Inklingo

How to Say "palm" in Spanish

The most common Spanish word for “palm” is “palma” — use 'palma' when referring to the inner surface of your hand.

English → Spanish

palma

PAHL-mahˈpalma

nounA1general
Use 'palma' when referring to the inner surface of your hand.
A close-up illustration of an open human hand showing the palm.

Examples

Me duele la palma de la mano después de escalar.

The palm of my hand hurts after climbing.

Me pica la palma de la mano.

The palm of my hand itches.

Leí mi futuro en la palma de mi mano.

I read my future in the palm of my hand.

Feminine Noun

This word is feminine. Always use 'la' or 'una' (e.g., la palma).

palmera

pahl-MEH-rahpalˈmeɾa

nounA1general
Use 'palmera' to refer to a palm tree.
A tall palm tree with a slender trunk and large green fronds against a clear blue sky.

Examples

Vimos muchas palmeras en el Caribe.

We saw many palm trees in the Caribbean.

Hay muchas palmeras en la playa de Miami.

There are many palm trees on Miami beach.

La palmera es el símbolo de las islas tropicales.

The palm tree is the symbol of tropical islands.

El viento movía las hojas de la palmera con fuerza.

The wind was moving the palm tree leaves forcefully.

Always Feminine

When referring to the tree, this word is always feminine ('la palmera'), regardless of whether it produces fruit or not.

Palma vs. Palmera

Use 'palma' for the leaf or the palm of your hand, but use 'palmera' for the entire standing tree.

Tree Gender Mix-up

Mistake: “El palmera es muy alto.”

Correction: La palmera es muy alta. (Trees ending in -a are almost always feminine in Spanish).

Hand vs. Tree

The most common mistake is using 'palma' for the tree. Remember that 'palma' is for your hand, while 'palmera' specifically refers to the tree that grows in tropical regions.

Related Translations

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