Spanish Conversation · Level 120
60 words
Spanish word
sonaja
Pronunciation
IPA/soˈnaxa/
Meaning
- feminine nounrattle
Example
La niña sacude la sonaja y ríe.
The girl shakes the rattle and laughs.
More examples
En la guardería los niños agitan la sonaja para seguir la canción.
At daycare the children shake the rattle to follow along with the song.
Core concept
Hollow handheld toy filled with loose beads that jingles when shaken.
Common phrases
agitar la sonaja
shake the rattle
tocar la sonaja
play the rattle
la sonaja del bebé
the baby's rattle
Similar words
sonajero: Very small rattle made to fit a baby's hand and jingle with gentle shakes.
maraca: Handheld shaker instrument played to mark rhythm, producing rhythmic percussive sounds.
cascabel: Small metal bell or cluster of tiny bells that ring with a bright, tinkling sound when shaken.
Definition in Spanish
Instrumento o juguete formado por un recipiente hueco que contiene pequeñas piezas sueltas cuya vibración produce sonido al agitarse.
Word origin
From Spanish sonar 'to sound' plus the instrument-forming suffix -aja, ultimately from Latin sonāre, literally 'thing that makes sound'.
Usage tips
- In everyday Spanish sonaja usually means a baby's rattle, while maraca or maracas is the common word for the musical shaker.
Opposites
- silenciosilencenoun
Related words
- sonajerorattlenoun
- sonajitalittle rattlenoun