Spanish word

uña

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈuɲa/

Meaning

  • feminine nounnail

Example

Me corté las uñas antes de la reunión.

I cut my nails before the meeting.

Illustration for uña (nail)

More examples

Me muerdo las uñas cuando estoy nervioso.

I bite my fingernails when I'm nervous.

Core concept

Protective keratin plate on a fingertip.

Common phrases

  • morderse las uñas

    bite one's fingernails

  • tener las uñas largas

    have long fingernails

  • limpiar las uñas

    clean one's fingernails

Similar words

dedo: Finger or toe tip that senses and moves things.
esmalte: Colored polish for nails used for decoration and gloss.
cutícula: Narrow flap of skin overlapping the nail base.

Definition in Spanish

Porción córnea situada en la punta de los dedos, formada por queratina y destinada a proteger la piel subyacente.

Word origin

It comes from Latin unguis, a root that yields Romance words for nail or claw, making uña cognate with French ongle.

Usage tips

  • The letter ñ represents a palatal nasal like the ny in English canyon, so uña is pronounced with that sound and not like una.

Other meanings

  • clawnoun

Related words

  • uñitasmall fingernailnoun

Word lists with this word