pingüino
“pingüino” means “penguin” in Spanish (the flightless bird).
penguin
Also: pitcher, student
📝 In Action
El pingüino camina sobre el hielo.
A1The penguin walks on the ice.
¿Sabías que los pingüinos son excelentes nadadores?
A2Did you know that penguins are excellent swimmers?
En Argentina, pedimos un pingüino de vino tinto en el restaurante.
B2In Argentina, we ordered a penguin pitcher of red wine at the restaurant.
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: pingüino
Question 1 of 3
What do the two dots (ü) in 'pingüino' do?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Likely from the Portuguese 'pinguim'. Some believe it originally came from the Welsh words 'pen' (head) and 'gwyn' (white), referring to a different bird, but the name stuck to the penguins we know today.
First recorded: 16th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is the 'u' in 'pingüino' silent?
No! Because of the two dots (ü), you must pronounce it like a 'w' sound: pingu-EE-no.
Why do Chileans call students 'pingüinos'?
Because the traditional school uniform is a white shirt with a black jacket or jumper, which looks exactly like a penguin's feathers.
Do I always need to write the dots over the 'u'?
Yes. In Spanish, omitting the dots changes the pronunciation completely, so they are required for the word to be spelled correctly.