The letter "k" is rarely seen in Spanish. What is the origin of Spanish words containing a k? Are most recent loanwords from modern languages, influences from older languages (Latin or Greek), or of an even earlier origin?
Tell me more
×
Spanish Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for
students, teachers, and linguists wanting to discuss the finer points of the Spanish language. It's 100% free, no registration required.
|
|
||||
|
|
|
According to the Wikipedia page for the Spanish language, under "Writing system", they are all loanwords (directly integrated or words "adapted" to the Spanish writing system):
The single origin for each word is obviously different, and I think we should go singularly. But the main point is that I don't think there are "native" Spanish words with a "K". I say "native", because after a while, any loanword (if used by people) becomes a legitimate word in a given language. |
||||
|
|
|
Most of the words containing a k come from foreign languages. For example:
There are, obviously some words that are names of people or places:
There are also words that come from names:
On the other hand, Spanish come from Latin and Greek and the 'k' letter comes from the 'kappa' Greek letter. So I think the words that come directly from Greek can be considered original words. For example all the words starting by kilo:
Some of the foreign words that contain the 'k' letter are translated using the 'qu'. For example:
|
||||
|
|
|
"K" also has a seemingly widespread slang use in texting / SMSing and online chatting. In this case it stands for the words Also I wouldn't be surprised if there are some words borrowed from Native American languages such as Quiche and Quechua that are spelled with "k" at least informally and regionally. I think I've seen it on signs in Chiapas and Guatemala but I can't say for sure. |
|||
|
|
