Spanish word

cana

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈkana/

Meaning

  • feminine noungray hair

Example

¿Ves mis canas?

Do you see my gray hair?

Illustration for cana (gray hair)

More examples

Le empiezan a asomar canas en las sienes.

Gray hairs are starting to show at his temples.

Core concept

An isolated white or gray hair on the scalp.

Common phrases

  • asomar canas

    show gray hairs

  • teñir las canas

    dye the gray hairs

  • sacar una cana

    pull out a gray hair

Similar words

pelo canoso: Hair whose overall color looks whitish or silvery from many white hairs.
pelo gris: Hair with an even grayish tint across most strands, giving a gray appearance.

Definition in Spanish

Cada pelo que se vuelve blanco o gris por la edad, la genética u otros factores.

Word origin

Cana comes from Latin canus 'gray' and is the noun related to the adjective canoso 'gray-haired' in Spanish.

Usage tips

  • Spanish often uses ponerse canoso or estar canoso to talk about becoming or being gray-haired, whereas tener canas highlights the hairs themselves.

Related words

  • canosogrizzledadjective
  • encanecerbecome gray-hairedverb
  • canitatiny gray hairnoun

Word lists with this word