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jabón

hah-BOHN/xaˈβon/

“jabón” means “soap” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:

soap

Also: detergent
NounmA1
A simple rectangular bar of yellow soap resting on a blue ceramic soap dish with visible white bubbles.

📝 In Action

Por favor, pásame la barra de jabón.

A1

Please pass me the bar of soap.

El jabón líquido es mejor para las manos sensibles.

A2

Liquid soap is better for sensitive hands.

Se me acabó el jabón para lavar la ropa.

A2

I ran out of laundry detergent (soap for washing clothes).

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • detergente (detergent)
  • pastilla (bar (of soap))

Common Collocations

  • jabón de manos – hand soap
  • jabón en polvo – powdered soap/detergent
  • hacer espuma – to make foam/lather

scolding, reprimand

NounmB2informal
An illustration showing an adult figure sternly pointing a finger while a sad child stands looking down, representing a scolding.

📝 In Action

Le dieron un buen jabón por no entregar el informe a tiempo.

B2

They gave him a good scolding for not handing in the report on time.

El entrenador nos echó un jabón después de perder el partido.

C1

The coach gave us a telling off after losing the game.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • bronca (telling off (very informal))
  • regaño (scolding)

Common Collocations

  • dar un jabón – to give a scolding
  • echar un jabón – to deliver a scolding

Translate to Spanish

Words that translate to "jabón" in Spanish:

detergent→reprimand→scolding→soap→

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: jabón

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence uses 'jabón' in its figurative, informal meaning?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼
jabonera(soap dish) — Noun
enjabonar(to soap up / to lather) — Verb
jabonoso(soapy) — Adjective
🎵 Rhymes▼
balónrazón
📚 Etymology▼

The word comes from the Late Latin word *sapo, saponis*, which itself was borrowed from a Germanic language. This shows that the concept of making soap was adopted across Europe long ago.

First recorded: Around the 13th century in Spanish texts.

Cognates (Related words)

English: soapFrench: savonPortuguese: sabão

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'jabón' masculine or feminine?

Jabón is a masculine noun, so you use 'el jabón' or 'un jabón'. Even though it ends in -ón, it follows the common rule for nouns ending in -ón being masculine.

How do I specify hand soap versus body soap?

While 'jabón' works for both, you can specify: 'jabón de manos' for hand soap, and 'jabón corporal' or 'jabón de tocador' for body soap.