cosquillas

koh-SKEE-yahs

tickles?the physical sensation,tickling?the act of touching someone to make them laugh

Also:tingling?a light, funny feeling in the body

📝 In Action

¡Para! No me hagas cosquillas.

Stop! Don't tickle me.

Tengo muchas cosquillas en los pies.

My feet are very ticklish.

Sentí unas cosquillas en el estómago antes del examen.

I felt some butterflies (tingling) in my stomach before the exam.

buscarle las cosquillas a alguien – to try to provoke someone or find their weak spot

Even if you are only being tickled in one spot, Spanish speakers almost always use the plural form 'cosquillas' instead of the singular 'cosquilla'.

Mistake: "Saying 'Soy cosquillas' for 'I am ticklish'."

Correction: Say 'Tengo cosquillas' (I have tickles). In Spanish, you 'have' the sensation rather than 'being' the sensation.

To say 'to tickle', use the verb 'hacer' (to do/make). For example: 'Le hice cosquillas a mi hermano' (I tickled my brother).

Question 1 of 2

How do you say 'He is ticklish' in Spanish?

cosquilloso(ticklish) - adjective

cosquillear(to tingle) - verb

cosquilleo(tingling sensation) - noun

Is 'cosquilla' ever used in the singular?

Rarely. While it exists, it refers to a single tickling touch. In 99% of conversations, you will hear and use the plural 'cosquillas'.

Can 'cosquillas' be used for emotions?

Yes! Just like 'butterflies in the stomach' in English, 'cosquillas en el estómago' describes that nervous, tingly feeling of excitement or anxiety.