Spanish word

piñata

Pronunciation

IPA/piˈɲata/

Meaning

  • feminine nounpinata

Example

Voy a comprar una piñata para el cumpleaños.

I'm going to buy a pinata for the birthday party.

Illustration for piñata (pinata)

More examples

Vamos a romper la piñata después de soplar las velas.

Let's break open the pinata after blowing out the candles.

Core concept

Decorative hanging container filled with sweets that is broken at celebrations.

Common phrases

  • romper la piñata

    break open the pinata

Similar words

cumpleaños: Anniversary of a person's birth observed with parties, gifts, or well wishes.
celebración: Festive occasion where people gather to celebrate an event or achievement.
sorpresa: Sudden, unforeseen event that causes surprise or astonishment.

Definition in Spanish

Recipiente decorativo relleno de golosinas que en celebraciones se rompe para que los asistentes recojan su contenido.

Word origin

It comes from Italian pignatta 'pot', adopted into Spanish to mean a festive container and later linked with papier-mâché figures used at parties.

Usage tips

  • The letter ñ represents the 'ny' sound (as in canyon), and English spellings often drop the tilde so using the ñ makes the Spanish pronunciation sound natural.

Related words

  • piñateropinata artisannoun

Word lists with this word