Same thing, eight ways to say it
How to say “a banana” in Spanish — country by country
The dictionary word is plátano — DLE headword for the sweet dessert fruit in Spain, Mexico, Chile, Peru; but in the Caribbean/Colombia plátano is the cooking plantain and the sweet fruit is guineo (DO, PR) or banano (CO); Argentina says banana; Venezuela cambur. DAMER has banana only in the rude sense (the fruit sense lives in DLE). Here is what you'll actually hear in eight cities, with a cited source for every filled cell.
What people actually say
| Where | They say | Also · notes |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina Buenos Aires | banana | Regional usage plátano «sonaría MUY raro». |
| Chile Santiago | plátano | Standard usage banana is understood, never used. |
| Colombia Medellín | banano | Regional usage Also: murrapo / bocadillo (small variety, paisa region) plátano = plantain (cooked); Bogotá reports the same national split. |
| Dominican Republic Santo Domingo | guineo | Regional usage plátano = plantain (cooked; plátano macho elsewhere). |
| Spain Madrid | plátano | Standard usage Also: banana (for imported American bananas vs Canary plátano) |
| Mexico Mexico City | plátano | Standard usage Also: plátano tabasco / dominico (varieties) plátano macho = plantain; guineo is not used; the whole of Mexico is the same. |
| Peru Lima | plátano | Standard usage Also: plátano de seda (the common sweet one), plátano de la isla; guineo/banano regionally (DAMER tags Pe) |
| Puerto Rico San Juan | guineo | Regional usage plátano = plantain (always cooked). |
Grey = the pan-Hispanic dictionary word is what people really say there. Blank = we couldn't source it yet.
Watch out
- plátano flips meaning: sweet fruit in ES/MX/CL/PE, but the starchy cooking plantain in CO/DO/PR/VE (CARIELOS, carlosch, Clara González; DAMER plátano I.2 fruit «Gu, Ho, ES, Ni, CR, Pa, Cu, RD, PR, Co, Ve, Ec, Bo»). Mexico distinguishes the plantain as plátano macho (DEM, flljob). [1]
- Rude senses (penis, tabú/vulg.) per DAMER: guineo «II.1. m. Ho, ES, Ni. Pene. vulg.»; banano «I.3. ES, Ni; CR p.u. Pene. tabú»; banana «I.1. f. Gu, Ho, CR, Bo. Pene. tabú»; plátano «II.1. Gu, Ho, ES, Ni, Bo. Pene. tabú». None of these tags hit the eight card countries, but all four words are rude somewhere in Central America. DAMER also lists guineo CR «hombre homosexual, desp.» [1][2][3][4]
- cambur (Venezuela; Pa, Ec p.u.): DAMER cambur «Pa, Ve; Ec p.u. [guineo], fruto»; also Ve «cargo público»; bb008 (Caracas) confirms cambur (WR 1568141). Not one of the eight columns but is the word a Venezuelan in any of these cities will use. [1][2]
- banano in Chile = a bag / a boat; in Colombia also a fat roll (DAMER banano other senses). [1]
- In Spain banana signals the imported variety as opposed to the Canary plátano (Ibermanolo).
- DAMER guineo I.1 tags Mx, but two Mexican natives say guineo is not used in Mexico (absentstar, flljob); DEM has no guineo fruit sense in the excerpt fetched. Treat guineo in Mexico as regional at most.
Hear it in the city
Explore a city and practise speaking with an AI character who uses the variety you are learning.
🇦🇷 Buenos Aires · 🇨🇱 Santiago · 🇨🇴 Medellín · 🇪🇸 Barcelona · 🇲🇽 Mexico City · 🇵🇪 Cusco · 🇵🇷 San Juan
Start speaking — freeSources
Every filled cell above is backed by human-authored lexicography or a native speaker who says where they're from — ASALE's Diccionario de americanismos, El Colegio de México's Diccionario del español de México, the Tesoro lexicográfico del español de Puerto Rico, the Peruvian Academy's DiPerú, and country-stated posts on language forums. Nothing here comes from a model's recall. Spot a mistake? Tell us — corrections from native speakers go straight in.
Read the sources and research notes
- Argentina — banana
- WordReference · Piabril (Argentina):
Por lo menos en Argentina, se utiliza la palabra 'banana', pero si decís 'plátano'... sonaría MUY raro
↗ - Chile — plátano
- WordReference · Aviador (Chile):
In Chile, the only word used for banana is plátano. Banana is understood but never used
↗ - WordReference · Lobhito (Chile):
En Chile plátano es la fruta dulce y amarilla... leche con plátano
↗ - Colombia — banano
- DAMER:
I.1. Gu, Ho, ES, Ni, CR, Pa, Co:C, Pe, Ar, Ur; f. Gu, Ho, Co, Ec, Bo. [guineo], fruto
↗ - WordReference · CARIELOS (Colombia):
En Colombia tenemos plátano y banano. El primero requiere cocción y el segundo es la fruta
↗ - WordReference · ManPaisa (Colombia):
Bocadillos -- Murrapos los llaman en la región paisa
↗ - Dominican Republic — guineo
- DAMER:
guineo I.1 fruit: tag RD
↗ - Cocina Dominicana · Clara González:
Guineo es como se conoce a la banana en la Rep. Dominicana
↗ - Tesoro PR:
Palabra general en Puerto Rico... al igual que en Santo Domingo
↗ - Spain — plátano
- WordReference · Ibermanolo (Spain):
En España el nombre más utilizado es plátano. Banana se utiliza para los plátanos de procedencia americana
↗ - WordReference · aldonzalorenzo (Spain):
en España solo se usa la palabra 'plátano' para todo
↗ - Mexico — plátano
- DEM (COLMEX):
Fruto comestible... aproximadamente 20 cm (plátano tabasco)... (plátano dominico)... (plátano macho)
↗ - WordReference · flljob (México):
En México todos son plátanos... El que se come frito es el plátano macho
↗ - WordReference · absentstar (Mexico):
Guineo no se utiliza
↗ - Peru — plátano
- WordReference · Alea (Perú):
acá en Perú llamamos a esta fruta 'plátano'... Tenemos 'plátano de seda' y 'plátano de la isla'
↗ - DAMER:
guineo I.1 tag Pe
↗ - DAMER:
banano I.1 tag Pe
↗ - Puerto Rico — guineo
- Tesoro PR:
Palabra general en Puerto Rico para designar el plátano o el banano... El guineo es la fruta que se come madura
↗ - DAMER:
I.1. m. Mx, Gu, Ho:N,C,O, ES, Ni, CR, Pa, Cu:E, RD, PR...
↗ - WordReference · carlosch (Puerto Rico):
el plátano... se cocina siempre... el guineo es la fruta dulce
↗
Where we're less sure
- AR: single poster whose native-language field reads only «Spanish» though the post is explicitly about Argentina («Por lo menos en Argentina»); DAMER oddly tags banano m. for Ar. A porteño should confirm banana is the only everyday word.
- PE: DAMER's plátano fruit sense does not tag Pe (only guineo/banano do), while the Peruvian poster says plátano (de seda). Confirm with a limeño that plátano is the default in Lima and where guineo is heard.
- CO: Medellín banano vs local murrapo/bocadillo for small varieties — a paisa should say which word they'd put on a shopping list.
- DO: DAMER + Clara González (named Dominican cookbook author) + tesoro.pr cross-reference; strong.
- DLE returned 403 to every fetch, so DLE is not cited; dle.rae.es blocked every fetch.