Languages › Spanish Fruits in Spanish Frutas en español Print Illustration by Lisa Fasol. ThoughtCo. Spanish Vocabulary History & Culture Pronunciation Writing Skills Grammar By Gerald Erichsen Gerald Erichsen Spanish Language Expert B.A., Seattle Pacific University Gerald Erichsen is a Spanish language expert who has created Spanish lessons for ThoughtCo since 1998. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on November 03, 2019 Are you planning on traveling to a Spanish-speaking country near the equator and want to enjoy tropical fruits? If you do, or if you plan on shopping at any place Spanish is spoken, this list of Spanish words for fruits will come in handy. Fruit Names in Spanish A–G Apple — la manzanaApricot — el damasco, el albaricoqueAvocado — el aguacateBanana — el plátano, la bananaBlackberry — la mora, la zarzamoraBlackcurrant — la grosella negraBlueberry — el arándanocamu camu — el camu camuCantaloupe — el melónCherimoya — la chirimoyaCherry — la cerezaCitron — el cidro, el citrón, la toronjaCoconut — el cocoCucumber — el pepinoCranberry — el arándano agrioDate — el dátilFig — el higoGalia — el melón galiaGooseberry — la grosella espinosaGrape — la uva (A dried grape or raisin is una pasa or una uva pasa.)Grapefruit — el pomelo, la toronjaGuarana — la fruta de guaraná Fruit Names in Spanish H–Z Honeydew melon — el melón tunaHuckleberry — el arándanoKiwi — el kiwiKumquat — el quinotoLemon — el limónLime — la lima, el limónLoganberry — la zarza, la frambuesaLychee — la lichiMandarin — la mandarinaMango — el mangoMelon — el melónMulberry — la moraNaranjilla — la naranjilla, el luloNectarine — la nectarinaOlive — la oliva, la aceitunaOrange — la naranjaPapaya — la papayaPassionfruit — la maracuyá, la parcha, la fruta de pasiónPeach — el durazno, el melocotónPear — la peraPersimmon — el caquiPineapple — la piña, el ananáPlantain — el plátanoPlum — la ciruelaPomegranate — la granadaPrickly pear — la tuna, el higo chumboQuince — el membrilloRaspberry — la frambuesaStrawberry — la fresa, la frutillaTamarind — el tamarindoTangerine — la mandarina, la tangerinaTomatillo — el tomatilloTomato — el tomateWatermelon — la sandía Read More Vocabulary Words for Vegetables in Spanish By Gerald Erichsen Many fruits have local or regional names that may not be understood outside the area. Also, the English and Spanish words for particular fruits may not always be an exact match, sometimes because two similar species of fruits may share a name. For example, what is known as un arándano in Spanish goes by several different names in English, such as huckleberry, bilberry, blueberry, and cranberry. One common source of confusion is that a limón can refer to a lemon or a lime depending on the region. Key Takeaways: Fruit Name Facts The names of many fruits are similar in English and Spanish, either because they have a common origin (such Latin) or because the English borrowed a fruit name from Spanish.The trees or other plants that produce fruit sometimes have distinctive names related to the name of the fruit.Some fruits have names that are understood only in certain localities. Common Foods Made With Fruit Apple cider — la sidra sin alcoholApple crisp, apple crumble — la manzana crujienteApple pie — el pastel de manzanaCompote — la compotaFruitcake — el pastel de frutaFruit cocktail — el cóctel de frutasFruit salad — la ensalada de frutasJam — la marmeladaJuice — el jugo, el zumoPeach cobbler — el pastel de durazno, tarta de duraznoStrawberry sundae — el sundae de fresa, el helado con fresas Fruit Names English and Spanish Share English and Spanish share the names of various fruits for one of two reasons. Either the English name came from Spanish, or English and Spanish gained the name from a common source. There are no fruits on this list in which the Spanish derived from English, although it's likely that kiwi, a word from Maori, was adopted because of U.S. English influence. Here are etymologies of several Spanish-derived fruit names we use in English: Papaya: Spanish picked up papaya from Arawak, an indigenous language of the West Indies, and it spread to English via the shipping industry. Pear: The English name for the fruit comes from the Latin pera, which is also what it's called in Spanish. Plantain: "Plantain" has two meanings: a fruit similar to a banana and a type of flat-leafed weed. Both are called plátano in Spanish. The words with the first meaning probably came to English via Spanish, which picked up the term from the West Indies, while the word with the second meaning came indirectly from Greek. Tomatillo: Tomatillo in Spanish is tomate with the diminutive suffix -illo. Other Spanish food words using this suffix include tortilla (omelet or tortilla, from torta, cake), mantequilla (butter, from manteca, lard or some types of butter), and bolillo (bread roll, related to bola, ball). Tomato: At one time, the tomato was called a "tomate" in English, the same as its Spanish name. The Spanish, in turn, came from Nahuatl, an indigenous Mexican language, which used the word tomatl. The tl ending is a very common noun ending in Nahuatl. Sources for some of the other fruit names include Italian (cantalupo and "cantaloupe"), Latin (pera and "pear"), and Arabic (naranja and "orange"). Words for Fruit-Producing Plants Although the words for "tree" and "bush" are árbol and arbusto, respectively, many that produce fruit have names related to the name of the fruit. Here are some of them: Apple tree — el manzanoBlackberry bush — la zarzaCherry tree — el cerezoGrapevine — la vid, la parraLemon tree — el limoneroOrange tree — el naranjoPear tree — el peralTomato vine — la rama de tomate Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Erichsen, Gerald. "Fruits in Spanish." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/fruits-in-spanish-3079956. Erichsen, Gerald. (2023, April 5). Fruits in Spanish. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/fruits-in-spanish-3079956 Erichsen, Gerald. "Fruits in Spanish." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/fruits-in-spanish-3079956 (accessed March 28, 2024). copy citation