun never stopped firing.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tric <\/a>\n <\/i> or Tris <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of a small explosion<\/td>El globo revent\u00f3: \u00a1\"Tric\"!<\/b><\/i>
\n
\n(The balloon burst: Boom!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chisch\u00e1s <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of sword fighting<\/td>Los mosqueteros luchan con espadas. \u00a1\"Chisch\u00e1s\"!<\/b><\/i>
\n
\n(The musketeers fight with swords. Clang!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Din don <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>The sound of a doorbell<\/td>\u00a1Din, don!<\/b>, \u00a1la pizza lleg\u00f3!<\/i>
\n
\n(Ding, dong! The pizza is here!)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Spanish Onomatopoeia for Animal Sounds<\/h2>\n

Animals make sounds, too! And many times, they’re not expressed in Spanish the same way they are in English.<\/p>\n

Here are the most common onomatopoeia that come from animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Spanish<\/th>Meaning<\/th>Example<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Muuuu <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Moo (sound of a cow)<\/td>El campo resonaba con el \"muuuu\"<\/b> de las vacas pastando.<\/i>
\n
\n(The field resonated with the moo of grazing cows.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Guau <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Woof (sound of a dog)<\/td>Un perro en la distancia solt\u00f3 un fuerte \"guau\"<\/b>.<\/i>
\n
\n(A dog in the distance let out a loud woof.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Miau <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Meow (sound of a cat)<\/td>El gato me salud\u00f3 con un suave \"miau\"<\/b>.<\/i>
\n
\n(The cat greeted me with a soft meow.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cuac <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Quack (sound of a duck)<\/td>El estanque resonaba con el \"cuac\"<\/b> de los patos cercanos.<\/i>
\n
\n(The pond echoed with the quack of nearby ducks.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Beee <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Baa (sound of a sheep)<\/td>Las ovejas en la granja emitieron un suave sonido de \"beee\"<\/b>.<\/i>
\n
\n(The sheep on the farm made a soft \"baa\" sound.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Jiiii <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Neigh (sound of a horse)<\/td>Desde el establo, un caballo relinch\u00f3 con un largo \"jiiii\"<\/b>.<\/i>
\n
\n(From the stable, a horse neighed with a long neigh.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Croac <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Ribbit (sound of a frog)<\/td>El estanque estaba lleno del relajante sonido de las ranas haciendo \"croac\"<\/b>.<\/i>
\n
\n(The pond was filled with the soothing sound of frogs croaking.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Oinc <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Oink (sound of a pig)<\/td>En el corral, el cerdo emiti\u00f3 un satisfecho \"oinc\"<\/b>.<\/i>
\n
\n(In the pen, the pig made a satisfied \"oink.\")<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Zzzzzzzz <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Buzz (sound of a bee)<\/td>Intent\u00e9 ahuyentar a la abeja mientras pasaba con un persistente \"zzzzzzzz\"<\/b>.<\/i>
\n
\n(I tried to scare the bee away as it passed by with a persistent buzz.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Croac <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Caw (sound of a crow)<\/td>El cuervo posado en la cerca emiti\u00f3 un distintivo \"croac\"<\/b>.<\/i>
\n
\n(The crow perched on the fence made a distinctive \"caw.\")<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ssss <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Hiss (sound of a snake)<\/td>La serpiente nos advirti\u00f3 con un amenazante \"ssss\"<\/b>.<\/i>
\n
\n(The snake warned us with a menacing hiss.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Grrrr <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>Gur (sound of growling)<\/td>Un animal salvaje hizo \u201cgrrrr\u201d<\/b> a trav\u00e9s del bosque.<\/i>
\n
\n(A wild animal went \u201croar\u201d through the forest.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Onomatopoeia Verbs in Spanish<\/h2>\n

Onomatopoeia can be expressed in verbs, too.<\/p>\n

For example, think about how the onomatopoeia “bang” can be a verb and a sound in English.\u00a0Bang<\/em> can be the sound of items colliding, and someone can also\u00a0bang<\/em> their head on a cabinet.<\/p>\n

It’s important to note that not all of these verbs are derived from a sound. So they can’t be used as onomatopoeia like they might in English, but they describe them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Spanish<\/th>English<\/th>Example<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Chapotear <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To splash<\/td>Los ni\u00f1os disfrutaban de chapotear<\/b> en los charcos despu\u00e9s de la lluvia.<\/i>
\n
\n(The children enjoyed splashing in the puddles after the rain.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chasquear <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To snap or click<\/td>Al chasquear<\/b> los dedos, llam\u00f3 la atenci\u00f3n de todos en la sala.<\/i>
\n
\n(Snapping his fingers, he caught the attention of everyone in the room.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chirriar <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To squeak or screech<\/td>El viejo carro chirri\u00f3<\/b> al dar vuelta en la esquina.<\/i>
\n
\n(The old car squeaked as it turned the corner.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chispear <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To sizzle or crackle<\/td>Despu\u00e9s de la lluvia, las gotas comenzaron a chispear<\/b> en el suelo.<\/i>
\n
\n(After the rain, the drops began to sizzle on the ground.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Chocar <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To collide or crash<\/td>Los autos en la intersecci\u00f3n empezaron a chocar<\/b> debido a la confusi\u00f3n.<\/i>
\n
\n(Cars at the intersection began to crash due to confusion.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Crujir <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To creak or crunch<\/td>El suelo de madera vieja comenz\u00f3 a crujir<\/b> con cada paso.<\/i>
\n
\n(The old wooden floor began to creak with each step.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Estallar <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To explode or burst<\/td>El globo inflado finalmente empez\u00f3 a estallar<\/b> con un sonido sorprendente.<\/i>
\n
\n(The inflated balloon finally began to burst with a surprising sound.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gemir <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To moan or groan<\/td>El viento hizo gemir<\/b> las puertas en la noche.<\/i>
\n
\n(The wind made the doors moan in the night.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gorjear <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To chirp<\/td>Los p\u00e1jaros en la primavera gorjeaban<\/b> alegremente en los \u00e1rboles.<\/i>
\n
\n(The birds in the spring chirped happily in the trees.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Gru\u00f1ir <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To growl or grumble<\/td>El perro gru\u00f1\u00f3<\/b> al ver a un extra\u00f1o acercarse.<\/i>
\n
\n(The dog growled as he saw a stranger approaching.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ladrar <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To bark<\/td>Los perros en el vecindario empezaron a ladrar<\/b> al pasar un extra\u00f1o.<\/i>
\n
\n(Dogs in the neighborhood started barking when a stranger passed by.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Resoplar <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To snort, puff<\/td>Despu\u00e9s de correr, el atleta empez\u00f3 a resoplar<\/b> para recuperar el aliento.<\/i>
\n
\n(After running, the athlete began to puff to catch his breath.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Retumbar <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To rumble<\/td>El trueno comenz\u00f3 a retumbar<\/b> en el cielo tormentoso.<\/i>
\n
\n(Thunder began to rumble in the stormy sky.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Rugir <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To roar<\/td>La tormenta hizo que el viento rugiera<\/b> a trav\u00e9s de los \u00e1rboles.<\/i>
\n
\n(The storm caused the wind to roar through the trees.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Silbar <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To whistle<\/td>El viento hizo silbar<\/b> las hojas en el bosque.<\/i>
\n
\n(The wind made the leaves whistle in the forest.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Soplar <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To blow<\/td>El viento sopl\u00f3<\/b> fuerte hasta hacer que las hojas volaran por el aire.<\/i>
\n
\n(The strong wind blew until it made the leaves fly through the air.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Susurrar <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To whisper or murmur<\/td>En la reuni\u00f3n, la gente empez\u00f3 a susurrar<\/b> sobre lo ocurrido.<\/i>
\n
\n(At the meeting, people began to whisper about what had happened.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Toser <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To cough<\/td>Despu\u00e9s de inhalar polvo, empez\u00f3 a toser<\/b> con fuerza.<\/i>
\n
\n(After inhaling dust, he began to cough forcefully.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tronar <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To thunder or crack<\/td>Los fuegos artificiales hicieron un estruendoso tronar<\/b> en la noche.<\/i>
\n
\n(The fireworks made a thunderous \"crack\" in the night.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Zumbar <\/a>\n <\/i><\/td>To buzz<\/td>En el jard\u00edn, las abejas empezaron a zumbar<\/b> alrededor de las flores.<\/i>
\n
\n(In the garden, bees began to buzz around the flowers.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Where to Find Onomatopoeia in Spanish<\/h2>\n