100 first Spanish words for kids, by theme

Learning your first Spanish words is much easier when you do it by theme, through play and with a little repetition each day. This list gathers 100 basic words that children can start using from around age 4 or 5, grouped into ten themes of ten words each, with the English meaning in brackets.

How to use this list

Do not try to learn them all at once. Pick one theme per week, say each word out loud, draw it and use it in a short sentence. Five minutes a day works better than one hour on Sunday.

1. Animals

perro (dog), gato (cat), pájaro (bird), pez (fish), caballo (horse), vaca (cow), cerdo (pig), pato (duck), conejo (rabbit), león (lion). Try saying: “Veo un perro.” (I see a dog.)

2. Colors

rojo (red), azul (blue), verde (green), amarillo (yellow), naranja (orange), rosa (pink), morado (purple), negro (black), blanco (white), marrón (brown). Try saying: “El cielo es azul.” (The sky is blue.)

3. Numbers

uno (one), dos (two), tres (three), cuatro (four), cinco (five), seis (six), siete (seven), ocho (eight), nueve (nine), diez (ten). Try saying: “Tengo tres manzanas.” (I have three apples.)

4. Family

madre (mother), padre (father), hermano (brother), hermana (sister), bebé (baby), abuela (grandma), abuelo (grandpa), amigo (friend), profesor (teacher), familia (family). Try saying: “Esta es mi hermana.” (This is my sister.)

5. The body

cabeza (head), ojos (eyes), nariz (nose), boca (mouth), orejas (ears), mano (hand), brazo (arm), pierna (leg), pie (foot), pelo (hair). Try saying: “Me toco la nariz.” (I touch my nose.)

6. Food

manzana (apple), plátano (banana), pan (bread), leche (milk), agua (water), huevo (egg), queso (cheese), arroz (rice), pizza (pizza), tarta (cake). Try saying: “Me gusta la pizza.” (I like pizza.)

7. School

libro (book), lápiz (pencil), bolígrafo (pen), pupitre (desk), silla (chair), mochila (bag), papel (paper), clase (class), pizarra (board), colegio (school). Try saying: “Tengo un lápiz.” (I have a pencil.)

8. The house

casa (house), puerta (door), ventana (window), cama (bed), mesa (table), cocina (kitchen), baño (bathroom), habitación (room), jardín (garden), lámpara (lamp). Try saying: “El gato está en la cama.” (The cat is on the bed.)

9. Nature

sol (sun), luna (moon), estrella (star), árbol (tree), flor (flower), lluvia (rain), nube (cloud), mar (sea), río (river), montaña (mountain). Try saying: “El sol brilla.” (The sun is shining.)

10. Basic verbs

correr (to run), saltar (to jump), comer (to eat), beber (to drink), dormir (to sleep), jugar (to play), leer (to read), escribir (to write), cantar (to sing), caminar (to walk). Try saying: “Me gusta saltar.” (I like to jump.)

A pronunciation tip

Spanish is much easier to read aloud than English: each vowel always has the same sound (a, e, i, o, u), the letter h is silent, and ñ sounds like the “ny” in “canyon”. Listen to each word spoken by a native speaker before repeating it, and do not worry about getting it perfect.

Games to practice

Make cards with the picture on one side and the Spanish word on the other and play a memory game. You can also say “Veo un perro” whenever you spot a dog. And if you enjoy puzzles, try our word search in Spanish.

💡 Spanish is spoken by more than 480 million native speakers around the world.